Editor’s Note: This essay is part of a series examining Satan and his forces — what Martin Luther called “our Ancient Foe” — as they appear throughout Scripture. Read the previous installment of the series here, here, and here.
Many Americans’ ideas about demons probably originate in a Hollywood horror film. The idea (or even experience) of exorcisms and demonic activity may be more familiar to those who live in other countries, particularly in Africa. For most of us, talking about demons is an uncomfortable, even scary, proposition. Our modern discomfort with what one scholar calls “the unseen realm” is one reason that we overlook or are unfamiliar with demons in the Gospels.
In contrast, people hearing the Gospels in the first century were probably more comfortable with the idea of supramundane beings like angels and demons, though demons are less common in ancient literature than angels or other divine beings. There are a few examples of interactions with demons in Jewish literature, such as in the apocryphal book of Tobit and the later Testament of Solomon, but there is relatively little mention of them in the Old Testament. Greco-Roman literature recounts several instances, with Philostratus’ “Life of Apollonius of Tyana” being the most noteworthy, but the Gospel authors narrate as much, or more, demonic activity than any other pieces of literature in and around the first century. For this reason, it is vital to grasp the role that demons serve in the Gospels and what they teach us about the Lord Jesus.
Nature and Actions of Demons in the Gospels
Most of the Gospel accounts of demonic activity occur in the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John mentions demons in disagreements between Jesus and his Jewish interlocutors (e.g., 8:48–53), but he narrates no exorcisms or other actual interactions with them.
The Synoptics provide a substantial amount of information about their nature and activity. Demons are depicted as “evil” or “unclean spirits” (e.g., Matthew 10:1; Mark 1:23, 26; Luke 4:33–37). They are intelligent, as seen, for example, in the dialogues they have with Jesus (e.g., Luke 4:34, 41; 8:28–31; Matthew 8:29–31; Mark 1:24, 34). They have names (Mark 5:9, Luke 8:30) and recognize Jesus by name (e.g., Mark 1:24). Humans are able to observe the presence of demons and their impact on others (e.g., Luke 9:38–40, Matthew 15:22, Mark 7:24–26).
Demons also share characteristics with Satan. People associate demons with lying like “the father of lies” (John 8:44–55), and they are described as evil like “the evil one” (Matthew 13:38–39, John 17:15). Although the Gospels do not provide a full origin story of demons, Jesus also alludes to the fact that they are fallen “angels” (Matthew 25:41).
The primary activity of demons in the Gospels is the possession of humans (e.g., Luke 4:33–37, John 10:20) and, rarely, animals (Matthew 8:30–32; Mark 5:11–13; Luke 8:32–33). As is true for the rest of the New Testament, a demon never indwells a person who has true saving faith in Jesus Christ. Contrast this with Judas Iscariot, whom both Luke and John narrate that “Satan entered into him” (Luke 22:3; John 13:27). Contrary to certain ancient and contemporary depictions of demonic activity, the Gospels never describe demons as possessing or being associated with inanimate objects.
When possessing or indwelling a human or animal, demons cause harm to and control the occupied. Luke tells us that the demon-possessed man in “the country of the Gerasenes” (8:26) would “be driven by the demon into the desert” (8:29). This demon, named “Legion” (8:30), eventually enters a herd of pigs and causes them to rush down a steep bank into a lake and drown (8:33). A father’s son is sent into violent convulsions by a demon that also “cast the boy into fire and water in order to destroy him” (Mark 9:20–26). Demons can negatively impact normal human abilities, including, but not limited to, speech (Matthew 9:32), sight (Matthew 12:22), and mobility (Luke 13:11, 16).
Finally, demons obey Jesus (e.g., Mark 1:25–27, Luke 4:35–36) and those who act in Jesus’ name (Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49). In the Gospels, humans regularly deviate from the ways of Jesus, but demons never disobey him. At times, they pleadingly negotiate with him (Luke 8:31–32) and seem to want to avoid “torment” at the hands of Jesus (Luke 8:28), but they never act contrary to his commands. Demons are able to resist human attempts at exorcism if human faith is lacking (Matthew 17:16–17), but Jesus’ subsequent “rebuke” of the demon brings “immediate” healing (Matthew 17:18). The obedience of demons testifies again to their intellectual capacity, but more importantly, it also demonstrates Jesus’ authority.
