◄ Mark 1:26 ►
At this, the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out with a loud shriek.
Study Bible
At this,

This phrase indicates a response to a preceding action or command. In the context of Mark 1, Jesus has just rebuked the unclean spirit, demonstrating His authority over demonic forces. This moment is pivotal, showcasing the immediate power of Jesus' words.

Luk 4:35 But Jesus rebuked the demon. “Be silent!” He said.…
Luk 4:36 All the people were overcome with amazement…
Mat 8:16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed…

the unclean spirit

Unclean spirits, or demons, are spiritual beings opposed to God, often associated with impurity and evil. In Jewish culture, they were believed to cause physical and mental afflictions. The presence of an unclean spirit highlights the spiritual warfare theme prevalent in the Gospels, where Jesus confronts and overcomes evil.

Luk 4:33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed…
Luk 8:29 For Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out…
Mat 12:43 When an unclean spirit comes out of a man…

threw the man into convulsions

The convulsions indicate the violent reaction of the demon as it is forced to leave. This physical manifestation underscores the struggle between the spiritual and physical realms. It also reflects the destructive nature of demonic possession, which contrasts with the peace and healing Jesus brings.

Luk 9:42 Even while the boy was approaching, the demon slammed him…
Mrk 9:20 So they brought him, and seeing Jesus, the spirit…
Mat 17:15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures…

and came out

The departure of the unclean spirit signifies Jesus' victory and authority over demonic forces. This act fulfills prophecies about the Messiah's power to liberate captives (Isaiah 61:1). It also prefigures the ultimate defeat of evil through Jesus' death and resurrection.

Mat 17:18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy.…
Luk 8:33 Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs,…
Act 16:18 She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew…

with a loud shriek.

The loud shriek is a final act of defiance and recognition of Jesus' authority. It serves as a public acknowledgment of Jesus' power, reinforcing His divine nature. This reaction is consistent with other Gospel accounts where demons recognize and fear Jesus (Mark 3:11, Luke 4:41).

Act 8:7 With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out…
Luk 4:41 Demons also came out of many people, shouting,…
Luk 8:28 When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus
- The central figure in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is performing an exorcism in this passage, demonstrating His authority over unclean spirits.

2. Unclean Spirit
- A demonic entity possessing a man, representing the forces of evil that Jesus confronts and overcomes.

3. The Man
- An unnamed individual possessed by the unclean spirit, who experiences convulsions as the spirit is cast out.

4. Capernaum
- The location where this event takes place, a town in Galilee where Jesus performed many miracles and taught in the synagogue.
Teaching Points
Authority of Jesus
Jesus' command over the unclean spirit demonstrates His divine authority. Believers can trust in Jesus' power over all spiritual forces.

Reality of Spiritual Warfare
The presence of unclean spirits in the world reminds us of the ongoing spiritual battle. Christians are called to be vigilant and equipped with the armor of God.

Deliverance and Freedom
Jesus' deliverance of the possessed man illustrates His mission to set captives free. Believers can find hope and freedom in Christ from any form of bondage.

Faith in Action
The response of the unclean spirit to Jesus' command shows the power of faith in action. Christians are encouraged to exercise their faith in Jesus' name in confronting evil.

Witness to Others
The public nature of this miracle serves as a witness to Jesus' authority and power. Believers are called to share their testimonies of Jesus' work in their lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' authority over the unclean spirit in Mark 1:26 encourage you in your own spiritual battles?

2. In what ways can you apply the reality of spiritual warfare in your daily life, as described in Ephesians 6:12?

3. How can the deliverance and freedom offered by Jesus in this passage inspire you to seek freedom from personal struggles or sins?

4. What steps can you take to exercise your faith in confronting evil or challenging situations, following Jesus' example?

5. How can you use your personal experiences of Jesus' power and authority as a witness to others in your community?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 8:16
- This verse describes Jesus casting out spirits with a word, highlighting His authority over demonic forces.

Luke 4:35
- A parallel account of the same event, providing additional details about the authority and power of Jesus over evil spirits.

Acts 16:18
- Paul casts out a spirit in the name of Jesus, demonstrating the continued authority of Jesus' name over demonic forces in the early church.

