The cure of the demoniac at Capharnaum

St Mark Chapter I : Verses 21-28

Christ casts out the unclean spirit. J-J Tissot

[21] And they entered into Capharnaum, and forthwith upon the sabbath days going into the synagogue, he taught them. 
[22] And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes. 

[23] And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 

[24] Saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God. 

[25] And Jesus threatened him, saying: Speak no more, and go out of the man.
[26] And the unclean spirit tearing him, and crying out with a loud voice, went out of him. 

[27] And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying: What thing is this? what is this new doctrine? for with power he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.

[28] And the fame of him was spread forthwith into all the country of Galilee.

[21] Et ingrediuntur Capharnaum : et statim sabbatis ingressus in synagogam, docebat eos. [22] Et stupebant super doctrina ejus : erat enim docens eos quasi potestatem habens, et non sicut scribæ. [23] Et erat in synagoga eorum homo in spiritu immundo : et exclamavit, [24] dicens : Quid nobis et tibi, Jesu Nazarene? venisti perdere nos? scio qui sis, Sanctus Dei. [25] Et comminatus est ei Jesus, dicens : Obmutesce, et exi de homine. [26] Et discerpens eum spiritus immundus, et exclamans voce magna, exiit ab eo. [27] Et mirati sunt omnes, ita ut conquirerent inter se dicentes : Quidnam est hoc? quænam doctrina haec nova? quia in potestate etiam spiritibus immundis imperat, et obediunt ei. [28] Et processit rumor ejus statim in omnem regionem Galilææ. 

Notes

This is the first of eighteen miracles recorded in St Mark's Gospel. See Miracles below for complete list.

21. Capharnaum. A city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Many of our Lord’s miracles were worked here (see Geog. Notes, below), e.y. Healing of the centurion’s servant (St Matt. viii. 5) ; Healing of Simon’s wife’s mother (St Matt. viii. 14) ; Cure of the paralytic (St Matt. ix. 6).

synagogue. This was most likely the synagogue built by the centurion, whose son Jesus healed (St Luke vii. 5).

22. They were astonished, literally were “enraptured.” Jesus won the admiration of the people by His doctrine, which was not based on human traditions, and by His divine eloquence : Never did man speak like this man (St John vii. 46).

scribes. Men who copied and explained the law of Moses and the traditions of the Rabbis. On these, the scribes based all their teaching, whereas Jesus taught as one having authority. I say unto you, was often His introduction to a discourse.

23. with an unclean spirit, more literally “ a man in an unclean spirit,” i.e. one under the influence of a spirit that tempted to sins of impurity. St Luke calls the spirit an unclean devil (iv. 33).

he cried out. The devil was tortured by the presence of our Lord and feared expulsion, hence he made the man cry out.

Capharnaum

Capharnaum — (city of consolation). — This was a Roman settlement on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. The exact site is not definitely known. “ It was the centre of Roman taxation and government in Galilee, and accordingly possessed a garrison (St Matt. viii. 5), with a centurion and other officers, as well as civil representatives of the Roman power, together with a large staff of tax-gatherers (St Mark ii. 15), while the Jews were possibly too small and too poor a colony to build their own synagogues ” (Helps to the Study of the Bible).

Several sites have been conjectured, viz. —

(1) Medjel, (2) Khan Minyeli, (3) the Round Fountain, all on the western side of the lake.

“ The Round Fountain ” best corresponds to the Capharnaum of Josephus. In favour of the Tell Hum are the name and ruins. But, on the whole, Khan Minyeh combines more probabilities than any other single spot. In the plain of Gennesareth, yet not actually on the sea-shore, with a spring close by, and supported by a train of tradition from Arculf (7th century) to Quaresmius. (Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 384).

Capharnaum was in our Lord’s time a thriving town, and a great centre of the fishing trade.

The following events occurred at Capharnaum (Capernaum) : —

(1) The healing of the demoniac in the synagogue (i. 23-38).

