And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
Mark 3:11 NET
This is a relatively common occurrence in the Gospels. When Jesus and unclean spirits (demons) encounter each other, in addition to being cast out, the unclean spirits frequently identify Jesus as the Son of God. But why do they do that? Why did they proclaim Jesus as the Son of God?
It is clear they knew who he was. They were able to see beyond the humanity that Jesus bore. They knew they were in the presence of God and what he could do to them. And it terrified them.
So why would they proclaim him as the Son of God? Could it be that they had no choice but to do so? Philippians 2:9-11 tells us that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and confess him as Lord. While the demons did not specifically confess Jesus as Lord, they did confess him as the Son of God and fall down before him.
What the demons did with Jesus will ultimately be the common experience of all people. Everyone will come and bow before him, acknowledging him as Lord. Some will bow before him on this side of the grave, and their reward will be eternal life with him. Others will bow on the other side of the grave. But for them, it will be too late. And their fate will match that of the demons who confessed Jesus as the Son of God.
How much better to confess him as Lord now rather than once it is too late to matter?
