you are the Holy One of God.” Then Jesus said to him sharply, “Be silent and leave this man!” The evil spirit then threw the man down in front
of them and came out of him without doing him harm. Amazement seized all these people and they said to one another, “What does this mean? He
commands the evil spirits with authority and power. He orders, and you see how they come out!” And news about Jesus spread throughout
the surrounding area.

Reflection:

Evil thrives where you least expect it. Take for example our gospel
today. The man possessed by an evil spirit is inside the synagogue. So not all evil
spirits can be stopped by something holy. They can survive even the holy place
such as a synagogue. And they can hide undetected by ordinary people but not
Jesus Christ. That is why the evil spirit challenges Him immediately. It is not
because even the evil spirit confesses the true nature of Jesus. It may be that in
revealing Jesus’ identity too early, the evil spirit may compromise the mission
of Jesus. It is more of an obstacle rather than a help to the fledgling movement
initiated by the Lord. That is why Jesus silences the evil spirit. It is not yet time
for His true nature to be revealed. An information given prematurely can do
harm rather than good.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021