Upon reading the first thirteen chapters of Mark’s gospel, one thing that struck me powerfully was the nearly continuous presence of demons. Demons are mentioned six or seven times in the first three chapters alone. Jesus, himself, is harassed by Satan in the desert. Once Jesus begins his public ministry, nearly every crowd that comes to him for healing includes someone distressed by a demon. This leads, by the end of chapter three, to some accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the power of demons. Jesus responds by making clear the absurdity of this accusation, the weakness it would cause Satan to be so divided against himself.
I think that the presence of so many unclean spirits around Jesus’ ministry reveals two things. One, and most simply, Jesus comes not only to heal our physical ailments or to provide for our temporal needs, as in the multiplication of loaves to feed the crowds, but also to heal our souls. He does this by forgiving our sins and ultimately will do so through his great act of redemption on the cross. In the meantime, during his earthly ministry, each demon he casts out demonstrates his power over the evil one. As the crowds say, “He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” (Mark 1:27) The vast extent of Jesus’ authority is revealed as is the depth of his compassion for his people, or as Mark often puts it, his pity. Truly it is astonishing.
However, I think there is another aspect to all this demonic activity. Immediately upon beginning his ministry, Jesus proclaims, “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1: 14- 15) Effectively, Jesus has told Satan and all his demons that their time is over. The Kingdom of God is at hand, the King of Heaven is victorious, and his victory brings to an end the reign of the prince of this world.
So, it is no wonder that so many demons show up. They must feel threatened by Jesus, they recognize him, and yet they are powerless to resist him. Now that he has come into their midst, invaded their stronghold, they are overthrown. They must come to him and be expelled.
The Kingdom of God drives out the work of evil one. This truth is reason enough alone for one to submit oneself to Jesus, to choose to belong to his Kingdom. There is freedom from our enemy; the one who hates us and seeks our destruction is defeated by the One who loves us and offers our salvation. This is the good news proclaimed to us.
Jesus calls each one of us to come and follow him, to enter into His Kingdom. Like the disciples, we may have questions and fears, we may be slow to understand and to believe, but none of this is reason not to follow, none of it is any obstacle to Jesus’ love. When he calls we can begin to follow, bringing to him our questions, our fears, confusion, hesitations. He will look at us with pity, embrace us with love, and we will be satisfied.
Prose for the sake of Poetry 