Have you ever seen a pundit and followed blindly because what he or she said sounds right?  To my shame I know I have.  Have you ever been wrapped up in propaganda and hype?  Again to my shame I know I have.  When we make decisions it’s in our best interest to do so with as much information as possible.  If you have a cause and you want to get people on board then the best people are the ones who are with you because they too have the same cause.  The problem is that in today’s society there is almost no research done on the causes that we follow.  If any is done at all it’s usually just a quick internet search and people go with whatever the first article, Tik Toker, or You Tuber says.  Almost no one anymore understands the causes that they follow.  Sadly in most cases that’s by design of the cause originators.  It’s a design as old as time.

In our verses today we see some hype thrown out to deceive the masses and we’ve probably read it several times without even realizing it.  Keep in mind deception almost always contains truth used improperly or twisted to serve a purpose.

Mark 1:23-28 CSB
[23] Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out,  [24] “What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” [25] Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” [26] And the unclean spirit threw him into convulsions, shouted with a loud voice, and came out of him. [27] They were all amazed, and so they began to ask each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” [28] At once the news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity of Galilee.

Jesus is teaching in the synagogue.  Now that’s a problem for Satan.  Everyone is listening because Jesus is speaking with authority.  He’s saying it as the Creator and not just a teacher.  Satan needs to distract the people.  In comes the possessed man.  First I want to highlight what the demon says and hopefully point out the why.  Then I want to focus on the response from Jesus and look at some of the base God has already built to combat these very actions by the Evil One.

Mark 1:24 CSB
[24] “What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy One of God!”

Now at first you might think that this is counter intuitive to the cause of Satan.  If it weren’t for the actions already taken by God,  you may have been right.  But let’s look at a possible “WHY?” for the statement that the demon makes above.  There are a few reasons but one is the creation of passivity.  Satan knows that Jesus’s words are true.  He also knows that God has built a foundation of truths that reinforce everything that Jesus says.  That’s a defeating combination for Satan.  So the obvious recourse for Satan is to get the masses to acknowledge without belief.

Mark 1:24 CSB
[24] “What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

That’s a truthful statement.  But the demon doesn’t stop there.  He adds a negative connotation to it by his next words.

Have you come to destroy us?

The demon introduces question into the mind of the hearer.  Notice that the demon didn’t say remove us.  Destruction drives thoughts that distract and blind.  It produces anger and sometimes even hate.  But to be honest I think his next words might even be more sinister.

I know who you are — the Holy One of God!”

When you first read this you may think that there’s a forced respect there.  After all he acknowledged the power that Jesus has over him.  I don’t think that’s why the demon said it though.  I think he said it to drive people to follow blindly with no conviction.  To believe without belief, to see without seeing, to hear without hearing, to love without loving.  Those things combined create followers not worshipers.  God, wants Worshipers who follow, who see who He is, who hear His Word, who love Him and all others as He has loved them, because He loves them.  The demon is playing the part of the deceitful pundit, the hype man, the You Tuber, the Tik Toker.

Let me make the case for this simply.  Look at Jesus response.

Mark 1:25 CSB
[25] Jesus rebuked him saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

Be silent,  stop distracting people and go away.  No destruction, just removal of the distraction.  Unfortunately I’m sure that people in that crowd fell for the deception just the same as we often fall for hype and propaganda on TV or social media.  Like I said the tactic is as old as time.  Now how do we combat it?

First we tell the facts all of them without hype.  Christians often use buzzwords like Trinity, Bible, Cross, Mercy and so on.  Those words aren’t wrong but without the information, the facts that back them up.  They may very well do exactly what the demon tried to do.  They may distract from the real point. 

Jesus!

We need to build foundations.  Look at Mark 1

Mark 1:1, 3, 7, 9-11, 15, 17 CSB
[1] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

[3]  A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord; make his paths straight!

[7] He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.

[9] In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. [10] As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. [11] And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

[15] “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

[17] “Follow me,” Jesus told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”

Build a foundation of truth and expand it forever. 

The Gospel is simple.  I’m absolutely convinced that God made it simple because man has proven over and over that he can’t handle complicated.

1. God made everything – Genesis 1 and 2.

2. Man messed it up – Genesis 3

3. Jesus came to fix it – Isiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans and more.

4. When all is made right Christians will be with Jesus  – Revelation, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, Ephesians and more.

You combat the problem by preaching the Word.  All of it with no special additions.  People have to come to Jesus on their own.  Give them all the information you can and pray that they hear His call. 

It’s easy to get the wrong impression of the Bible without a full picture.  So give the full picture.  Satan would have you believe that Jesus is standing at the gates of heaven looking out saying you can come and you cannot.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus stands at the gates of heaven holding them open and we’re all running as fast as we can towards the gates of hell.  In His infinite wisdom He reaches out and turns each of us around saying come this way.  Some will but most will once again run the other way.  Any who believe may enter.  There are no requirements other than belief in Christ.  No need to clean up, no need to change.  He will take care of that.  Simple because we can’t handle complicated.

John 3:16-18 CSB
[16] For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

Love in Christ,

Colby