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Healing in the Capernaum synagogue

Mark 1:21–28; Luke 4:31–37 · Early ministry in Galilee

Scripture

Mark 1:21–28

nd they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

King James Version · public domain

Marku 1:21–28

dhe hyjnë ndë Kapernaum; edhe Jisuj për-një-here ditën’ e-shëtunë hyri ndë sinagogjit’ e mësonte. 22Edhe çuditeshinë për mësimn’ e ati; sepse ishte dyke mësuar’ ata si ndonjë që ka pushtet, edhe jo si shkronjësitë. 23Edhe ishte ndë sinagogjit’ t’atyre një njeri që kish frymë të-ndyrë, edhe bërtiti dyke thënë, 24Mjerë! ç’ke ti me ne, Jisu Nazarinas? erdhe të na humbaç? të di cili je, Shenjti i Perëndisë. 25Po Jisuj e qërtoj, dyke thënë, Mbyll gojënë, edhe dil nga ay. 26Edhe frym’ e-ndyrë, si e shkleu, edhe bërtiti me zë të-math, dolli nga ay. 27Edhe të-gjithë uhabitnë kaqë sa pyesninë njëri tjatrinë, dyke thënë, Ç’është këjo? ç’është ky mësim i-ri? sepse me pushtet urdhëron edhe frymat’ e-ndyra, edhe i bindenë. 28Edhe për-një-here i dolli zëri ndëpër gjithë vëndinë rreth Galilesë.

Kristoforidhi, Dhiata e Re Toskërisht 1879 · zotërim publik

Summary

This is the first work of power that Mark and Luke record, set in the synagogue on the Sabbath, where Christ first teaches and then heals. The Fathers see an order in this: the word goes before the deed, so that the miracle confirms the teaching and the teaching interprets the miracle. The crowd's amazement that He taught "with authority, and not as the scribes" marks the difference between the Word Himself and those who only expound the word. Prophets spoke in another's name, saying "Thus says the Lord"; Christ speaks as Lord, out of His own fullness, and the demons are subject to that same authoritative word.

The Fathers dwell on the demon's cry, "I know who you are, the Holy One of God," and on Christ's refusal of it, giving several reasons He silences the unclean spirit. He will not be proclaimed by unclean mouths, for praise is not seemly from the wicked, and truth spoken by a liar is meant to deceive. He also restrains an untimely confession, not wishing His full glory published before the cross by His enemies. St. Cyril reads the demon as speaking partly from terror, its words betraying fear rather than faith. So the confession of the demons goes before that of men, yet it is not accepted as praise.

Soteriologically the Fathers read the scene as the strong man bound and his house plundered: Christ enters the place where the enemy held a man captive and frees him by a word, showing in small the whole work of redemption. Origen, against Celsus, uses such exorcisms to show that Christ's power over the demonic is real and unlike the techniques of magicians: He commands by His own authority, with no spell or incantation, and the same power passes to His name invoked by believers.

In their own words

For it is not by incantations that Christians seem to prevail (over evil spirits), but by the name of Jesus, accompanied by the announcement of the narratives which relate to Him; for the repetition of these has frequently been the means of driving demons out of men, especially when those who repeated them did so in a sound and genuinely believing spirit.

Origen of Alexandria, Against Celsus, Book I, Chapter VI (ANF Vol. 4)

The Healing in the Capernaum Synagogue (Mark 1:21–28; Luke 4:31–37)

Public-Domain Patristic Commentary

The man with an unclean spirit, healed in the synagogue at Capernaum, is the first exorcism recorded by Mark and Luke. The texts below are quoted verbatim from public-domain English translations (the Library of Fathers and the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), together with the Catena Aurea on Mark (St. Thomas Aquinas, trans. J. H. Newman, 1841). Each section gives the source edition. Nothing here is paraphrased.

