Astounding Authority and Amazing
Power
Please read Mark
1:21-28
Mark is widely believed to be the first written account
of the life and works of Jesus Christ. It is an action-packed Gospel that
establishes Jesus’ messiahship not only by who he is, but by what he does. The
very first words of the Gospel declare who he is (“Jesus Christ, the Son of
God”). Mark immediately seeks to provide support for that claim by depicting
the works of Jesus. An example of the quick action in Mark can be seen in the
fact that in its 16 chapters, Mark uses the word “immediately” some 31 times, 9
of those in the very first chapter. Mark gets right into it.
This week’s reading falls just before the middle of the
first chapter of Mark, and already Jesus has been introduced, baptized and
anointed by the Holy Spirit, driven into the wilderness where he was tempted,
and called his first four disciples. And I thought I was busy!
This passage portrays the first of many miracles of
Jesus—specifically the healing of a man with an unclean spirit. I confess that
the miracle stories are difficult for me to accept, and of the miracle stories,
the hardest for me are the exorcisms. I suppose my skepticism comes from the
fact that demon possession and exorcism is just not part of my own life
experience. And yet it is the first act of Jesus’ public ministry.
As I studied the passage, I realized that Jesus didn’t
set out on a healing spree or an exorcism tour. He was simply preaching in the
synagogue. I can imagine myself in the synagogue listening to Jesus deliver his
first sermon. It must have been powerful preaching; Mark says the people were
astounded because Jesus spoke as one having authority. Who did he study under?
Where did he go to seminary? What is his degree? Is he a Rev. or Dr.? What
other churches has he served? Where does he get his authority?
The answers comes from a most unlikely source—because
just then, the sermon is interrupted by a man possessed of an unclean spirit who
declares the preacher as the Holy One of God. It is easy to imagine that there
would be aides in the temple who would act quickly to resolve such disruptive
behavior. If it happened at Johnson Memorial, we would look to the ushers to
escort the man out. But Jesus—baptized, anointed, and tempted—has been prepared
to fight against forces of evil in the world. He commands the spirit to shut up
and get out, and the evil spirit obeys. If they were astounded at his teaching,
Mark says that they were amazed by his actions.
The source of Jesus’ power and authority is in who he is,
to be sure; but its revelation to us is in what he does. Actions speak louder
than words.
Jeff
Taylor
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