So, how lax do your synagogue standards have to be to let a man who has a demon into your Sabbath gathering? I mean, didn’t they notice before Jesus showed up? The demon in their midst was good at hiding, but when Jesus came around, the demons could not help but acknowledge who he was.

When the demon, through the man he indwells, shouts out who Jesus is, Jesus responds by telling him to “Be silent and come out!” Jesus does not want the demon even to speak about him.

This contrasts with the conversation later in Jesus’ ministry with Peter in Matthew’s Gospel. When Peter rightly calls Jesus the “Son of the living God,” Jesus calls him “blessed” and tells him that this is a spiritual revelation, not of the flesh.

So, the demon and Peter both have a spiritual revelation of who Jesus is, and both of them verbalize that revelation. So why is one silenced and the other blessed? I know some of you are saying, “One of them is a demon, Chris, duh!” But I think it is more than that. I think that is what makes the demon a demon in the first place.

A demon is a spirit that knows exactly who Jesus is and yet, even with that knowledge, refuses to submit to his rule. I know it sounds wild that they would see the truth of who Jesus is to the point that they shout it out, but do not live in accordance with his ways.

Wait.

We see this all the time in church. Maybe we are even guilty of it. We know exactly who he is, but we do not submit to his rule. Jesus said it this way: “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). Jesus also quotes Isaiah, saying, “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’” (Matthew 15:8).

We cannot just acknowledge who he is; we have to submit to him. When we are obedient, it shows that we trust him. We trust that he is good and that his ways are right.

Take a moment and examine your heart. Where in your life do you need to submit to Jesus? Ask him to show you.