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The Verse
Mark 1:28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee. (ESV)
My Paraphrase
Immediately, Jesus got super famous in all of Galilee.
My Thoughts
This should show us the impact we can have simply by standing firm and wielding God's authority with wisdom. Authority sets us apart. Authority gets people dialoguing about God. Even though we are about to see Jesus trying to keep Himself a secret in the next few verses (Mark 1:34, 44), at this point, the news needed to spread and God's Authority was what compelled that to happen.
I think it's funny that in our day and age, there is such a desire among all of us to be "liked" and "favorited" on social media. Any of us would kill for half the followers Jesus was accumulating--but why? For our own egos? So we feel self-worth? So we can be successful? Jesus had no desire for popularity (because His self-worth came from God alone), but popularity was a side effect of his obedience to God and His filling of the soul-deficit in the people.
Yes, we would all kill for that kind of impact, but we need to realize that there is a responsibility attached to popularity. We all like the fame, but we don't like the repercussion. As Loretta Lynn famously wrote, "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die." This is so true. People may follow you in scads at the beginning, but it takes only one little issue, one little complaint, and they drop you like a rock. Note: when the masses dropped Him, Jesus' popularity directly resulted in His crucifixion!
Now, I'm not saying that if you become popular, that you will also be crucified, but it should at least make you aware of the fickleness of humanity and what responsibility attached to fame should actually look like. (Also, Jesus was perfect, so. . .if people drop you a little faster than they did with Him, it's probably because you're not.) That should tell you something about people. And guess what, all those followers that you want more than anything are, you guessed it, people.
However, God is God, so. . .He's really efficient and uses everything at His disposal, even the negative. It's really important to realize that God used both Christ's popularity and the ensuing crucifixion for our good and His Glory. Consider this: If Jesus had been a nobody with no impact, He would never have been able to pay for sin. God caused Him to become popular in order to save billions of people. That includes all the fickle people who like you and then drop you. And that includes you.
And that, Charlie Brown, is what Christmas is all about.
So remember, if you are obedient to God and you happen to get really popular, keep God first and He will guide you. But also know that while you aren't necessarily guaranteed to be crucified when and if people drop you, God-given fame doesn't often guarantee a super comfortable life.
It's like Spiderman's Uncle Ben once said, "With great power comes great responsibility."
The Verse
Mark 1:27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him." (NIV)
My Paraphrase
Compelled by amazement, the people asked each other, "What just happened? Is this a new teaching that actually holds water? He even has authority over demons!
My Thoughts
I like that the text says, "The people were so amazed that they asked each other." In other words, their amazement spurred on an ensuing discussion. In other other words, this was a tough crowd. I imagine these men as self-proclaimed intellectuals that didn't just buy the first thing that was thrown at them (and probably not the second, third, or fourth either). However, after an amazing event like this, they needed to vent and debrief each other. "Did you see that?" "What just happened?" Whereas perhaps a more Spirit-driven (and some would term: simpler and more ignorant) synagogue would have been amazed and praised God and skipped the discussion.
(This is not to say skepticism is without merit. I just mean that there is a chasm of difference between a skepticism fueled by the Holy Spirit and one that is complacent and arrogant.)
But what caused this intellectual complacency? Simply: They were used to hearing watered-down, lackluster reading and teaching. They were the congregation who would come to church out of obligation, or need for a social life, and sit self-righteously in their seats while demonized men ran rampant in their midst. No one ever did anything about the demons because no one ever felt it was within his/her wheelhouse. No one was was empowered because the teaching they received was bland and non-compelling. This sounds so much like churches today, it makes me sick. How many congregations are told that the miracles of the Spirit were only for "then" and not now? How many church members reduce the Holy Spirit to a glorified Jiminy Cricket and that believing He is more than that is a direct ticket to Crazy Town? How many of them are taught to be so skeptical when they hear of modern miracles that they end up robbing themselves and others of blessing and testimony? This synagogue was clearly suffering from the same lies because they obviously hadn't done a thing to fix their supernatural problems. . .Yet--and here's the kicker--they were actually living right in the middle of the biggest "then" that there ever was! That should tell us something. I've heard so many atheists and non-believers with the argument "Well, I'd believe in God if He actually came to earth and physically talked to me." Is that really all it would take? Because, guess what, He already did that and people still chose not to believe in Him! Which should show us, logically, that the problem doesn't lie within God manifesting Himself or not, but within humanity who either chooses to accept or reject the manifestation!
