NOTES for Mar 1:23-28
The evangelist notes an interesting fact: it is Jesus' victory over the “unclean spirit” that makes the strongest impression on the people. In principle, of course, there is nothing surprising here: the Kingdom is indeed fatal to the dark powers, and the breath of God that permeates it proves to be a force that kills the spirits of darkness, so it is entirely natural that it should torment them.
Yet the power of the Kingdom manifested itself in other ways in Jesus' presence, but such manifestations evidently made far less of an impression on people's minds. Why was this so? Probably because fallen man associates strength and power (after the power of earthly rulers, of course, which is always in plain view and manifests itself all too clearly) precisely with the actions of dark forces. There is nothing surprising in this either: fallen man lives in a world that is under the dominion of these very forces and always senses this deep down, even when considering himself a materialist and an atheist. And he always watches with apprehension (quite appropriate in this case) and curiosity (wholly inappropriate and superfluous, by contrast) the manifestations in surrounding life of the power that represents his true master, in whose hands all earthly rulers are merely toys and pawns in a great game.
But, of course, the greatest commotion among people is caused by the appearance of the One who, as is obvious to everyone, can not only challenge the dark ruler but also put his subjects to flight. For every fallen person (sometimes without realising it) understands perfectly well that this cannot happen. And if something like it has nevertheless occurred, it can mean only one thing: something truly radical has changed in the world. Such testimony may prove more impressive than many words about the Kingdom drawing near.
Of course, in itself it still does not guarantee that everyone impressed by Jesus' victory over the powers of darkness will follow Him. But there can be no guarantees here at all. And for someone, perhaps, it is precisely such a visible victory of the Messiah over the “unclean spirit” that will become the event that leads them to reflect on the Kingdom and on their own salvation.