THE FINAL AUTHORITY (MARK 1:21-45)
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It is said that George Whitefield at one time dined with Lady Huntington: an unconverted brother of his was present. During the dinner hour, Mr. Whitefield and Lady Huntington had a religious conversation. Such was the nature of it that this brother's attention was arrested, and he was so deeply impressed that all at once he dropped his knife and fork, and threw up his hands and cried, “I am lost! I am lost! I am lost!” “Thank God!” said Lady Huntington. “Why? Why do you exult over my lost condition?” “O, I can not help it,” she says; “I am so glad you are lost --so glad!” “But why, why, do have such ecstasies over my lost condition?” “Simply because Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and save that which was lost. Now, sir, if you have found out that you are lost, there is some hope of your being saved.” (Albert P Graves)
In the New Testament era there were lots of authorities – the Roman government, the Jewish religious leaders and even John the Baptist (Mark 1:6). The Roman had their law, the Jews observed their Torah and John had his disciples (John 2:18). Into this setting Jesus came. His authority was in himself, His word, wisdom and works. No one but Jesus, God incarnate, could infallibly institute or impart the law, invoke and interpret the law, and instruct and integrate the law.
Who has most influenced and inspired you in life? What is the outcome and purpose of learning? Why is Jesus the greatest teacher that ever lived and what did He have to teach us about life?
In Him There is No Darkness – He’s the Savior of our Lives
21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
The Reformation leader Martin Luther was not only a reformer, but a theologian and writer. His battles with the devil are fierce and his quotes on the devil are renowned, including the following:
-- So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!
– A fiery shield is God's Word; of more substance and purer than gold, which, tried in the fire, loses nought of its substance, but resists and overcomes all the fury of the fiery heat; even so, he that believes God's Word overcomes all, and remains secure everlastingly, against all misfortunes; for this shield fears nothing, neither hell nor the devil.
– When I am assailed with heavy tribulations, I rush out among my pigs rather than remain alone by myself. The human heart is like a millstone in a mill: when you put wheat under it, it turns and grinds and bruises the wheat to flour; if you put no wheat, it still grinds on, but then 'tis itself it grinds and wears away. So the human heart, unless it be occupied with some employment, leaves space for the devil, who wriggles himself in and brings with him a whole host of evil thoughts, temptations, and tribulations, which grind out the heart.
The contrast of Jesus’ “authority” with the authority of the teachers of the law/scribes (v 22) with that not only His ministry was good or applicable everyday - even on the Sabbath day (v 21), everywhere - throughout all the region, in the synagogue and in the house (vv 28-29) and to everyone – all men (v 32). It has been said that the scribes spoke from authorities but that Jesus spoke with authority. Further, the authority was not from his capability, but from his compassion (v 41).
No chapter in the gospels mentioned “unclean spirit” more than Mark 1 (Mark 1:23, 26, 27), so Jesus had his work cut out for him. The unclean spirit’s crying out (v 23, Luke 4:33) is likened to the disciples crying out on the ship (Mark 6:49). The verb “cry out” (v 23, ana-krazo) occurs merely 5 times in the Bible (Mark 1:23, 6:49, Luke 4:33, 8:28, 23:18) in contrast to shorter verb “cry out” (krazo) that occurs 55 times in the Bible, of which a few times refer to the devil (Matt 8:29, Mark 3:11, 5:5, 5:7, 9:26, Luke 9:39), but here it means “repeatedly” from the preposition “ana” – over and over, on and on. It was a fierce, frenzied and frightening episode.