It's called free will, People.
So this congregation, who under normal circumstances would have been silent (and probably asleep from boredom), saw this miracle and were revived and awakened to the point of dialoguing and asking each other about Christ. (I've been, granted, pretty hard on these people in this post so far, so I'll let up on them now. I don't mean to dismiss the fact that they were talking about God, and talking about God is great.) This was new for them. This was good for them. They hadn't done this before. They were finally witnessing something in church that warranted an after-party of discussion.
Jesus got them talking.
And this, Class, is the truest definition of revival. Christ's authority compelled what was formerly dead to come to life--instantly. Shaking the foundations of mere belief and reforming it into the structure of true faith. This is what repentance looks like: A change of mind. Their minds were changing from the obligation and rules of their current Scriptural interpretations into the freedom and live-giving power of which the Scriptures had been speaking all along.
A man had been freed from possession, but revival was the bonus miracle.
They asked each other, "Is this a new teaching?" According to Solomon, there is nothing new under the sun. However, it wasn't the concept but the perspective that was brand-spanking new to them. They had heard of demons being cast out many times in the stories of old. However, what they didn't realize was that casting out demons was a power that any person with faith in God could have. Apparently, a lie had been perpetuated and believed that either none of them could actually cast out demons--so no one ever tried--or that only a select few past prophets could have done it, and that's it. God was closed for business otherwise.
With that in mind, do you see how absolutely mindblowingly revolutionary this event was now for these people? When a lowly carpenter's Son, and Friend of working-class fishermen--a Nobody among nobodies--came along, he not only taught but performed this exorcism with all the authority of God Himself?
I mean. . .I'd be talking too. . .In fact, I am! Ha!
Looking back at verse 22, we see that the people were initially amazed at His teaching authority, but what sets them over the edge, to the point of discussing it all, is this verse 27. "He even gives orders to impure spirits." In other words, He is a great public speaker, but much more than that--His speaking commands demons.
This should encourage all preachers and teachers of the Word. Your message can have ultimate authority. When you put aside your own agenda-driven ego and pick up God's Authority, you will become a force to be reckoned with. Notice too, if you really want revival in your church: It's not the pyrotechnics of the exorcism that spurred revival; it was the authority by which Christ did these things. Authoritative messages stir up revival. Authoritative sermons bind the enemy. Authoritative messages change the face of history.
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!
The Verse
Mark 1:25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”
My Paraphrase
Jesus spoke firmly and unwavering, "Shut up. Get out."
My Thoughts
Most translations say "Be quiet," but I chose to paraphrase with "Shut up!" because the Bible says Jesus said it sternly, and I don't think we need to censor Jesus here. As believers and followers of God, we have all authority over the enemy and demons and can speak with ultimate authority over them. It is inappropriate to say "Shut up" to other humans because we are created in the image of God, but demons are fair game, in my opinion. Demons don't deserve respect.
Also, interesting about this quotation is its brevity. Jesus doesn't belabor the scene. He doesn't bring in pyrotechnics. He doesn't embellish. He just gives two short commands: He silences, then exorcises. We should learn from this. We don't need to beat around the bush where the enemy is concerned. Address him head-on--(1) Silence him and (2) rebuke him. Done. Demons also don't deserve a big spectacle.
Something else interesting is that the first command ("Be quiet!") could have been addressed to both the man and the demon. In other words, even though the demon was speaking through the man, the man was still responsible for allowing the demon to speak in the first place. It was the man's lips, vocal chords, and lungs being used, after all. This problem needed to be addressed. In saying, "Be quiet!" Jesus not only silenced the demon, but also pointed out the man's accountability. This is how we need to address problems in our churches. We need to address them head-on as demonic and expose the deception so that people can see where they are being lead astray. We don't need to candy-coat nor do we need to enable.
Shut it down, and shut it down fast. No room for footholds.
Okay, so we know that Jesus was directly addressing the demon and the man, but did you realize that there is a third party here in this verse that was also being taught? The other members of the synagogue. This man had been in their midst for who knows how long! Then, here came this Guy who not only taught with authority, but also cast out demons with authority! Honestly, this exorcism should have happened long ago in this congregation, but clearly if none of the teachers felt they had enough authority even to teach properly, then it's no wonder there were demons running so rampant! I mean, if Jesus' teaching alone was blowing their minds, then I imagine His display of authority over demons was really throwing them for a loop!
