UNMATCHED AUTHORITY (Mark 1:21-28)
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday we saw the messianic King’s authority over Satan, sin, and sinners. The first 20 verses of chapter one is Mark’s introduction to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In this introduction Mark provided five proofs to show us definitively that Jesus Christ truly is the divine messianic King. First, Jesus Christ was preceded by a forerunner; second, He experienced a divine coronation ceremony at His baptism; third, He defeated Satan, His greatest enemy; fourth, He proclaimed His kingdom message of salvation; and fifth, He commanded four of His subjects to follow Him. With these five proofs Jesus Christ embarked on His public ministry in the region of Galilee. Mark did this quickly and concisely, from this point on Mark will slow his pace a bit as he begins the body of his gospel message focusing on specific events from the ministry of the messianic King.
As we will see, Jesus Christ was the most passionate Man in history, and this was because He believed more than any other in His message. He knew what was in the heart of man, and He knew the eternal issues that rest in moral choices. This was why He was so supremely successful in preaching the Gospel of repentance and belief. Mark begins the body of his gospel with an event in the town of Capernaum. The significance of this event has to do with the character of Jesus’ ministry. Mark begins by focusing our attention on Jesus’ teaching, specifically focusing on His authority and the people’s response to it. Let’s pray and then get into our passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Mark 1:21-28. Please, stand if you are able, in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Mark 1:21-28,
“They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.” (Mark 1:21–28, NASB95)[1]
AUTHORITY IN WORD (Mark 1:21-22)
Jesus after calling His first four disciples they went to Capernaum where He began His Galilean ministry. Capernaum was one of many towns and villages along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The name of the town comes from the Hebrew words which mean “the village of Nahum,” which possibly means it dates back to the days of Nahum the Old Testament prophet. Capernaum is located on the northwest side of the lake and was a bustling and upscale town in the region at that time. When Jesus moved away from His childhood home of Nazareth, the evidence shows that He made Capernaum His home and the base for His ministry. This was where Peter lived, the ruins of his house can still be seen in Capernaum today although there is a church built above it.
Capernaum had a seawall eight feet tall that extended for half a mile in front of the village. From this there were several piers that extended a hundred feet out into the water. This made it easy for the fishermen to get their boats close to the city to unload their cargo. The fishing industry was big business in Capernaum, as well as a busy community of merchants, artisans, and scribes. There was also a Roman colony that was friendly to the Jews in Capernaum. The Roman centurion had supplied the money for the building of their synagogue.
A synagogue was a community building, they came about during the Babylonian exile and upon their return to Israel they continued to utilize them. All that was required for the establishment of a synagogue was a group of at least 10 Jewish men older than thirteen. The synagogue was not equal to the temple in Jerusalem and that was where sacrifices were offered. The synagogue was a place where people assembled for the reading and teaching of Scripture. The leader of the synagogue was not the teacher, he was mainly an administrator. The teaching was done by local scribes or visiting rabbis who would read the Scriptures and then comment on what was read. It was in this capacity that Jesus came to the synagogue on the Sabbath, He came as a visiting rabbi.
Mark tells us that Jesus’ teaching caused quite a stir in the synagogue of Capernaum. He writes in verse 22, “They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:22, NASB95)[2] The people of Capernaum who were in the synagogue on that Saturday reacted to Jesus’ teaching with sheer amazement. The word amazement does not give us the full understanding of the Greek term used here. It is more than amazement; astonishment might be a better rendering. The idea is that not only were they surprised, but they were also terrified, because they had never heard any one talk or teach like Jesus. He spoke with sincerity and passion and as one who knew what He was saying and could back it up. Jesus was described as teaching with authority, not as the scribes. The scribes were the ones who usually taught, and they were to be the most learned teachers of the Old Testament law. The scribes were mostly Pharisees and as one commentator said, they “were in bondage to quotation marks,” their teaching was filled with quotes from those they viewed as authorities. Everything they taught did not come from their own study but was second-hand theology. They focused on the petty and legalistic distinctions and their teaching had no passion or sincerity, it was boring, with no excitement, no depth, no joy.