St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444)

Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Sermon XII (on Luke 4:31–41) Source: trans. R. Payne Smith, Library of Fathers, 1859. Public domain. Full text: https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/cyril_on_luke_02_sermons_12_25.htm

On the authority of His teaching in the synagogue (Luke 4:31–32):

Those whom argument cannot bring to the sure knowledge of Him Who by nature and in truth is God and Lord, may perhaps be won by miracles unto a docile obedience. And therefore usefully, or rather necessarily, He oftentimes completes His lessons by proceeding to the performance of some mighty work ... He taught therefore in their synagogues with great freedom of speech ... They therefore wondered at the power of His teaching, and at the greatness of His authority: "For the word, it says, was with authority;" for He used not flatteries, but urged them to salvation. For the Jews indeed thought that Christ was nothing more than one of the saints, and that He had appeared among them in prophetic rank only: but that they might entertain a higher opinion and idea concerning Him, He exceeds the prophetic measure; for He never said, Thus saith the Lord, as of course was their custom, but as being the Lord of the law He spake things that surpass the law.

But our Lord Jesus Christ spake words most worthy of God; and was therefore admired even by the Jews themselves, because His word was with authority, and because He taught them as one that had authority, and not as their scribes. For His word was not of the shadow of the law, but as being Himself the lawgiver, He changed the letter into the truth, and the types into their spiritual meaning. For He was a ruler, and possessed a ruler's authority to command.

On the rebuke of the unclean spirit, and its crafty confession (Luke 4:35):

With godlike power He rebuked the unclean spirits, making the miracle follow immediately upon His words, that we might not disbelieve. We have seen the guilty Satan overcome by Him in the wilderness, and broken by three falls: we have seen his might again shaken, and the power that was against us falling: we have seen ourselves rebuking the wicked spirits in Christ as our firstfruits ... For if, says He, I, Who have become a man like unto you, chide the unclean spirits with godlike power and majesty, it is your nature which is crowned with this great glory.

The evil demons therefore were cast out, and made moreover to feel how invincible is His might; and being unable to bear the conflict with Deity, they exclaimed in imperious and crafty terms, "Let us alone: what is there between us and Thee?" meaning thereby, Why dost Thou not permit us to keep our place, whilst Thou art destroying the error of impiety? But they further put on the false appearance of well-sounding words, and call Him the Holy One of God. For they supposed that by this specious kind of language they could excite the desire of vainglory, and thereby prevent His rebuking them, returning as it were one kindness for another. But though he be crafty, he will fail of his prey: for "God is not mocked;" and so the Lord stops their impure tongues, and commands them to depart from those possessed by them. And the bystanders being made witnesses of so great deeds, were astonished at the power of His word.

On why He silenced the demons (Luke 4:41):

He would not permit the unclean demons to confess Him; for it was not fitting for them to usurp the glory of the Apostolic office, nor with impure tongue to talk of the mystery of Christ. Yea! though they speak ought that is true, let no one put credence in them: for the light is not known by the aid of darkness, as the disciple of Christ teaches us, where he says, "For what communion hath light with darkness? or what consent hath Christ with Beliar?"

St. Athanasius the Great (c. 296–373)

Letter to the Bishops of Egypt (Ad Episcopos Aegypti et Libyae), Chapter I Source: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 4, ed. Schaff and Wace, 1892. Public domain. Full text: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf204.xvii.ii.i.html

Athanasius takes the silencing of this very demon (he quotes its words, "the Holy One of God," from Mark 1:24) as the rule that truth is not to be received from an unclean mouth.

For even though he speak the truth, the deceiver is not worthy of credit.

And again, when He put a curb in the mouths of the demons that cried after Him ... For although what they said was true, and they lied not then, saying, "Thou art the Son of God," and "the Holy One of God;" yet He would not that the truth should proceed from an unclean mouth, and especially from such as them, lest under pretence thereof they should mingle with it their own malicious devices, and sow these also while men slept. Therefore He suffered them not to speak such words, neither would He have us to suffer such, but hath charged us by His own mouth, saying, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves;" and by the mouth of His Holy Apostles, "Believe not every spirit."