All right. Now we come to Jesus' second command, "Come out of him!" This is directly to the demon. Jesus is obviously Spirit-filled because only the Holy Spirit can cast out an impure spirit. "Perfect love casts out fear." (I John 4:18). Demons operate with nothing more than fear and intimidation. Jesus--the picture of Perfect Love--casts out fear with nothing more than simple words.
However, even though Jesus directly commands the demon, He is also indirectly speaking to the man. Jesus doesn't just say, "Come out!" but He also says, "of him." There is a human element to the command of which the man was still a part. Whether the man was willing for the demon to come out or not, is irrelevant because we are dealing with the Son of God here, and if He commands something to come out, it's coming out no matter what. Still, the wording "of him" connects the man to the responsibility of letting the demon get in there in the first place.
Well, now that the demon was out, maybe the man wouldn't have to leave and find work in Damascus after all. (Sorry. That was a stupid joke from my former post.)
Another point about the command "Come out of him!" and that is this: Jesus makes it very plain that the demon is not welcome under any circumstances. He shows us in very few words that there is a big problem with allowing demonic influence into our lives. Simply this: They don't belong there. We were created for something far greater, so. . .don't waste your time with beings that don't belong in you. Don't waste your time thinking about another person's spouse. Don't waste your time worrying about things that might (and probably won't) happen. Don't entertain thoughts that make you angry against another person. Just stop it. Say this right now: Get out. Right now. Evil thoughts, you don't belong in my head. I am created for life, not death.
Lastly, Jesus is perfect, so we can assume that this was and is the most perfect way to cast out a demon. You don't need candles. You don't need spell books. You don't need crucifixes. In fact, if you use anything EXCEPT God-empowered, Spirit-filled, authoritative words to cast out a demon--you're doing it wrongly.
Like. . .really wrongly.
The Verse
Mark 1:24 “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
My Paraphrase
"What are you going to do to us, Jesus? Will You destroy us? I know you're God's Chosen One!"
My Thoughts
(If you are just tuning in, I am doing a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Mark, and it helps me to think when I reword the verse. I'm not suggesting that my paraphrase is Scripture or anything. It's a little Bible study tactic I learned from a Priscilla Shirer simulcast.)
So many things in this verse and where to begin. . .
So first of all, whenever I have read this verse in the past, I tended to read it as though the demon had all the information that we do today. (Just like how I used to read the temptations of Jesus as though Satan actually knew with Whom he was dealing in verses 12-13. . .You know what? Go here if you don't know what I'm talking about.), so I used to think that maybe the demon was being sarcastic like how Goliath was all, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with a stick?" (I Sam. 17:43) Like. . ."Is this tiny person supposed to scare me? I'm so much scarier! Bwahahaha!"
When I was little, I used to be really scared of demons, so I think that now--even as an adult--I have just given them too much credit. Honestly, I think the demon in this verse was just going on whatever information Satan was able to give him from his "Temptation of Jesus."
Which, honestly, was not much. During "The Temptation," Jesus hadn't done any miracles. He hadn't tried to fight. He hadn't tried to prove Himself. All He had done was to withstand temptation--which, granted, had exceeded most Old Testament men's decisions (Think: David and Bathsheba, Noah and his daughters, King Saul and. . .everybody....*cough*)
So here's how it probably went down: Satan tempts Jesus. Jesus withstands temptation. Satan concludes, "This Guy must be at least a prophet--and a good one at that. . .But is He that blasted "M" word?. . ." Remember, it's the Messiah that he has been trying to thwart all the way since the Garden of Eden, so any prophet up to this point has been fair game. (Talk about being a nervous wreck! Satan has known this Messiah to be his undoing for millennia!)
So, anyway, Satan gathers his minions (Like. . .the actual definition of the word. Not the adorable one-eyed yellow rip-offs of the Aliens in Toy Story. . .). Satan tells them, "Okay, Guys. This Man needs constant surveillance--I couldn't even crack Him!"
Obligatory gasps.
"What in bleepity-bleep is Yahweh up to???" Satan notices one demon in the crowd that didn't gasp. He's too busy playing Words with Enemies on his cleverphone.
"You!"
All hell is silent as all eyes fall on this demon. His buddy next to him nudges him. He shoots his buddy a look of death and then realizes the situation. He is mortified. His cleverphone zips out of his hand and up onstage onto Satan's podium.