Ephesians 6:12
- This verse speaks about the spiritual battle against evil forces, emphasizing the reality of spiritual warfare.
Sermons
Soul-EmancipationE. Johnson Mark 1:21-28
The Authority of JesusA.F. Muir Mark 1:21-28
The Healing of a Demoniac the Synagogue of CapernaumJ.J. Given Mark 1:21-28
The Illustrative Example of Christ's WorkR. Green Mark 1:21-39
People
Andrew, Ephah, Isaiah, James, Jesus, John, Simon, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Capernaum, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Judea, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Wilderness of Judea
Topics
Convulsing, Convulsions, Cried, Cry, Crying, Forth, Foul, Loud, Shaking, Shook, Shriek, Spirit, Tearing, Throwing, Torn, Unclean, Uttered, Violently, Voice
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Mark 1:21-28

     5381   law, letter and spirit

Mark 1:22-27

     2012   Christ, authority

Mark 1:23-26

     4131   demons, kinds of
     5345   influence

Mark 1:23-27

     2372   Christ, victory
     4195   spirits

Mark 1:24-27

     4165   exorcism

Mark 1:25-26

     2009   Christ, anger of
     5950   silence

Mark 1:25-27

     8405   commands, in NT

Library
What 'the Gospel' Is
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.--Mark i. 1 My purpose now is to point out some of the various connections in which the New Testament uses that familiar phrase, 'the gospel,' and briefly to gather some of the important thoughts which these suggest. Possibly the process may help to restore freshness to a word so well worn that it slips over our tongues almost unnoticed and excites little thought. The history of the word in the New Testament books is worth notice. It seldom occurs in those …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ's Touch
'Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him.'--Mark i. 41. Behold the servant of the Lord' might be the motto of this Gospel, and 'He went about doing good and healing' the summing up of its facts. We have in it comparatively few of our Lord's discourses, none of His longer, and not very many of His briefer ones. It contains but four parables. This Evangelist gives no miraculous birth as in Matthew, no angels adoring there as in Luke, no gazing into the secrets of Eternity, where the Word who afterwards …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Strong Forerunner and the Stronger Son
'The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; 2. As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 3. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. 4. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Mighty in Word and Deed
'And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22. And they were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23. And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24. Saying, 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. 25. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Healing and Service
'Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway they tell Him of her: 31. And He came and took her by the hand, and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.'--Mark i. 30, 31, R. V. This miracle is told us by three of the four Evangelists, and the comparison of their brief narratives is very interesting and instructive. We all know, I suppose, that the common tradition is that Mark was, in some sense, Peter's mouthpiece in this Gospel. The truthfulness of that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Parable in a Miracle
'And there came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. 41. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; he thou clean. 42. And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.'--Mark i. 40-42. Christ's miracles are called wonders--that is, deeds which, by their exceptional character, arrest attention and excite surprise. Further, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Composite Picture.
It may be helpful to make the following summary of these allusions. 1. His times of prayer: His regular habit seems plainly to have been to devote the early morning hour to communion with His Father, and to depend upon that for constant guidance and instruction. This is suggested especially by Mark 1:35; and also by Isaiah 50:4-6 coupled with John 7:16 l.c., 8:28, and 12:49. In addition to this regular appointment, He sought other opportunities for secret prayer as special need arose; late at night …
S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon—Quiet Talks on Prayer

The Way to the Kingdom
"The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15 These words naturally lead us to consider, First, the nature of true religion, here termed by our Lord, "the kingdom of God," which, saith he, "is at hand;" and, Secondly, the way thereto, which he points out in those words, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." I. 1. We are, First, to consider the nature of true religion, here termed by our Lord, "the kingdom of God." The same expression the great Apostle uses in his Epistle …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Repentance of Believers
"Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Mark 1:15. 1. It is generally supposed, that repentance and faith are only the gate of religion; that they are necessary only at the beginning of our Christian course, when we are setting out in the way to the kingdom. And this may seem to be confirmed by the great Apostle, where, exhorting the Hebrew Christians to "go on to perfection," he teaches them to leave these first "principles of the doctrine of Christ;" "not laying again the foundation of repentance …
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

