January 29, 2012 4th Sunday after the Epiphany Divine Authority
Mark 1:21-28
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 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.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
May I reproduce the same authority that Jesus had in the synagogue that day long ago.
Within a space of 12 verses Jesus has been baptized by John (vv. 9-11), been tempted by Satan (vv.12-13), begun preaching (vv.14-15), and called his disciples (vv.16-20).
They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.
Capernaum was an important first-century city at the northern end of the Sea of Galilee. It was the center of the Galilean fishing industry and the probable home of several of Jesus' fisherman disciples.
The synagogue was mainly a teaching institution. The synagogue service consisted of only three things—prayer, the reading of God’s word, and the exposition of it. The synagogue was a place of teaching and instruction. The temple was the place of worship and sacrifice and there was only one temple. The law laid down that wherever there were ten Jewish families there must be a synagogue. The synagogue was the obvious place to preach a new message.
They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
The scribes were the official teachers or expounders of the Torah; as a member of a school, the scribe would teach what he had learned from his master—viz., the scribal tradition (7:9). Jesus, on the contrary, as a lay teacher of religion, not educated in the scribal manner but inspired by the divine Spirit (v. 10), spoke with immediate and personal authority.
Scribes were a class of scholars whose duties included: to extract rules and regulations from the Torah, the law, the first five books of the old testament which included the ten commandments; to transmit and teach the law which included the oral law that had been passed down by committing to memory; and they gave judgment in individual cases. Scribes referred to the Torah or to the oral laws and never gave a decision on their own. Jesus taught with personal authority, he spoke with the authority of God.
We should be astonished as well that God has come incarnate in the presence of Jesus, the Son of God, and he is speaking to us the beloved children of God.
Just then 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.”
The ancient world believed in demons and devils. In Jesus' time they might have answered it this way, "They were possessed by a demon." In that pre-scientific day, anytime anyone behaved in a manner that was bizarre or destructive, they gave this explanation, "He has a demon."
Certainly people with addictions or mental disorders do act as if possessed by evil spirits. People can be and are consumed by anger and jealousy. So in a sense they are consumed by an unclean spirit because the spirit in them is not of God. It serves to separate them from God.
We are haunted by fear, worry, anxiety, insecurity, and stress. Jesus can heal of us our unclean spirits.
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
Jesus commands the unclean spirit to come out of the man. No spells or incantations, Jesus just simply says Be silent and come out of him. It is interesting to note that the unclean spirit does recognize Jesus, “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.”
Jesus has the power to heal if we only let him and let God.
First, be quiet -- and listen to the authoritative voice of God. Second, "Come out of him" -- that is, break free, let go, get rid of something.
Three ways Jesus heals:
I believe that there are ways that Jesus heals that are infinite but I will talk about three ways Jesus heals this morning. My purpose today is not to argue over the existence of demons. My purpose is to declare what the Scriptures declare: Christ has power to heal regardless what our need may be. Christ has power over any demon, whether that demon be an addiction, a heartache, a secret sin--whatever our need may be--Christ can set us free.
Jesus heals with his presence
The woman who was bleeding touched the hem of his garment and was healed.
We are not alone: Jesus is with us all the time.
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Jesus heals with his love
He loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus so much that he raised Lazarus from the dead
After he had been dead for three days.
Jesus Loves Me This I Know For the Bible tells me so.
Jesus heals with his blood
Jesus shed his blood for us and died for us so that we could be healed for a
lifetime from slavery to sin and death. He gave us forgiveness and eternal life.
Atonement theory: Christus Victor Substitution theory
They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
A miracle: an unclean spirit has been cast out of an individual, a suffering soul has been set free of bounds of pain.
Application:
Daily repeat I will read the word of God daily so I may know the truth.
Daily remember Jesus has divine authority: in Word and deed.
Daily remember Jesus is the Holy One of God come to make the unclean, clean.
Open your heart, mind, and soul, believe and be healed in spirit. We are all spiritual entities in a brief physical existence in our infinite spiritual journey.
How many of you sports fans remember the name Mickey Mantle? When Mickey Mantle played for the New York Yankees, many fans and sports writers predicted that he would be the best to ever play the game of baseball. He demonstrated spectacular talent and athleticism from a young age. He was voted the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times, and set numerous records that still stand today. But even Mantle will admit that he never lived up to his potential. Mantle became addicted to alcohol during his second season in the big leagues. He did such a good job of hiding his problem that his coaches and teammates never suspected anything. Mantle continued to battle his addiction until he turned sixty-three, when he finally went public with his secret. He went into treatment and gave up booze. Sadly, years of alcohol abuse had destroyed Mickey Mantle's body. He died a few months later of liver cancer. His friends remember him for the dignity and faith he demonstrated in his last days. (1)
It's a sad story. We see good people addicted to alcohol, addicted to drugs, addicted to all kinds of inappropriate, often destructive behavior, and with good reason we ask, "What got into them? Surely they knew better. Why did they let this happen?"
Daily repeat: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have the power to make me whole.
I am not my possessions, I am not my accomplishments, I am not my reputation. I am a beloved child of God unique and loved and I came into this world with nothing and I will go out of this world with nothing. What I have between those two points is my love for God and love for neighbor. A life of purpose is a life of service to God and neighbor.