Satan looks at the phone, holds up his fist to smash it, stops at the last second, and then starts speaking. . .patiently, yet through his teeth, "Since you obviously have a lot of time on your hands, you will go to that synagogue, and when this Jesus starts preaching, I want you to FINISH HIM!"
The demon whines, "But, Sire! It's not fair! I'm only second level! I haven't even been given grave wandering rights yet, let alone execution ones!"
Satan, hot with (self-) righteous anger, yells, "Oh my...G-Gog and Magog!!!" grabs a lightning bolt from his stack, and is about to hurl it at the demon. Just then, the guy on Satan's left taps his shoulder, whispers in his ear, Satan turns to listen, after two seconds pushes him away, looks back at the demon in question, and waves his hand. "Okay, so. Whatever. Avada-Kedavra! Boom! You have them now, Okay?"
Another frantic tap to Satan's shoulder. More whispering. Lots of pointing and "No"-nodding and hands making an "X" like, "Not the best idea with this one. . ." Satan looks perplexed, smacks his forehead, and whispers under his breath, ". . .So hard to find good help these. . .ever. . ." He looks up realizing he said that into the microphone. To the crowd he says, "Just another perk of running hell. Am I right?"
The crowd laughs nervously, thankful for a little tension release.
Satan turns back to the demon with feigned composure, "Can you. . .inhabit?'
The demon says, "Yes." Buddy nudges him again. "...Sir!"
"Can you intimidate?"
"Probably. . .Like. . ." The demon furrows his brow stupidly, "That means yell, right?"
Satan rolls his eyes, "Yes. . .Yell!. . .Wave the guy's arms! Froth at the mouth! The regular routine!" Satan grabs the podium with both hands trying to restrain anger, "I mean...anti-Christ! Do I have to spell it out for you??? Just get him to reveal His plan!. . .If you can, do the--" Just then a thought pops into his head and he begins pacing onstage as he brainstorms, "Here! I know what to do!--I can't believe I didn't think of this before! When I had my one-on-one with Him, I kept qualifying His title with an 'if,' as in, 'if you are the Son of God,' and that didn't work, because it was too easy to brush off! It wasn't in-your-face enough!" Satan stops pacing, looks at the demon, and starts wagging his finger, "What you need to do is look Him right in the face and, as eloquently as you can, get him to divulge His secrets!"
"But how--" Nudge. "--Sir?"
At this point, Satan ignores the demon's ineptitude because he is so excited with his super intelligent plot, "Try calling Him. . ." He puts a hand to his chin and then releases it, "The Messiah!--No, no, that's not grandiose enough. . .Try, 'The. . .The Holy One of God'!--Yes!!!--and see where that gets you!" Satan claps for emphasis and then crosses his arms, standing tall, "If you puff Him full of smoke and flattery, maybe that will trip Him up!"
The demon slowly repeats the words, calculating how they feel in his mouth, "The. . .Ho-o-oly Wu-u-un of G--"
Satan interrupts, "--But remember! Be eloquent!. . .Remember what you learned in 'Inhabiting an Atheist Professor' class!"
The demon looks a little confused, but says "Uh. Okay. . .Right. . .Yeah." Then, his face changes to spoiled boredom and he says indignantly, "I can do it. Okay? Whatever. Can I have my cleverphone back now?"
Satan lifts his fist upward and shakes it as he yells, "Intertestiment-tennials!!!"
---------------------------------------
So the demon leaves, finds someone easily inhabitable in the synagogue, and finally the big day comes. He's confident. He's rehearsed his speech a thousand times. . .or at least twice. He has bullet points. He has rebuttals. He even has pauses for laughter. The whole shebang. So he gets his guy to sit down in the midst of the crowd. He's ready. He's golden. Then Jesus comes in. All of a sudden the demon is struck with a strange overwhelm. His guy's heart rate goes up. Just be cool, he whispers to them both inside his guy's head. Jesus starts preaching. But His words are like nothing he, or his guy, have ever heard before. Such authority. Such amazing grace. So. . .truthful. All of a sudden, the demon starts losing his bullet points. . .Wait. What was point one? Was it, "How can there be a loving God if there is pain and suff--?. . .Errrrrr was that point two?. . .Was it. . .Wait. . .Evah. . .No. .. Evo. . .lu-tion?--No, no no! That one doesn't come for another 1800 years!! His guy's palms start to drip from sweat. Wait. . .What's my name again?. . .Not your name, Stupid! Mine! Just then Jesus looks right at him, he panics, and the guy's leg straighten. He's up. Oh no. Everyone is looking. No going back now. And he blurts out,
"What do you want with us, Jesus?. . . .To destroy us??" . . .Wait. . .that wasn't right!. . .Idiot! Just keep going. Oh! I remember now, "I know who you are! The Holy One of God!" Yes! There! At least I did something right!--err--wrong. . .?