The Lord and the Leper
The Lord Jesus Christ at this day has all power in heaven and in earth. He is charged with a divine energy to bless all who come to him for healing. Oh, that we may see today some great wonder of his power and grace! Oh, for one of the days of the Son of Man here and now! To that end it is absolutely needful that we should find a case for his spiritual power to work upon. Is there not one here in whom his grace may prove its omnipotence? Not you, ye good, ye self-righteous! You yield him no space …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 34: 1888

Faith and Repentance Inseparable
I. I shall commence my remarking that the gospel which Christ preached was, very plainly, a command. "Repent ye, and believe the gospel." Our Lord does condescend to reason. Often his ministry graciously acted out the old text, "Come, now, and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as wool." He does persuade men by telling and forcible arguments, which should lead them to seek the salvation of their souls. He does invite men, and oh, how lovingly he woos them to be …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 8: 1863

Answer to Mr. W's First Objection.
I WILL first consider all Mr. W's objections to these literal stories. Mr. W. says in his preamble, before he comes to propose his objections in form: That these three miracles are not equally great, but differ in degree, is visible enough to every one that but cursorily reads, and compares their stories one with another.--The greatest of the three, and indeed the greatest miracle, that Jesus is supposed to have wrought, is that of Lazarus's resurrection; which, in truth, was a most prodigious miracle, …
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

The Fellowship of Prayer
THE FELLOWSHIP OF PRAYER "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." -- Phil. 4:6 This timely exhortation stresses the fact that God's people should consult with Him in every matter pertaining to life. Unless they see the imperative necessity of prayer, and give it an important place in daily life, they cannot expect to be maintained by the ample resources of a generous Saviour. It is apparent that we cannot obtain …
T. M. Anderson—Prayer Availeth Much

Healing a Demoniac in a Synagogue.
(at Capernaum.) ^B Mark I. 21-28; ^C Luke . IV. 31-37. ^b 21 And they [Jesus and the four fishermen whom he called] go into { ^c he came down to} Capernaum, a city of Galilee. [Luke has just spoken of Nazareth, and he uses the expression "down to Capernaum" because the latter was on the lake shore while Nazareth was up in the mountains.] And ^b straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. { ^c was teaching them} ^b 22 And they were astonished at his teaching: for he taught …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus Heals a Leper and Creates Much Excitement.
^A Matt.VIII. 2-4; ^B Mark I. 40-45; ^C Luke V. 12-16. ^c 12 And it came to pass, while he was in one of the cities [it was a city of Galilee, but as it was not named, it is idle to conjecture which city it was], behold, ^b there cometh { ^a came} ^b to him a leper [There is much discussion as to what is here meant by leprosy. Two diseases now go by that name; viz., psoriasis and elephantiasis. There are also three varieties of psoriasis, namely, white, black and red. There are also three varieties …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Way from Sin to Perfect Salvation.
We have learned that sin entered this world and that all mankind have sinned. We have also learned that Jesus came to save man from his sins. Now the question may arise in the mind of some, what must I do to be saved? We hope in this chapter to quote such scriptures as will plainly teach you the way of salvation, or how to be fully saved, and also the scriptures describing each experience. Repentance. The first step for the sinner is to repent. When on Pentecost men were pricked in their hearts …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

Jesus' Conception of Himself
252. When Jesus called forth the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi he brought into prominence the question which during the earlier stages of the Galilean ministry he had studiously kept in the background. This is no indication, however, that he was late in reaching a conclusion for himself concerning his relation to the kingdom which he was preaching. From the time of his baptism and temptation every manifestation of the inner facts of his life shows unhesitating confidence in the reality …
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

John the Baptist
Matt. iii. 1-17; iv. 12; xiv. 1-12; Mark i. 1-14; vi. 14-29; Luke i. 5-25, 57-80; iii. 1-22; ix. 7-9; John i. 19-37; iii. 22-30. 72. The first reappearance of Jesus in the gospel story, after the temple scene in his twelfth year, is on the banks of the Jordan seeking baptism from the new prophet. One of the silent evidences of the greatness of Jesus is the fact that so great a character as John the Baptist stands in our thought simply as accessory to his life. For that the prophet of the wilderness …
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

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