And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on
the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished
at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the
scribes. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean
spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have
you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked
him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing
him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed,
so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching
with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” And
at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of
Galilee. (Mark
1:21-28 ESV).
There are many people who claim to be authorities; some even claim to have authority. However, when Jesus comes on the scene, something new happened. The hopes and longing for change took on a different look. The baseline for the definition of authority was completely changed. Hurting people, sinful temptations, human brokenness, and disease were confronted with real authority.
The people in our reading today recognized
Jesus' authority in regard to two specific things: his teaching and his power
over impure spirits (demons). There was something about Jesus that made him
different from the other religious teachers of his day. In fact, this is the
first thing mentioned in Mark's gospel about Jesus' public ministry: it was
a ministry of authority. We often long to witness the authority of Christ
confronting diseases, financial hardships, broken friendships, and injustices
of all kinds today. But we do not pause as often to consider the spiritual
dimensions of our suffering. The apostle Paul reminds us that "our
struggle is not against flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6:12). Rather, we
contend with demonic powers that want us to think that our circumstances, not
our hearts, are the problem.
It's worth noting that Jesus' teaching,
not just his healing, triggered a reaction from the crowds. But "being
amazed," by itself, is not a response to authority. Jesus' teaching
demands either submission or rebellion. He calls us to bring our hurts, our
diseases, and our hearts under his authority. Will you respond with such a
commitment?
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