This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit (v. 23). Strangely the NAB does not translate euthys – the first word in the sentence. The word means “just then,” “suddenly” or “immediately.”  In the NAB translation it seems as though the man was just there. But the Greek euthys implies a sudden entrance into the synagogue like bursting upon the scene. This follows immediately upon Jesus’ teaching with authority that amazes listeners. The “suddenly” that divine power (exousia) is confronted by the corrupting power of a person is possessed by an unclear spirit. Was he part of the crowd listening to Jesus’ teaching who suddenly stood up and cried out? Did he come in off of the street? In any case, suddenly, we have the “holy one of God” on the holy day (sabbath) in the holy place (synagogue) meeting an “unclean spirit.”  It is a dramatic moment somewhat lost by not translating one word.

What was an unclean spirit/person doing in the synagogue on the Sabbath?  The man’s personality had been damaged to the point that the demonic power had usurped the man’s being, and spoke through him. The disturbance which Jesus brings was expressed in the excited response of this man, who sensed in Jesus a threat to his very existence.

“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”  His cry of terror, expressed in v. 24, is laden with the language of defense and resistance. The demoniac does not confess the dignity of Jesus, but uses the accepted terms of opposition in the attempt to disarm him. The initial expression is a common formula in the OT within the context of combat or judgment, and is roughly equivalent to “you have no business with us—yet.”  While one might read it as an opponent realizing combat will lead him to defeat, there is ample OT usage to indicate that this is a “throw down” with the tone, “So, you think you have come to destroy us?”

While the NAB translates v.24 as a question, other translations hold that it is not a question but a declaration: “You have come to destroy us.” The note of conflict implied is important, for the demonic power understands more clearly than the people the decisive significance of the presence of Jesus. In the question “What have you to do with us?” it is natural to find a reference to all of the demonic powers who shall be destroyed by Jesus.

However, Ched Myers (Binding the Strong Man) offers a different interpretation: “Upon whose behalf is the demon pleading? It can only be the group already identified in the conflict theme – the scribal aristocracy whose space (social role and power) Jesus is threatening.” [p. 142]  So, it is also distinctly possible that the demoniac identifies himself with the people present and speaks from their perspective – this regards the agitation of the demon in the light of the dismay and turmoil in the synagogue. Jesus’ presence entails the danger of judgment for all present.

Image credit: Jesus in the Synagogue, unknown artist, Vatican News Service | Public Domain