And then his guy thinks to himself, "Well, that's it for me here. Guess I better see if they're hiring in Damascus!"
[Aaaaaand. . .Scene!]
Okay, I'm pretty sure that's not how it went. . .
Still, how completely gauche and pedestrian is it to blurt out "Why are you here??? To destroy us???" Seriously. Giving away the punch line before the joke is even told? No class at all. How can you scare Someone who clearly scares you and fills you with such paranoia?
The stupidity of hell.
Lastly, look at this demon's tactic: He tries to intimidate Jesus by "blowing His cover." It's like he's taking the glasses off Clark Kent and everyone is supposed to gasp in horror or something. "I know who you are--The Holy One of God!!!" This, of course, is what is so hilarious about that statement: In trying to "out" Jesus, he is actually helping to solidify Jesus' Messiah-ship. How many non-believers became believers that day just because of this demon? Answer: Plenty of them did. (Spoiler Alert: Skip ahead to verse 27.) Way to go, Satan. Playing right into God's hands.
As per usual.
That's the thing about Jesus, Y'all. You can tell me that Jesus was just a good man, and that He's nothing special. So why do demons react to Him like this, then? Why do people who reject Jesus reject Him so much?
In the words of Billy Shakespeare, "Methinks thou dost protest too much. . ."
The Verse
Mark 1:23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out,
My Paraphrase
Suddenly, a demonized man in the synagogue started yelling,
My Thoughts
This a very short verse, but there is a lot of serious ramification within it. The first thought that hits me is this: So. . .what was this man doing in the synagogue? Did he just wander in from off the street? I kind of think that isn't the case because I think the Scripture would have said, "Just then a man wandered in from off the street," right? There is no reason necessarily to think this was some hobo coming in to cause a ruckus. So, I'm pretty sure this guy was a regular attender. He was a man "in their synagogue." I read several versions to verify the wording, and all of them suggest that this guy had been in the synagogue the entire time--like the entire time that Jesus was up there amazing the crowd at His authoritative teaching! Isn't that crazy? I mean, the entire time Jesus--Son of God, Creator, and Promised Messiah--is up there preaching His heart out, there is a demon-possessed man sitting there like a ticking time bomb! This begs the question: If a possessed man can sit through the teaching and be in the physical presence of Jesus Christ Himself, and no preacher today even comes close to Jesus: How many demonized people do we have currently sitting in our midst? Also: How many of us are demon-possessed/oppressed and don't even know it? Doesn't it seem really out of place for demon possession to occur WITHIN the walls of, what one would assume to be, spiritual protection? If a man can be demonized within the church--breathing the same air as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--then, really, that means none of us is safe, right?
Did the rest of the people know this guy was demon-possessed or was this a surprise to them? If this man was a regular, did anyone ever question him? Did they whisper to themselves at home behind his back? Did anyone ever try to confront the evil spirit? Or did the man simply hide it from everyone? Was the man even aware of his possession until that moment? There are a lot of unanswered questions, but two really important answers jump out at me:
(1) Demon-possession can happen within the church. Not everyone who goes to church is a Christian, after all, and even Christians can be oppressed. (2) If it can happen in the presence of Jesus Christ, it can DEFINITELY happen (and most probably--and obviously--is happening) in our churches today!
This means we need to educate ourselves with how properly to deal with demons and evil spirits. Ignoring them or downplaying them is the same as enabling them.
I think the best teachings I have ever heard about demon-possession and demonic oppression are a sermon series called "Free Indeed" by Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church. (You can listen/watch the series by clicking the words "Free Indeed" above. They are in order from the bottom to the top.) He explains really well how believers can come under oppression a lot more easily than we may think. He also gives practical and helpful information about how to bind these spirits for good. (You really need to watch it if you haven't already.)
Anyways, my last thought here is how humbling it is that this first encounter with a demon in the Book of Mark wasn't out among the graves, nor in a house of tax collectors and sinners. Instead, it was within a place of worship. That is very telling and should give us all pause.
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