Casting out a Demon

For three years, Jesus taught about God’s kingdom around the towns of Israel. He invited people to enter into God’s kingdom. But Jesus did not just teach about God’s kingdom. He also showed people what life would be like in God’s kingdom.

We will look at five of Jesus’ miracles that give us a picture of life in God’s kingdom. They tell us something more about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Did you Know? 

• Capernaum was a town in Galilee.
• This healing took place near the beginning of Jesus’ work.
• The ‘Sabbath’ was a Saturday, and Jews had to rest on the Sabbath.
• There is an evil being called ‘Satan’ or the devil. Satan is God’s enemy and brings sadness and destroys people’s lives.
• Just as God has his servants called angels, so Satan has his servants called evil spirits.

The Meaning of the Story

All over the world, people live in fear of evil spirits. Sometimes these spirits enter a person and take over their life.

One day, Jesus met a man with an evil spirit. The man spoke, but the voice was the voice of an evil spirit. The spirit had made this man’s life unhappy. Evil spirits destroy life, but Jesus came to give life.

Many people did not know who Jesus was and why He had come. Here we see that the evil spirits knew who Jesus was. They knew that God had sent Him, and they knew that He had come to destroy them.

Jesus spoke to the evil spirit and told him to be quiet and to leave the man. The spirit immediately obeyed the word of Jesus. We see this again and again. Jesus only has to speak, and His word is obeyed.

The man finally had peace in his life.

Who is Jesus?

Evil spirits are strong, but Jesus is stronger. Jesus does not fight a battle against evil spirits. Jesus just speaks a word. He issues a command, and the evil spirits obey.

Jesus is the man who has power over all the evil powers.

Thinking about the Story 

1. What was the first thing Jesus did when he went into the Jewish meeting place?
2. Why were the people amazed at his teaching?
3. How did Jesus make the man clean again?
4. Have you ever known anyone with an evil spirit?
5. What power does Jesus have over evil spirits?