Mark 1:23

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

Mark 1:23 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 1:23

And there was in their synagogue
In the synagogue of the Capernaites, at the same time that Jesus was teaching there,

a man with an unclean spirit:
not with an unclean heart, for there were doubtless many such there, but that had a devil; for in ( Luke 4:33 ) , it is said, "he had a spirit of an unclean devil": so called, because he is impure in himself, and the cause of uncleanness in men, in which he delights: and such spirits sometimes are where religious persons meet, but with no good design; either to disturb the preacher, or to divert the hearer, that the word may be unfruitful and unprofitable:

and he cried out:
either the man, or rather the unclean spirit in him, who had possessed his body, and made use of the organs of it: he cried out through dread of the majesty of Christ, whose presence he could not bear; and through grief and envy at the success of his ministration, and the influence it had upon the minds of men; and through fear of being dispossessed of the man, in whom he was.

Mark 1:23 In-Context

21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying,Hold thy peace, and come out of him.