ἐκβάλλει is a great example of how historical presents are supposed to behave: It occurs at a transition in the discourse, it is a verb of movement, and it introduces a new participant (τὸ πνεῦμα). After the historical present, however, I expect an especially important "event or speech that follows" (Runge 130). Instead, the rest of the paragraph consists of a series of imperfect verbs that signal background information. I am not used to viewing verse 13 as a background picture rather than a movement forward in the narrative, but a consistent application of the theory would lead me to conclude that ἐκβάλλει is the only mainline event in the paragraph, and that the next mainline event comes with ἦλθεν in v. 14. Any thoughts here?12 Καὶ εὐθὺς τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτὸν ἐκβάλλει εἰς τὴν ἔρημον.
13 καὶ ἦν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας πειραζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ σατανᾶ, καὶ ἦν μετὰ τῶν θηρίων, καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι διηκόνουν αὐτῷ.
The pattern of historical present followed by a series of imperfect verbs recurs in vv. 21-23a, but here it is easier to see the series as setting the framework for the story that follows in vv. 23b-28:
εἰσπορεύονται = Mainline event at a transition in paragraphs with the introduction of a new participant (Jesus).22 Καὶ εἰσπορεύονται εἰς Καφαρναούμ· καὶ εὐθὺς τοῖς σάββασιν εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν ἐδίδασκεν. 22 καὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ· ἦν γὰρ διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ γραμματεῖς. καὶ εὐθὺς ἦν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπος ἐν πνεύματι ἀκαθάρτῳ καὶ ἀνέκραξεν (Mark 1:21-23)
ἐδίδασκεν καὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο ... καὶ εὐθὺς ἦν ... ἄνθρωπος = background events setting the scene for the action that follows
ἀνέκραξεν = Mainline event moving the storyline along.