Mark 1: 23-24 - February 10, 2010

Mark 1:23-24 “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!"

Jesus is in the middle of teaching the people in the local synagogue. The people are listening with rapt attention. They are amazed at the authority of his message. They are in awe of the contrast between the empty words of the religious leaders and these words of power and life that are coming from Jesus. But they are not the only ones listening. There is an audience in the spirit realm as well and the words of Jesus are creating waves of unrest in that realm as also.

This passage is rich with insight into the unseen realms of the spirit world. Jesus is speaking with spiritual authority that He has received from his Father. He is speaking words of life that He has learned in the presence of God. These words of “spirit and life” are provoking the demonic powers that are at work in the region. They know this man Jesus. They know him as more than a carpenter. They know him as more than the son of Joseph. They know him for who He is in heaven! The message of Jesus provokes these demonic inhabitants to surface and reveal their presence. They cannot withstand the power of these anointed words that are being spoken. They have to speak. They have to acknowledge the Son of God.

This passage demonstrates the measure of the authority of Christ’s words. This passage reveals the power of anointed lips! Even though men have spent centuries arguing about Jesus, it only takes a short while for these demonic powers to acknowledge Him as the Holy One of God. All men have a tendency to judge others by what they can see with their eyes and hear with their ears. But these demonic forces know Jesus on a different level. They know for who He is in the realms of the spirit. They know that they will stand before Him for judgment and the power of His words fills them with fear that their time of judgment is at hand.

This little portion of Mark chapter one brings each one of us to a place of needing to ask the same question. Who am I in the spirit world, the heavenly realms? You will not be judged after the flesh. You will stand before God and be judged for who you are in the spirit. Your good looks and material success will mean nothing, they were a gift. The opinions of others will mean very little in the courts of God. What will matter, the measuring rod of your life, will be who you are in the presence of the Father! How are you known there? Do the demons know who you are? Do the angels know your name? Are you God’s boast the way Job was as the Father pointed to Job when Satan came to accuse God’s children? Live in such a way that you have a reputation there that is greater than your reputation here on earth! Let it be your goal to be known in the courts of heaven!