When Jesus spoke, it was just the opposite. There were no quotation marks. Jesus preached God’s Word, not about God’s Word. He explained the Law and the Prophets. He was clear and simple, and the people sat on the edge of their seats listening to Him. When Jesus preached the Word, He was clear and painfully direct in His application, not afraid to call sin for what it truly was and to call men to repentance and belief. The conclusion in Capernaum was that He taught them as one who had authority. When Jesus Christ spoke in the synagogue in Capernaum, He spoke as the Word of God incarnate, His preaching was with authority. When He opened His mouth to speak, all who were present were stopped in their tracks, filled with amazement, and pierced by a sense of dread to hear the truth proclaimed as they had never heard it proclaimed before, as if it were coming from God Himself, because it was. The authority of Jesus’ teaching was unmatched by anyone in all of history.
AUTHORITY OVER EVIL (Mark 1:23-26)
As Jesus taught and the people sat astonished as they listened to His words, there was in the synagogue another whose fear got the best of him. Verses 23-24 say, “Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ ” (Mark 1:23–24, NASB95)[3] The light of Jesus teaching was too much for this demon possessed man who was in the synagogue that Saturday. Have you ever turned over a rock and watched the spiders and bugs scurry to hide themselves from the sudden light? Just as those bugs and spiders scurry from the light, evil or unclean spirits who love darkness recoil from the light. It is interesting to note that the first ones to fully recognize the identity of Jesus Christ hidden in His incarnation were the demons. While many people failed to recognize Him in His fullness, these servants of Satan instantly recognized Him. It is very possible to recognize Jesus Christ for who He truly is and hate Him all the more. That is what we see happening here. This man with the unclean spirit wanted nothing to do with Christ. The demon speaking through the man cried out at Jesus and his shriek was full of malicious aggression. His opening burst, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth?” This was a common Hebrew idiom of the day that literally translated is “What to us and to you?” This evil spirit wanted Jesus to go away. Next the demon again speaking through the man’s voice shrieks, “Have you come to destroy us?” It is in this question that we learn that the unclean spirit is terrified to be having this confrontation with the messianic King, the One who has come to overthrow this spirit’s master, the usurper Satan. This demon wanted Jesus to disappear because he knew Jesus would destroy him. Notice his dramatic final shriek, “I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” Rather than being a submissive attempt to soften Christ, this was a frantic attempt to bring the Lord Jesus under his power. We know this because the idea was widespread at that time that the exact knowledge of the other’s name brought mastery or control over him. This was an ill-informed attempt by this demon to control Jesus Christ.
We know from this encounter that whenever the authority of Christ, the Son of God, is invoked in preaching or teaching, there is a violent confrontation with the evil spirits who possess men’s souls and rule their lives, they do not like to be disturbed. It is important for us to realize that this man was completely under the power of this unclean spirit. His personality had been damaged to the point that the demonic spirit usurped the core of his self and even utilized his voice. Satan always tries to imitate God. Christ came to earth in human flesh and now dwells within us by the Holy Spirit. Imitating God, Satan fabricates incarnations through his evil spirits. The man seen here was lost, he had become a host for an evil spirit. The Greek literally says that he was “in an unclean spirit.” The moral nature of the unclean spirit fused with this man’s nature, so that he was coarse, filthy, and foul within. So fully was he under the command of evil that he wanted Jesus to go away and have no business with him. Here was a man that was completely helpless, no religious or cultural associations could help him. This does not mean that he was as morally evil as he could be or even as some who were not demon possessed. Men and women are quite capable of the deepest evil all by themselves, but this man was completely under Satan’s power.
Jesus Christ, the divine messianic King had been challenged. Imagine the silence for a moment in that synagogue in Capernaum. Everyone was holding their breath to see what would happen, maybe it was so silent that the lapping of the nearby sea could be heard. Then Jesus broke the silence when He responded to this unclean spirit. “And Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’ ” (Mark 1:25, NASB95)[4] This phrase “Be quiet,” is a little harsher then it is translated here, it literally is “put a muzzle on it, or shut up.” Verse 26 tells us, “Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.” (Mark 1:26, NASB95)[5] This poor man was racked with convulsions before the horror-stricken congregation, and the demon departed with an inarticulate howling, having been forbidden by the Lord of glory, the Holy One of God, to say another word. The hopeless man who had been convulsing and had rolling in the dust before the people rose to his feet whole and free, full of joy and peace.
