Not More of the Same

Contrary to popular thought, reports of demonic activity are pretty sparse throughout Scripture
until the time of the Gospels. Demons begin to appear as Jesus announces the gospel of the
Kingdom of God. As one scholar writes, “[Jesus] is authorized to proclaim the good news of the
kingdom, to call followers, and to make war on Satan.” At the core of this scene is the demonstrated authority of Jesus. What sets Jesus’ teaching apart from other faithful rabbis of His day isn’t His charisma but His absolute authority, seen here in His total control over the unseen spiritual realm. In Jesus’ time, exorcists had complex incantations and rituals they used to try to free people from demons. Due to the influence of popular horror movies, we might be tempted today to think that there is a similarly desperate power struggle between God and demons, and that a drawn-out process of rituals and prayers must be used to deliver someone from evil spirits. But here Jesus simply speaks a command and the demon obeys, and this causes the synagogue attendees to stand in astonishment and amazement, leading to the knowledge of Jesus spreading throughout Galilee.