Mark 1:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

NIV: and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

NASB: And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

CSB: and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

NLT: So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.

KJV: And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

NKJV: Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

In Jesus' last encounter with the masses (Luke 5:1–3), He taught, but no mention of healing is given. Now, hours after healing a demon-possessed man and an ill woman (Mark 1:21–31), He is swarmed with an entire town wanting to be healed. Jesus responds. Illness and demon possession are not necessarily direct results of sin (John 9:1–3), but they are ultimately related. Illness is a result of Adam and Eve's original sin that makes our bodies frail and our world deadly. Possession is because of Satan's rebellion against God. Jesus certainly came to rescue us from the results of sin, but not necessarily in this way. In His grace, He healed the sick, but this was not His priority. The next morning, He will tell His disciples "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out" (Mark 1:38). Jesus came to heal us permanently by restoring our relationship with God. This is the gospel He came to preach; the rest was frosting.

Jesus not only expelled the demons from their victims, He prevented those demons from speaking. Here we find three interesting observations. First, demons can speak, or at least control their victims' speech. Second, these demons knew who Jesus was. Third, Jesus did not permit the demons to speak when around Him. They sought to disrupt His plans, something Jesus would not allow. His plan—to reveal Himself as the Messiah, God, and the Son of God—was not served by the testimony of His enemy. One of Satan's favorite tools is to twist the truth to his own ends. Jesus would not let the demons lay a hand on the truth to twist it.

Mark 1:21–45 opens a longer section describing the healing and preaching ministry of Jesus Christ. In this segment, Jesus impresses onlookers with His mastery of the Scriptures. He also amazes people with His authoritative style. During this teaching, Jesus heals a man afflicted with demonic possession. The resulting publicity brings a massive crowd to the home of Simon Peter, where Jesus is staying. Jesus heals Peters' mother-in-law of a fever, and cures a leper, before leaving the region to continue His ministry.

John the Baptist is introduced as a figure preparing the world for the arrival of the Messiah. John's baptism teaches people about their need for repentance. When Jesus arrives, and is baptized, it signals the coming of God's fulfillment and the need of people to recognize their Savior. Mark briefly notes Jesus' baptism, desert temptation, and the calling of the first four disciples. After this, Jesus begins teaching in the synagogue and performs miraculous healings which spread His fame around the region.

The first chapter of the Gospel of Mark sets the tone for the rest of the story. Mark's writing is concise, action-packed, and short on details. Within a few verses, Mark establishes the transition from the wilderness ministry of John the Baptist to the healing and preaching of Jesus Christ. This first chapter includes the calling of Jesus' earliest disciples, His early miracles, and His early teaching. This establishes the pattern shown throughout the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus mingles His teaching with miraculous signs.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.