Mk 1:23-24

[Cpb88]

“In thier synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-- the Holy one of God.” Mk1:23-24

I’ve seen this in other places in the Gospel too, where the demons recognize that Jesus is the Holy one of God. It seems strange to me that the demons would say this because it seems to weaken thier case, and I would expect them to lie or distort, yet here they seem so honest. Any thoughts/ solutions?

 

[CB_Catholic]

“In thier synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-- the Holy one of God.” Mk1:23-24

I’ve seen this in other places in the Gospel too, where the demons recognize that Jesus is the Holy one of God. It seems strange to me that the demons would say this because it seems to weaken thier case, and I would expect them to lie or distort, yet here they seem so honest. Any thoughts/ solutions?

How could a demon stand before God himself and lie about who God is? One cannot stand face to face with ultimate Truth and deny it.

Much as when we stand before God at our judgment, are we going to be able to deny who God is?

 

[notforgotten]

The devils have to tell the truth once in a while…how else are they to get anyone to believe their lies?

 

[Neofight]

“In thier synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-- the Holy one of God.” Mk1:23-24

I’ve seen this in other places in the Gospel too, where the demons recognize that Jesus is the Holy one of God. It seems strange to me that the demons would say this because it seems to weaken thier case, and I would expect them to lie or distort, yet here they seem so honest. Any thoughts/ solutions?

The unclean and evil spirits know who Christ is, but they do not have faith, or believe in the supremacy of God.

 

[SJacob7]

How could a demon stand before God himself and lie about who God is? One cannot stand face to face with ultimate Truth and deny it.

Much as when we stand before God at our judgment, are we going to be able to deny who God is?

Most all the Jews of that time stood before God/Jesus and denied him! Even Judas as we know denied Jesus. So it is a good question - why did the demons acknowledge Him?

 

[Celtic_Maiden]

Demons would have more inside information than my ancestors or Judas had hence the denial of them, but the Demons would know exactly Who He Was.

 

[CyrilSebastian]

Jesus did not want people to believe in him and God his Father due to what demons said.
Christ wanted people to believe due to their own choice.

 

[mikekle]

but they do not have faith, or believe in the supremacy of God.

No, I dont think thats possible, being that they were once angels, they have a much greater knowledge than we do, so they would KNOW God is supreme, as they dont need faith, they know for a fact what God is and what is capable of, so it would be literally impossible for them to think they could ‘win’ in anything against God, not even Satan himself could believe this, this is more akin to a human error, not angelic.

I think Satan and the other fallen are doing EXACTLY as they were intended to do upon their creation, they are ‘the alternative’ to God, so humans can have a choice, think about it, without demons and satan, would humans be tempted by anything, keep in mind there would be no one there to influence us in a negative manner, so…?

 

[DelsonJacobs]

“In thier synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-- the Holy one of God.” Mk1:23-24

I’ve seen this in other places in the Gospel too, where the demons recognize that Jesus is the Holy one of God. It seems strange to me that the demons would say this because it seems to weaken thier case, and I would expect them to lie or distort, yet here they seem so honest. Any thoughts/ solutions?

The answer you are looking for lies in the following verse, namely Mark 1:25, wherein Christ rebukes the demon for speaking.

In Jewish and Catholic theology and practice the use of names can be a powerful tool. The demon’s reaction to Jesus is not a confession but an attempt to ward off Jesus’ power by the use of the name of one’s opponent.

The utterance of a spirit’s name and position or title shows authority or control of the one whose name is uttered. At Luke 8:30 Jesus himself uses this technique to exorcise a man with a sprit whose name is “Legion.”

The use of Jesus’ name and title by demons did not guarantee mastery over Christ. On the contrary it earned censure. While the evil spirits obviously knew the technique wouldn’t work, they attempted to utter Christ’s name and title apparently as a desperate attempt as they often associated Jesus’ presence with being the time for their tormenting or destruction. Instead of being an example of “weakening their case,” it shows a last-ditch effort in the face of a hopeless situation on behalf of the demon.