The stress of the unclean spirit in verse 24 is like this: “come to destroy us” and “I know.” The verb “destroy” is also translated as perish (Matt 5:29), lose (Matt 10:39) and depart (Rev 18:14). It means death and not just defeat or disappearance, vanquished and not just vanish, and the termination of them not just the torment. The most common way Jesus dealt with the devil is to rebuke him (Luke 9:42, Mark 1:25, 9:25, Matt 17:18). The imperative “Come out” Mark 1:25, 4:39, Luke 4:35) is never used in the Bible apart from the verb “rebuke.” It was stern, sudden and stinging. John D. Grassmick says of Mark 1:25-26, that “Jesus did not accept the demon's defensive utterance (1:24) because doing so would have undermined His task of confronting and defeating Satan and his forces.” (from Bible Knowledge Commentary))
The progression is clear: the unclean spirit cried out (v 23), Jesus rebuked (v 25) and the people were amazed (v 27), which makes its debut in the Bible, also translated as astonished (Mark 10:24). This ‘amazed” (thambeo) is different from verse 22’s amazed (ek-plesso) in that the former is expressed and this one is examined. It made them questioned why “he gave orders/commanded” (v 27) and the devils “obeyed.” “Give orders/command” (v 27) on a few occasions was associated with how Jesus treated the devils (Mark 1:27, 9:25, Luke 4:36). The devil was outright defeated, destroyed and damned.
In Him There is No Damage – He’s the Shepherd of our Lives
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
I cannot, for the life of me, understand how people can sleep for a long time, even though I had the same problem when I was a young student, but adulthood snapped the loafing, leisure and luxury out of me. Now, I forced myself to sleep at least six hours – six and a half hours ideally - before a headache wakes me up.
It;s been said, that oversleeping is too much of a good thing. While a good night's sleep is essential for health, oversleeping has been linked to a host of medical problems, including diabetes, heart disease, and increased risk of death. Researchers are careful to note, however, that two other factors -- depression and low socioeconomic status -- are strongly associated with oversleeping. Experts believe headaches are due to the effect oversleeping has on certain neurotransmitters in the brain, including serotonin. https://www.healthline.com/health/oversleeping
A survey conducted in 2004 study revealed that patients with lower back pain, who were prescribed bed rest by doctors, came back with complaints of chronic pain 32% of the time. Too much bed rest results in weakening of muscles, including the ones that support the backbone. Surprisingly, people can also develop constipation and other gastrointestinal problems when muscles lose their conditioning and tone. Moreover, the inactivity associated with staying in bed for long hours increases the risk of damaging the veins (especially those of the pelvis and legs) and developing blood clots. https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/why-is-it-a-bad-idea-to-stay-in-bed-for-too-long.html
The word “bed” is actually a verb “lay” (katakeimai) – to lie down flat on a bed, to be idle, inactive and immobilized. Why was Simon’s mother-in-law in bed with an ordinary fever? She was sick not just with fever (v 30), but a “great fever,” according to Luke the doctor (Luke 4:38), its only instance out of a few people with a “fever” in the Bible (John 4:52, Acts 28:8). Simon’s mother-in-law was the only person recorded in the Bible sick with fever (puresso), from the noun fire (pura). Not only was she sick, she was stuck. She had no energy, enthusiasm and expectations of any kind. I was thankful I was sick three days before the 2020 Chinese New Year, before the Covid-19 outbreak, so I was less worried about catching a fever at its peak.
Jesus did not just heal Simon’s mother-in-law, but touched her and lifted her. It was an unusual, upsetting and unthinkable act because it was still on the Sabbath day. Mark’s gospel, being the shortest gospel, gets right to the Sabbath day in chapter one, in comparison to the Sabbath day in the three other gospels (Matt, Luke 4:16, John 5:9), continuing with the disciples plucking the ears of corn to eat on the sabbath day (Mark 2:23-24) and healing a man with a withered hand on the sabbath day (Mark 3:1-2). Jesus did not merely break the Sabbath, he also touched a person of the opposite sex.
Simon’s mother-in-law’s story is recorded in many gospels (Matt 8:14, Luke 4:38) because not only would she be a big support to Jesus, but also Simon, his brother Andrew and all apostles! Capernaum (cf. 2:1; 9:33), on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, was the disciples’ hometown, headquarters and the hub of Jesus' Galilean ministry (Luke 4:16-31). It would not be a surprise if she was the chef, the cleaner and cheerleader in the home.