What does this teach us? That there is hope for the worst of us. Think of the apostle Paul, here was a man that was arresting and signing the death warrants of Christians until he met the Lord on the road to Damascus. Who would have ever thought there was any hope for him. Maybe you know someone with a hard heart, and to you and everyone else it appears impenetrable, irredeemable, impossible. Even for this person there is great hope. Christ has the authority to free you from the evil that holds each of us in bondage. What we learn from Jesus Christ’s action is that His gospel of love and power is for all, even the least and the worst of us. But we must submit to Him in repentance and faith.
AUTHORITY INCITES DEBATE (Mark 1:27-28)
In the two final verses of this passage, we see the response of the people who had witnessed what took place in the synagogue. These were the same people who were amazed and astonished at the teaching of Jesus Christ, that He taught as one with authority. When He spoke the Word of God it was clear and understandable. Then they had seen this authority put to the test and Jesus had prevailed by rebuking and casting out the demon. All that was witnessed by those who were in attendance caused a debate. They wanted to know what this meant, who this was. A new teaching with authority! And this One that commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him. The crowd was buzzing with excitement over what they had heard and seen, but there seemed to be no answer to their questions, no conclusion, no understanding of who it was that stood in their presence. The demon knew exactly who this visiting rabbi was, but the people who were in the crowd did not. The debate was not a formal one but rather the excited chatter of wonder expressed by those who were amazed. This debate was far from over and even though no one could deny His authority over demons, the religious leaders would begin to question the source of that authority.
What had taken place and what Jesus had done began to get out. Those traveling to other towns and villages along the shores of Galilee told what they had heard and seen. Fishermen carried the event to other parts of the sea of Galilee and from there it spread into all the surrounding district of Galilee. This was just the beginning. Mark 1:39 says, “And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.” (Mark 1:39, NASB95)[6] The divine messianic King did throughout Galilee what had been witnessed in Capernaum. He launched His ministry by putting on displays of power over evil spirits unprecedented in Israel and the world. He taught like no one else, and He possessed and used force that no one else had ever seen. Behind His power was Jesus’ authority. The demons recognized Him and were terrified; the crowds witnessed Him and were amazed. The demons believed Him but could not be saved, the crowds refused to believe in Him and therefore would not be saved.
CONCLUSION:
The people who heard Jesus teach and witnessed His authority and power on that Sabbath day in Capernaum were left with no excuses. I stated that the demons were terrified and the crowds were amazed, the demons knew who Jesus was, but could not be saved, the crowds refused to believe Him and who He claimed and proved Himself to be and because of this they would not be saved. Saving faith must have a measure of both terror and amazement. Sinners should be terrified by such a Judge but should be amazed by such a Savior. It is not enough to be simply amazed by Jesus Christ. He is not satisfied with mere curiosity, wonder or astonishment. He wants sinners to fear Him as Judge and then run to Him as the Savior.
What about you? Just as those who heard and witnessed Jesus’ authority in the synagogue in Capernaum are without excuse, you too are without excuses. Perhaps you have always thought Jesus Christ was a good teacher, or a moral idealist, or a misunderstood social activist, and maybe this is what some of the crowd in Capernaum thought as well. But coming to those conclusions about Jesus is not enough. Those people were amazed in the moment but if they did not embrace the truth of His preaching to repent and believe then all their amazement was ultimately worthless. It was no better than the trembling terror of the demons. Do not be like the majority of the people in Capernaum, come to Christ in repentance and believe in faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work of salvation through His death and resurrection.
Let’s not forget the four fishermen that Christ had called to be His disciples, they were there that Sabbath in the synagogue with Him. These four men witnessed what took place and saw the amazement and astonishment of the people. They saw this same authority in teaching and in power over and over again in the three years they were with Jesus. At the right time they put this authority to use in their lives. Think of Peter as he preached at Pentecost, he preached in the authority of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and thousands came to faith in Christ. These four saw the man with the unclean spirit set free and he became a symbol of the remarkable things God would do through them. We are the church, the body of Christ, which was birthed by Jesus Christ through His disciples. The body of Christ by definition are those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Our lives are to speak God’s Word authoritatively. Not only that, but as the Church we are to be involved in deliverance from sin. Christ calls His followers to minister in His authority. Jesus is with us, He promised He would be. His authority rests with His Church. Let’s possess and use it with humility and energy to advance the King’s kingdom.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.