The Book of Mark
Chapter 1 (NIV)
23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
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3 comments:
I'm sorry I posted this so late!
I love that the spirit recognizes Jesus right away as "the Holy One of God!" When I first read this, I thought the spirit was asking if Jesus had come to destroy us, the evil spirits. Now, I wonder if he meant us, the evil spirits and humans. We are all fallen and unholy, and thus unworthy to be in the presence of the Holy One of God.
We should be destroyed. It is by God's grace and mercy alone that we are not only tolerated but redeemed. My ego constantly fools me into thinking I am much more entitled than I am. Thinking of Jesus humbles me.
Again, as with the earlier verses in this chapter, what strikes me here is the timing (God's timing) of events. Jesus is in the synagogue when a possessed man there engages Him.
Interestingly, the first question posed by the possessed man is interpreted differently in the different translations. In NIV, he asks "What do you want with us, Jesus?" whereas in NKJV, he asks "What have we to do with You, Jesus?" and in NASU he asks "What business do we have with each other, Jesus?" The different nuances are significant to me but what I notice by the tone used by the possessed man (who is least likely to be aware of what others are thinking and doing) is that even he immediately recognizes and acknowledges Jesus' authority. His declaration of "I know who You are" confirms this.
I am also fascinated by the possessed man's next question, "Have you come to destroy us?" (which has the same wording in NIV, NKJV, and NASU). Who exactly is he referring to when he says "us"? My impression is that he's talking about all folks who do not know God. Now why did he use such a strong word like "destroy"? I think this convey the magnitude and seriousness of Jesus' purpose and message and what it implies for those who choose to ignore Him.
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