When Demons Blow their Cover

Jesus flushed out demons wherever he went because they were terrified of him. On the other extreme, the demon in the psychic slave girl recognized the special anointing on Paul and Silas and the demon manifested itself by being infatuated with them; following them around day after day, screaming that they were servants of the Most High God (Acts 16:16-18). This doesn’t prove that all evil spirits necessarily manifested themselves when Jesus or apostles were near, but many certainly did.

All Christians have a divine mission and power over demons. What distinguished Jesus and the apostles from the average Christian was not that they had spiritual authority but that they knew it. If thugs realize that a rookie police cadet doesn’t know how to load and fire his gun or operate his radio, they will ignore him. Likewise, if they are wanted by the police but they know the cadet is unable to recognize them, they will know they are quite safe as long as they don’t draw attention to themselves.

Jesus and the apostles acted as searchlights exposing demons lurking in the shadows of people’s lives. Consequently, the demons yelped and blew their cover in a way that even inexperienced observers could recognize as demonic. One could not expect such a reaction, however, when the only Christians present have little practical awareness of their authority over demons.