Matt 4:24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. NKJV
Yesterday I addressed the topic of biblical deliverance as found in Scripture, namely in the synoptic gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke give clear indications regarding how demons responded to the presence of Christ, and the responsibility of the disciples to confront these evil beings. I pointed out that:
- Demons make their presence known apart from the consciousness of the host.
- Physical maladies are not the same as demonically induced behavior.
Today, I add to this appraisal of biblical deliverance the following observations:
- Jesus spoke directly to demons as distinct entities, and they answered. He told them to be quiet, to leave, and not to return. Was Jesus deluded? Was he merely accommodating a primitive lack of understanding mental illness and thus went along with the ideas of the day? If so, He was misleading people and was a charlatan who misrepresented his mission.
- If we cannot trust Christ to have accurately executed His encounters with evil entities, then how can we trust anything else that He said? Clearly, the disciples responded to His command to perform exorcisms as He did. If Christ was playing along with some metaphysical charade He is no one to be trusted regarding His claims to be the Son of God.
If some choose not to believe in demonic activity do they also believe that angels are mystical contrivances? Do the angelic instances of intervention in the Bible merely accommodate a primitive view of the cosmos, not to be taken seriously today? The answer to these rhetorical questions is obvious. Biblical deliverance was commonplace, frequent, and a significant part of Christ’s ministry. It demonstrated his authority over Satan and provided a model for what He would later require of His disciples.
