He Cast Out Devils
In the angel’s words to King Benjamin we read this of the
then-future mission of Christ: “And he shall cast out devils, or the evil
spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men” (Mosiah 3:6). Nephi had seen something similar in his
vision that was guided by an angel. He
recounted, “And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the
children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were
afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits” (1
Nephi 11:31). Both of these prophets
predicted that a major part of Christ’s mission would be to cast out devils and
evil spirits from among men. Certainly
this is well documented in the four Gospels, and I thought I would take a look
at the different recordings of this that we have in the New Testament.
I
was surprised to see how many references there are by the Gospel writers to
Jesus casting out devils and evil spirits.
The accounts show that He did this often and to numerous people. There are several references to a general
casting out of devils among the people.
Near the beginning of His ministry we read, “And his fame went
throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken
with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,
and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them”
(Matt. 4:24). On another occasion, “When
the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils:
and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick”
(Matt. 8:16). Mark told us, “He healed
many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils…. And he preached in their synagogues
throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils” (Mark 1:34, 39). Luke wrote of an occasion where He similarly
cast out many unclean spirits: “When the sun was setting, all they that had any
sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every
one of them, and healed them. And devils
also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God”
(Luke 4:40-41). From these few
references we see that the number of people that Christ cured from evil spirits
must have been enormous. It was an
essential part of His merciful ministry.
Several
other more well-known stories in the Gospels show specific individuals who were
healed of unclean spirits by Him. We
know that Jesus “cast seven devils” out of Mary Magdalene at some point (Mark
16:9). A woman of Canaan came to Him on
one occasion saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter
is grievously vexed with a devil.” Even
though His mortal mission was not to be to the Gentiles, because her faith was
so strong He healed her daughter and she “was made whole from that very hour”
(Matt. 15:22, 28). Another time a father
came to Him in desperation saying, “Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son:
for he is mine only child. And, lo, a
spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he
foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him…. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and
healed the child, and delivered him again to his father” (Luke 9:38-39, 42). Perhaps the most dramatic was the story of the
two in the “country of Gergesenes” who were possessed with devils and were
“coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no man might pass by that
way.” Jesus cast out the devils and
“when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the
whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished
in the waters” (Matt. 8:28, 32). The
Savior’s power of evil spirits was so great that “the multitudes marvelled,
saying, It was never so seen in Israel” (Matt. 9:33).
I
have to think that if there were that many evil spirits to be cast out of
people in that day, there can only be more today. It’s not something that we discuss frequently
but it is still a documented part of church history that such healings happen
in our day like in days of old (see here
for example). Perhaps on a broader scale
these numerous almost repetitive stories about Christ’s power of evil spirits
should inspire us to trust Him to help us.
We all have anxiety, angst, fear, discouragement, guilt, unease, pain,
remorse, worry, and a host of other negative feelings that are a part of
mortality and with which we do battle.
Whether or not these actually come from evil spirits is much less
important than the fact that Christ can and has conquered them all. Like in these stories, though, to be healed
and helped in our own lives we must come to Him with the same intensity of faith
as those made whole anciently.
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