Learning from Jesus About Deliverance from Demons

The Deliverance Ministry of Jesus

Some Christians do not believe that Jesus is a proper role model for us when it comes to dealing with the demonic. They regard him and the supernatural nature of his ministry as unique and not one that we can expect to see evident in our lives today. Whereas there are certainly aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry that are unrepeatable, I see nothing in his response to the demonic that would suggest it was restricted to a mere three years in time. On the contrary, Jesus remains a model for ministry today.

Learning from Jesus About Deliverance from Demons

There are numerous instances where Jesus encountered the demonized, one of the more helpful being Mark 5. As I look closely at this story, together with other examples in our Lord’s ministry, I discern no fewer than seven elements in his approach to deliverance. Not all are employed in every instance, but each is important.

1. Jesus secures the name of the demon or seeks to identify the spirit. In the case of the man indwelt by a “Legion” of demons, Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” (Mark 5:9). Some people argue that Jesus does this because in the ancient world people believed that to know and speak someone’s name was to gain spiritual authority over them. But Jesus already had this authority. Perhaps he did so to let observers know the full extent of demonic power he was confronting. Or it may simply have been to reveal to the man himself how serious his condition was. Either way, by asking for a name, Jesus makes known that this man was under the influence of a virtual army of demons: The word “Legion” referred to a contingent of Roman soldiers numbering upwards of 6,000.
2. Jesus binds the spirit. He prohibits it from engaging in some activity and thus curbs or breaks its power (see also Matthew 12:29).
3. He rebukes the spirit. He censures or warns or denounces the demon. We see this explicitly in Mark 1:25: “but Jesus rebuked him [the demon] saying, ‘Be silent and come out of him’” (see also Matthew 17:18; Mark 9:25; Luke 9:42). This sort of rebuke is not just a verbal reproof but a technical term for subjugation of the evil power.
4. He silences the demon. In Mark 1:34 we read that “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” (emphasis mine). We don’t know with certainty why he refused to let them speak, but Peter Davids cites three possible reasons:[1] (1) “‘the teachers of the law’ associated him with Beelzebub, ‘the prince of the demons’ (Mark 3:22). Any tendency to show that he accepted the demonic would have been given extra evidence to these opponents”; (2) “To accept the testimony of demons about himself would give a precedent to his followers to accept (or even seek) testimony of demons about other things. This would threaten to make Jesus’ movement an occult movement”; (3) “Jesus’ whole mission was a call to faith based on evidence, not an authoritative testimony…. Therefore the demons were short-circuiting Jesus’ whole methodology. His command to them was a sharp ‘Shut up!’ His invitation to the crowd at their expulsion was, ‘See and believe that the Kingdom of God has come.”
5. He would cast them out (see Mark 1:25; 7:29; Matthew 8:16).
6. He would refuse to let the spirit return. Were you read in Mark 9:25: “And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again” (emphasis mine). This implies that the recurrence of demonization after deliverance was a possibility and steps had to be taken to prevent such from happening. Evidently, often after being cast out from a person, a demon was free to return to the person or to enter someone else.
7. He would, on occasion, send them into the abyss. We read in Luke 8:31 that the demonic spirits themselves “begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.” If the “abyss” is likely the place from which demons originate, why would they fear returning there? Is it a place of imprisonment where they would be temporarily consigned, awaiting the final judgment? Or is it the place where they will finally be punished? Aside from its appearance here and in Romans 10:7, the word abyssos is found only in Revelation 9:1-2, 11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1, 3. Jesus did not always consign exorcised demons to the abyss or to some place of permanent detention (Mark 9:25).

Prayer and Deliverance

In Mark 9, Jesus criticizes the disciples for their lack of faith in dealing with the demonized boy (Mark 9:19, 28-29). Evidently, the disciples’ previous success in deliverance ministry had led them to believe that divine power was at their disposal to use as they saw fit, apart from constant reliance on God. But this kind of demon, says Jesus (Mark 9:29), can come out only by prayer. This is intriguing, insofar as there is not a single instance of deliverance by prayer in the New Testament. Deliverance elsewhere always occurs by the word of command. It is also interesting to note that deliverance from an indwelling spirit is never granted in response to the faith of the one who is demonized, although it is sometimes related to the faith of others.

We can conclude that, in particular cases where an especially powerful demon is involved, prayer may be needed. Sydney Page explains, “Mark focuses on the need for prayer because it clearly demonstrates that divine power is not under human control; it must always be asked for. Manifestations of the power of God, such as are needed when dealing with the forces of evil, come only in response to the attitude of trust and reliance upon God that is expressed in humble prayer.”[2] Jesus doesn’t specify precisely what should be asked for in prayer, but we can assume that it is for the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what we in our own power could never accomplish (see Luke 11:13).

Instantaneous Deliverance?

It surprises many to discover that even for Jesus, deliverance was not always instantaneous or without considerable resistance (see Mark 1:26; 5:8; 9:26). If this is difficult to grasp, consider the analogy of a parent and a child. When my daughters were young and still in the home, I would exercise parental authority and tell them to do something or to cease from an activity, it was not unusual for them to delay their obedience. They would resist complying with my command, using any number of tactics. Soon, though, they began to obey, but then hesitate. They stalled, made excuses, and insisted on arguing about whether or not it was right or necessary for them to obey me. They might try to distract me from the issue at hand by diverting my attention to something of equal or greater urgency. They moved slowly, hoping I’d forget. They might even play me off against Ann, telling me that she said it was okay. However, if I persisted in the exercise of my authority as their parent, they would eventually do as I said or suffer the consequences!

The point for spiritual warfare is this: Our approach should not be, “Speak the word of command in Jesus’ name and it is done,” which usually leads to frustration and disillusionment. Our approach should be, “Speak the word of command in Jesus’ name UNTIL it is done.”

Jesus’ Simple Approach to Deliverance

We should also note that Jesus’ approach was never ritualistic or mechanical or magical. He employed no elaborate religious formula. No incantations. No candles. No mood music playing in the background. No charms. No religious formulas. No chanting. No dancing. No cutting off of a chicken’s head. He didn’t have to shout or jump up and down. He doesn’t physically restrain the demonized man or press a cross against his forehead. He didn’t use “holy” water or incense. He simply said: “Shut up! Get out!”

It is little wonder, then, that the people of his day were amazed by how Jesus dealt with deliverance (see Mark 1:27; Matthew 9:32-33). According to Matthew 8:16, Jesus cast out the spirits with a word. Jesus never appealed to a higher authority when expelling demons, unlike Paul, for example, who cast out a demon from the slave girl in Acts 16 by appealing to the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 16:18).

Taken from Understanding Spiritual Warfare: A Comprehensive Guide by Sam Storms Copyright © 2021 by Sam Storms. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com

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Sources

[1] Peter H. Davids, More Hard Sayings of the New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991), 27.

[2] Sydney H. T. Page, Powers of Evil: A Biblical Study of Satan and Demons (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995), 164.