The same letter, a little earlier, sets the exorcism within Christ's larger victory over the devil through His assumed humanity:

But when the Lord came upon earth, and the enemy made trial of His human Economy, being unable to deceive the flesh which He had taken upon Him, from that time forth he, who promised himself the occupation of the whole world, is for His sake mocked even by children ... For now the infant child lays his hand upon the hole of the asp, and laughs at him that deceived Eve; and all that rightly believe in the Lord tread under foot him that said, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the Most High."

Theophylact of Ohrid (c. 1050–after 1107)

From his Explanation of the Gospel of Mark, as preserved in the Catena Aurea on Mark. Public domain.

On Christ teaching in the synagogue with power (Mark 1:21–22):

Quitting Nazareth. Now on the sabbath day, when the Scribes were gathered together, He entered into a synagogue, and taught. ... For this end the Law commanded them to give themselves up to rest on the sabbath day, that they might meet together to attend to sacred reading. Again, Christ taught them by rebuke, not by flattery as did the Pharisees. ... He taught them also in power, transforming men to good, and He threatened punishment to those who did not believe on Him.

On why the demon dreads to come out of the man (Mark 1:24):

For to come out of man the devil considers as his own perdition; for devils are ruthless, thinking that they suffer some evil, so long as they are not troubling men.

On the purpose of the miracle (Mark 1:26):

That they might know, when they saw it, from how great an evil the man was freed, and on account of the miracle might believe.

Blessed Augustine (i Hiponit) (354–430)

From his City of God, Book XXI, as preserved in the Catena Aurea on Mark. Public domain.

On the devils' knowledge without charity (Mark 1:24):

Moreover, how great is the power which the lowliness of God, appearing in the form of a servant, has over the pride of devils, the devils themselves know so well, that they express it to the same Lord clothed in the weakness of flesh. ... For it is evident in these words that there was in them knowledge, but there was not charity; and the reason was, that they feared their punishment from Him, and loved not the righteousness in Him.

On the measure in which Christ was known to the devils:

For He was known to them in that degree in which He wished to be known; and He wished as much as was fitting. He was not known to them as to the holy Angels, who enjoy Him by partaking of His eternity according as He is the Word of God; but as He was to be made known in terror, to those beings from whose tyrannical power He was about to free the predestinate. ... He was known therefore to the devils, not in that He is eternal Life ... but by some temporal effects of His Power, which might be more clear to the angelic senses of even bad spirits than to the weakness of men.

St. Bede the Venerable (c. 672–735)

From his Commentary on Mark, as preserved in the Catena Aurea on Mark. Public domain.

On the authority of Christ's teaching, surpassing the Scribes (Mark 1:22):

The Scribes themselves taught the people what was written in Moses and the Prophets; but Jesus as the God and Lord of Moses, himself, by the freedom of His own will, either added those things which appeared wanting in the Law, or altered things as He preached to the people.

On why the healing first strikes the author of death (Mark 1:23):

Since by the envy of the devil death first entered into the world, it was right that the medicine of healing should first work against the author of death.

On the devils' fear of judgment (Mark 1:24):

For the devils, seeing the Lord on the earth, thought that they were immediately to be judged.

On the purpose of the miracles (Mark 1:27):

For miracles were done that they might more firmly believe the Gospel of the kingdom of God, which was being preached, since those who were promising heavenly joys to men on earth, were shewing forth heavenly things and divine works even on earth.

Note on other Fathers

The two principal sections above (St. Cyril and St. Athanasius) are drawn from complete public-domain English translations; the sections from Theophylact of Ohrid, Blessed Augustine, and the Venerable Bede are taken verbatim from the public-domain 1841 Oxford translation of the Catena Aurea of St. Thomas Aquinas, which gathers a chain of Fathers on these verses. St. Ambrose of Milan (Exposition of the Gospel of Luke, Book IV) also expounds the passage; his original is public domain but the complete English translation is modern. The Markan chain of the Catena further preserves anonymous glosses and passages it ascribes to "Jerome" and to "Chrysostom" which are in fact spurious (the work of later, pseudonymous authors), so these have not been quoted here.

Patristic sources

Read the sources: Origen, Against Celsus (CCEL)