(2) St Peter’s wife’s mother cured of a fever (i. 30, 31).

(3) The cleansing of the leper (i. 40-45).

(4) The healing of the paralytic (ii. 3-12).

(5) The call of Matthew or Levi (ii. 14).

(6) The healing of the man with a withered hand (iii. 1-5).

(7) The raising of Jairus’ daughter (v. 21-43).

(8) The rebuke of Jesus to His disciples when they had disputed which should be the greatest (ix. 32-33).

Here also Jesus healed the centurion’s servant (St Matt, viii.) and preached His discourse on “The Bread of Life,” recorded by St John only (vi.). It was one of the three cities which our Lord denounced on account of the incredulity of its inhabitants.

24. What have we to do with thee ? i.e. Why do you interfere with us ? In the Vulgate we find in St Luke’s account, Let us alone, what have, etc. These words are omitted in the Greek. If genuine, they are understood by some commentators rather as an expression of horror, an inarticulate cry-

Art thou come to destroy us ? That is, to bind them in hell, where their tortures would be greater, and where they could not attack the living. Jesus had come to destroy them. For this purpose the Son of God appeared , that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John iii. 8).

I know who thou art. The devils recognised our Lord as the Holy One, i.e. the Messiah, called by Daniel (ix. 24) the Saint of Saints. St James (ii. 19) tells us the devils believe and tremble. It is clear that after our Lord’s death and resurrection they had no doubt of Christ’s divinity.

The words of the unclean spirit show —

(a) The antagonism between Christ, “the Holy One,” and the impure devils.

(b) The superiority of Christ.

(c) The overthrow of Satan’s power.

25. Jesus threatened him. Jesus spoke with power and authority, being unwilling to receive testimony from the devils, as it was not yet time for Him to be made known as the Messiah. Hence we find Jesus even forbidding His Apostles to proclaim that He is the Christ (St Mark viii. 30). Our Lord proved His divine power by driving out the devil.

Speak no more : literally “ be muzzled.” St Mark uses the same expression in describing the Stilling of the Tempest, be still (iv. 39). The expression is exceedingly graphic, being used ordinarily for a beast only (1 Cor. ix. 9).

26. tearing him. Throwing the man into convulsions, but without injuring him bodily, for St Luke tells us, the devil hurt him not at all.

amazed. The original word expresses astonishment and terror.

27. They questioned among themselves. One of St Mark’s descriptive, touches. They turned to one another and discussed the miracle.

new doctrine. That preached by Jesus Christ.

with power he commandeth. Without ritual ceremonies, hut by a simple word of command.

28. the fame, etc. Report of His miracles, which spread quickly.

On Demoniacal Possession

(a) Possession of the devil. The devils are sometimes permitted by God to harass men externally, as in the case of holy Job, whom they afflicted bodily and deprived of his worldly possessions. They are also occasionally permitted to enter into a man’s body and to dwell there, using his limbs and senses, and depriving him of the use of them. Thus the possessed often do extraordinary things, such as flying in the air, speaking unknown tongues, etc. (see Acts xvi. 16, xix. 16). The devil cannot inhabit the soul, nor is he able to force man’s free will and compel him to sin, but he can cruelly torture the body and cause illusions by deceiving the senses. Even good people have been for a time possessed by the devil, as we read in the lives of the saints, but such examples are rare. The third of the minor orders of the Church is that of the exorcist, whose special office is to perform exorcisms, i.e. to drive out devils. Possessions of the devil were much more frequent before the time of our Lord.

(b) Obsession of the devil : when the devil attacks a man persistently from without, and presents phantoms to the senses. Many saints have experienced this trial. Exorcisms are —

(a) Ordinary : as in baptism, blessing of holy water.

(b) Extraordinary : in the case of bodily possessions.

Our Lord frequently exorcised during His public life, and so did the Apostles, both when sent out on their first apostolic mission (St Luke ix. 1) and later on (Acts xvi. 18, xix. 12)

Miracles in St Mark's Gospel

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.