Jesus Exorcises an Unholy Spirit

(Gospel of Mark 1:21 - 1:28)
Jesus and his disciples journeyed to Capernaum, and as soon as the Sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and began teaching there.  The congregation was astonished by his teaching, for he spoke to them with real authority, not like one of the scribes.

Suddenly a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an unholy spirit accosted him, "What business do you have with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are -- you're the Holy One of God!"

Jesus commanded the spirit, "Quiet!  Be gone from this body!"  The man went into convulsions and uttered a shriek as the unholy spirit departed from him.  The people there were amazed and speculated among themselves, "What sort of new teaching is this?  One with authority, to be sure!   He commands the unholy spirits, and even they obey him."   And so his fame spread quickly throughout Galilee and the surrounding region.

Notes
1. After his baptism and temptation in the desert, Jesus selects 4 disciples, Simon (who will be called Peter), Andrew, James and John, and then, without any period of study or mentoring, he begins to teach in the synagogue at Capernaum, probably the nearest large town.  Apparently no credentials were necessary to teach at the synagogue.  Did he even seek permission from the religious authorities?

2. Scribes, though originally those who merely copied manuscripts, had, by Jesus’ time, become an honored class of theologians who interpreted and taught religious law.  They had become more important to Judaism than the priests or rabbis, but were notorious for their doctrinaire dogmatism.

3. In Mark the initial public appearance of Jesus as an evangelist is at the synagogue in Capernaum, and his first miraculous act is an exorcism, casting out a spirit from a possessed man.  Jesus impresses the congregation with his authoritative teaching, but he creates an unforgettable sensation with the on-the-spot exorcism.  This is the pattern of all religion.  Teaching is insufficient in itself; it must be accompanied by miracles that credit the teaching as divinely inspired.  Without miracles, a new religion can only be accepted as a philosophy.

4. Until recent times, mental illness, even emotional disturbance, was commonly attributed to possession by evil spirits.  Cures would be worked by casting out the spirits.  While mental illness is now recognized as having organic or psychological causes, there is a strong body of evidence that suggests this is not always so, that there may be spirit entities capable of taking possession of the mind and controlling the will of a living human.  Whether they will exit the body they have possessed upon command or in response to some ritual is a moot question.  But, it is not at all beyond the realm of possibility that the incident of exorcism recorded here is factually true -- and that its explanation requires no recourse to divine intervention.

5. The spirit possessing the man in the synagogue is not described as "evil" per se, only impure, unclean, meaning, one presumes, that it is both alien to the man and not of divine origin or sanction.  The spirit recognizes Jesus, suggesting it possesses preternatural knowledge, and, by its words, presents itself as inimical to him: therefore, it can be assumed to be "evil."