Verse 36 records Peter’s “look for him (Jesus)” (katadioko) is to search for Jesus, stick to Him and served with Him. The verb literally means “pursue again” after Jesus. That was how close Peter was to Jesus. It would take a godly, genuine and generous mother-in-law to make Peter’s dream come true.
In Him There is No Distancing - He’s the Strength of our Lives
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
A hospital visitor saw a nurse tending to the sores of a leprosy patient, and said, “I’d never do that for a million dollars!” The nurse answered, “Neither would I. But I do it for Jesus for nothing.” (Lou Nicholes - Missionary/Author).
In an old 1898 book from Iceland titled “Law about lepers isolation and placing in a public hospital” are the following rules:
The lepers must always follow the following rules, viz:
1. Lepers must not sleep in the same bed with others, married people, however, excepted, unless the doctor decides otherwise.
2. Every leper shall have his own cupsidor. And he must not spit on the floor.
3. He must have special plates, knives, forks, and spoons, tablecloth, etc, which he only must use.
4. Lepers’ bedsheets, wearing apparel, plates, knives, forks, and spoons, tablecloth, must be cleaned and washed separately. The bandages for the sores must, after use, be burnt or disinfected by being boiled in water for at least one-half hour.
5. Lepers are forbidden to tend children, wait on nonlepers, and cook for others.
6. Lepers are forbidden to visit others and receive visits from others.
(Jules Blom. DENMARK. Leprosy in the Kingdom of Denmark, including Iceland and the Danish West Indies.)
This account is repeated in Matthew and Luke (Matt 8:3, Luke 5:12). In contrast to the ten lepers Jesus met who stood far away lifting their voices in another account (Luke 17:12), this leper had the faith to meet Jesus without infecting Him. The leper’s faith was not only genuine, it was ingenuous. Note that when the leper was around, even the multitudes and the crowds were not recorded. All the city was gathered together at the door (v 33). Simon and others followed after him from morning (vv 35-36). All men seek for Him (v 37), so the leper had to pick the right time, the right place and right approach. Only twice did the Old Testament record God’s cleansing of a leper (Num 12:10-15; 2 Kings 5:1-14), yet this leper was not daunted, discouraged or distant.
This verbs “reach out” and “touched” (v 41) make its debut in the Bible (Matt 8:3, Luke 5:12). Touching a leper was a no-no. It was a shocker, a stunner and a scandal. A leper was an outcast, an outsider and an offense. In the Old Testament a leper’s clothes were to be rent, his head bare, with a covering upon his upper lip, crying at the top of his voice, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. (Lev 13:45-46)
Jesus, however, reached out and touched the leper. 1:41-42. He was moved by indignation or compassion (splanchnistheis) in Greek. Compassion is a deep feeling of sympathy for someone who is suffering. It’s not just an emotion – Compassion is accompanied by a strong desire to take action and alleviate the suffering you witness (compassionuk.org). Jesus was not bound by Rabbinic regulations regarding ritual defilement. Both this symbolic touch (cf. 7:33; 8:22) and Jesus' authoritative pronouncement - I am willing (pres. tense), be clean (aorist pass., decisive act received) - constituted the cure. It was immediate (euthys).
Jesus instructed the leper not to publicize, promote or even proclaim Him because He was not interested primarily to be a physician, a politician or a patron!
Conclusion: Jesus is God incarnate, the Word become flesh, fully God and fully man. Jesus did not come to satisfy himself but to save us. He did not aim to benefit himself but to bless us. He sought us to redeem, rescue and restore us. Wont you open your heart to Him, ask Him to enter in and put things back to order? Let Him be the Master, Host and Owner of your life and let Him govern, guide and guard you in all you do!
