As One With Authority

January 28, 2024

Rev. Mary Erickson

Hope Lutheran Church

Mark 1:21-28

As One with Authority

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

For the most part, we know what to expect when we gather for worship. We anticipate the general order of service. We know who does what, we know when to stand and when to sit down. We look forward to the special music. We’re accustomed to the preacher.

Once in a while there’s a curve ball, like when the pastor is on vacation and a guest preacher comes. There’s a special service every now and then, like when a musical ministry group performs during worship.

These unusual Sundays add a little seasoning to our worship. But rarely, if ever, do we experience a worship service that completely blows us away, like Jesus did in the synagogue at Capernaum.

On this particular Sabbath day, as the worshipers at Capernaum entered the synagogue, they anticipated what would happen that day. It was pretty ordinary. But what they experienced was something they’d never forget.

This was Jesus’ first big public act in his ministry. He expounds on the scriptures, and as he does so, the people marvel at his words. He preaches like no one else they’d ever heard. Mark tells us that he spoke with authority. Jesus remarked on the scriptures as someone who was expert, someone who commanded the significance of these words, as if they were his own.

And if that wasn’t enough, then a man in the synagogue approached Jesus. He was bound by something they interpreted as an unclean spirit. Jesus commands the spirit to leave the man, which it does in dramatic fashion. Jesus’ authority over scriptures extended even to his authority over evil forces.

No, this was not at all what people expected when they entered the synagogue that day! It reminds me of the chef Emeril Lagasse and his BAM expression. Jesus preaches and BAM! Jesus confronts the evil spirit and BAM! They were not expecting a BAM moment, not at all. It’s no surprise that Jesus’ fame spread far and wide after that day!

Jesus launches his public ministry in Capernaum and he pulls out all the stops. This isn’t a soft opening. In a very dramatic fashion, Jesus demonstrates the two main portions of his ministry: proclamation and healing.

He both spoke and acted as one with authority. That’s what people took note of. And no wonder. The gospel of John describes Jesus as the “word of God made flesh.” Jesus is the very word of God incarnate. All the power of God’s word to speak creation into being, to spark life, to speak a word of liberation and comfort and hope – all of that is in Jesus.

As we read the gospels, we encounter Jesus’ words and actions just as the people in that synagogue did, just as the crowds who heard his sermon on the mount, just as Martha and Mary did at Lazarus’ grave.

We ask the same questions they did. Who is Jesus? Who is this one who speaks and acts with authority? So let’s consider his words and his actions.

First, Jesus’ words. As the Word-made-flesh, Jesus is for us the reflection of the God we cannot see. His words echo with the heart and the intent and the wisdom of God. Jesus reveals the mind of God to us. That’s why it’s so significant to hear his words of comfort and grace. He doesn’t preach a gospel of harsh judgmentalism or of impossibly high expectations. He doesn’t reflect an angry God. No, his words prove that the Son of Man did not come to condemn the world, but in order to save it. He welcomes the outcast. He preaches peace, to turn the other cheek. He announces the God who will not let us go, like the shepherd who searches until he finds his lost sheep. His words speak forgiveness and mercy.

We still hear the authority of his word on Sunday mornings when we gather here. As we confess our sins, the words of absolution come from Christ. The minister doesn’t speak forgiveness into being. No, this comes from Christ alone. As we heard this morning, “By the authority of Christ, your sins are forgiven.” Still today, the authority to forgive comes from Christ alone. We hear it coming from Christ, and it echoes through our worship.

At communion, we hear Christ’s proclamation in the Words of Institution: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of sins.”

Those are the words spoken from Christ’s authority. As Martin Luther reflected on this moment in our worship, he said, “Whoever believes these words has exactly what they say, forgiveness of sins.” The authority of Christ’s words still speaks vibrantly to us.