Opposition Forces
Demons form part of the supramundane opposition to Jesus and his followers throughout the Gospels. Beginning with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Satan attempts to thwart Jesus’ ministry, and demons are a key component of Satan’s forces. In the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds (Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43), Jesus teaches the disciples that “the enemy…is the devil” (13:39). Elsewhere, “Beelzebul,” another name for Satan, is called “the prince of demons” (Luke 11:15). Demons are subjects within Satan’s “kingdom” (Mark 3:22–26, Luke 11:18) or “household” (Matthew 10:25). Jesus indicates that the defeat of demons is a sign of the defeat of Satan (Luke 10:17–20), further showing their intimate connection. The repeated attempts to accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebul (e.g., Luke 11:16–26, Matthew 9:34) illustrate the assumption that Satan — as their “prince” or ruler — can command and control demons and that Jews viewed demonic activity as contending against the God of Israel.
What do demons in the Gospels tell us about Jesus?
Considering the relative paucity of demonic activity described in the Old Testament, the presence of demons in the Gospels indicates Jesus’ cosmic importance in redemptive history. Prior to the temptation narratives, demons are absent from the Gospels, but almost immediately after the temptation accounts in Mark and Luke, demons intrude upon Jesus’ teaching in the Capernaum synagogue (Mark 1:23–28; Luke 4:33–37), as though they now have permission to launch attacks against the One who has been sent to redeem the people of God.
From this point forward until Jesus’ triumphal entry, demons repeatedly attempt to derail his journey to Jerusalem, yet time and again Jesus prevails over the demonic opposition. In Luke alone there are approximately 13 examples of or statements about demons being cast out by Jesus and his disciples after the temptation account. But once Jesus enters Jerusalem, there are no more documented interactions with demons in any of the Gospels. It is as though once Jesus reaches Jerusalem, any opposition is pointless because Jesus’ journey to the cross — and victory over sin, death, and the devil’s attempts to enslave humanity — is guaranteed.
Because demons seek to defeat him, Jesus says, “Eternal fire [is] prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49) indicates that “power from on high” will be given to all who truly believe in Jesus, further cementing for believing hearers of the Gospels that demonic opposition will never defeat God and his people.
Lastly, every narrated interaction between Jesus and the demonic in the Gospels displays his authority. Many of these texts explicitly mention Jesus’ “authority” (e.g., Luke 4:31–37). Numerous passages narrate him commanding unclean spirits (Mark 1:27; 9:25; Luke 4:36), rebuking demons (Matthew 17:18; Luke 4:35, 41), or giving authority to his disciples to cast out demons (e.g., Matthew 10:1; Luke 10:17–20). The fact that demons always obey Jesus in these interactions serves to highlight the expansive domain of Jesus’ authority. He has authority over supramundane beings, including those who oppose his rule, and he has authority to delegate this authority to human disciples who also experience victory over demonic forces. Since Satan is the supposed “prince of demons,” Jesus’ authority over demons indicates the frailty and futility of the devil’s resistance, giving hope to all who follow the Lord Jesus that his reign will never be overcome and all opposition will be eradicated.
Conclusion
Stories of demons in the Gospels should never scare those who follow Jesus Christ. The Gospel writers use the repeated failures of demons to proclaim the cosmic significance of Jesus’ incarnation, authoritative ministry, victorious death, triumphal resurrection, and glorifying ascension into heaven. At the same time, all those who oppose Jesus and his followers are warned by the futility of the devil and his forces on display in the Gospels. God’s redemptive plan for his people will never be overcome. Soli Deo Gloria!
David Bryan serves as interim pastor of Redemption Presbyterian Church, visiting instructor of New Testament at Covenant Theological Seminary, and CEO of Red Oak Collective.