“And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.”
Be quiet! said Jesus. Come out of him! — the two-part command is brief and authoritative: silence first (phimoō, to muzzle), then expulsion. The silencing of the demon's testimony is the beginning of the Messianic Secret pattern in Mark: Jesus consistently refuses to allow demons to publicize his identity. The demon's testimony, though accurate, would be on the demon's terms and in the demon's interest; the full disclosure of Jesus' identity must come through the whole Gospel's narrative, not proclaimed prematurely by an unreliable witness. The command Come out of him does not negotiate or explain — it commands, and the result confirms the authority that the teaching style already communicated.
Church Fathers on Mark 1:25
Since by the envy of the devil death first entered into the world, it was right that the medicine of healing should first work against the author of death; and therefore it is said, 'And there was in their synagogue a man, &c.'
Moreover, how great is the power which the lowliness of God, appearing in the form of a servant, has over the pride of devils, the devils themselves know so well, that they express it to the same Lord clothed in the weakness of flesh. For there follows, 'And he cried out, saying, What have we to do we Thee, Jesus of Nazareth, &c.'
For to come out of man the devil considers as his own perdition; for devils are ruthless, thinking that they suffer some evil, so long as they are not troubling men.
Read all 8 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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