Mark 1:26 - A Tantrum of Demonic Proportion

The Verse

Mark 1:26 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.


My Paraphrase

As the demon came out, he threw a big tantrum, shaking the man and shrieking.


My Thoughts

Lots of things to note in this verse. My main question: Why did Jesus allow the demon to make such a scene? I mean, He's Jesus, right? If He has power to calm a storm, surely he can cast out a demon perfectly and quietly--no muss; no fuss, right? Well. . .since we know Jesus is perfect, we can assume that this was the most perfect way to cast out a demon. There are plenty of reasons that Jesus didn't completely silence the demon outright, so read on. 

(1) To sober us to the severity of demonic stronghold. The shrieking and shaking could have been directly related to the strength of the dependence that the man had in the demon. When Jesus cast it out, the demon had been so deeply embedded into the man that in coming out, shaking and shrieking were inevitable. Jesus allowed the scene so the on-lookers (and readers like us) could learn a lesson on the severity of strongholds.

(2) To give us a heads up that exorcism is not something to take lightly, nor does the enemy go quietly. If demons make a scene in front of God Himself, than we can expect at least the same when we confront them. This doesn't need to intimidate us, and we can go ahead and realize that a big noisy scene is par for the course.

(3) To create a witness and testimony. If the demon had gone quietly into the night, the rest of the synagogue could have assumed that there was really nothing wrong with the man. They could have explained the miraculous away. Sometimes, people need a "show" in order to "get it."

(4) To illustrate that actions have consequences. It was the man that had allowed the demon to come in in the first place. Demons don't just inhabit willy-nilly. They only come in when invited either directly by occult invitation or indirectly by sin. If you are going to make a self-destructive and disobedient choice, you can expect some "violent shaking" when God removes it. That's a scientific anomaly called "cause and effect." Did God pull the Israelites out of horrible fates time and again? Did the prodigal son get to return to his father with full forgiveness? Yes, but look what it took--what pain they had to go through--to get there. Bottom line: If you want the path of least resistance, don't create resistance! This is exactly why we are called to peace (Colossians 3:15).

(5) To prove demonic disregard for human life. Demons don't care about you. All they care about is torture and destruction. Even at their last contact with you, they are going to do all they can to stress you out, scare you, shake you, and hurt you. So. . .turn your life over to God and stop living for yourself. Otherwise, you're only hurting yourself.

(6) To show that demons are spoiled brats. Think of the brattiest child in the trashiest of Wal-Marts throwing the biggest tantrum you can picture and know that doesn't even compare to the fit a demon could pitch! Even the most unruly child still has a conscience somewhere deep inside (having been created in God's image, after all). However, a demon cannot and will not ever operate within moral standards. (Incidentally, think about the tantrum Satan will throw when he is finally cast into hell for eternity--"Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth" doesn't quite cover it!) A being becomes a spoiled brat when he/she lacks gratitude for a position or situation, yet feels overwhelming entitlement. Satan himself said, "I will be like the Most High" thinking his former appointment as heaven's worship leader as something he'd gotten of his own volition. No thankfulness whatsoever. Talk about bratty entitlement! Demons are just spoiled angels. Remember that everything you have is a gift from On High: your house, your job, your talents, your intellect--the second you take credit for these things is the same second you open yourself up for bratty, demonic influence!

(7) To prove that demons operate out of fear and intimidation. The fact that they put on such elaborate shows during exorcism is sort of their last hurrah of incurring fear in people. Since all they know is fear and intimidation, their demise includes screaming and shaking to the very end. However, this also shows how stupid they are. It's like, you know what? You can scream and shake all you want, but you're still getting defeated! The demon's little charade may have amazed the onlookers, but it didn't take Jesus by surprise. It shouldn't take us by surprise either.

(8) To further emphasize Jesus' Messiah-ship. You'd think demons would be smarter and not bring so much attention to Jesus being God's Chosen, but they are true idiots. Go ahead and scream, you're only furthering the Gospel!



This brings up one last point. . .Wouldn't you think that the demons and the devil would have recognized Jesus as the Messiah? And. . .honestly, they probably did. Here's the thing though: 

(9) This tantrum proves that demons had NO IDEA WHAT "MESSIAH" MEANT. Clearly they didn't. Every time they see Him they say, "If you are the Son of God..." or "What do you want with me/us?" I mean, listen. . .If you'd seen God create the universe from nothing, felt His wrath as he threw you out of heaven, plus had seen all the Old Testament miracles firsthand, do you really think you'd ever say "If" to Him or try to intimidate Him? Those are tactics that work on men, not God. They had no idea that the Messiah was Him...like with a capital "H"! No one did! Remember how the Bible says that Jesus was "of no reputation" (Philippians 2:7-9) and that if we looked upon Him, we'd never "esteem Him" as anything important (Isaiah 53:4)? Revelation and all that hadn't been written yet and demons don't know the future. I don't think they even get an inkling of Jesus being God Himself until at least chapter 5. . .so. . .stay tuned!