Jesus was now in the midst of launching His ministry in full force. It might be said that this was the beginning, the opening of His ministry. As He launched forth, just what He did is important for the believer as he goes forth serving his Lord.

1. Jesus began with worship: immediately—in the synagogue (v.21).
2. Jesus seized the opportunity to teach (v.21).
3. Jesus astonished the crowd (v.22).

These next two events take place on a single Sabbath. Here, we get a glimpse of Jesus’ ministry in its pristine state. There are no meddling Pharisees from Jerusalem. Jesus, the great physician, meets the needs of the people who yet adore him. In humility and divinity he touches the crowds. The prophecy Jesus quoted in the synagogue at Nazareth begins to be fulfilled (Lk 4:18-19; Isa 61:1-2). There is no conflict, no complication … yet. We would prefer this simple purity if it were not for the fact that Jesus’ self-revelation cannot exist in such a state. By the nature of Jesus’ miracles and identity, he is going to attract attention, devotion, and controversy.

Mk 1:21-22 — ²¹They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²²The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

Some say this miracle is the same as the healing of the centurion’s son in the synoptics Luke 7:1-10 and Matt 8:5-13. But these are different for the following reasons:

Nobleman’s Son	Centurion’s Servant
Nobleman – royal connections – maybe Jewish or Roman.	Entrusted with 100 men
Son	Servant
Negative rebuke	Positive reinforcement
begging to come touch son	don’t come – just speak
No positive comment on faith	Commendation on faith contrasted with Israel
In Cana	Approaches the man at Capernaum

Luke says that Jesus taught on the Sabbaths (plural), potentially leaving room for several weeks of teaching as well as the call of the four fishermen (Lk 5:1-11). Jesus taught with authority. There was a marked difference between him and the scribes. The common mode of teaching for the scribes was to quote a long list of other scribal authorities. This supposedly gave credibility to their teaching. Jesus, in contrast, simply said, “But I say.” Furthermore, the truth of his words were their own authority. The people needed no “professional stamp of approval” for them to recognize truth as truth. As usual, the crowd was amazed (cf. Mt 7:28; 13:54; 19:25; 22:33; Mk 1:22; 6:2; 7:37; 10:26; 11:18; Lk 2:48; 4:32; 9:43; Acts 13:12).

(1:21) Worship: Jesus began His ministry with worship—immediately. Note the words “straightway [immediately] on the sabbath day He entered into the synagogue.”

     This says several significant things.

1. Jesus launched His ministry in worship. A new ministry should always begin in worship. It should be bathed in worship.
2. Jesus was faithful to weekly worship in the synagogue. The synagogue, with its leaders and its worshippers, was far from perfect, yet on the Sabbath day, Jesus entered and worshipped faithfully. Such an example leaves all without excuse.

 (1:21) Teaching—Time—Initiative: Jesus seized the opportunity to teach. Note the words “straightway [immediately], He entered into the synagogue, and taught.” The idea is that He excitedly entered and immediately began to teach. This was the very day He was to launch His ministry; this was the first chance He had to take the podium and teach. He immediately rushed forth and seized the opportunity.

Opportunities must be seized when they present themselves. We must not let them pass. Several things can make us miss opportunities.

1)   Not looking for opportunities.

2)   Not grasping for the opportunities at the right time.

3)   Not having the initiative to grab an opportunity when it arises.

4)   Not handling the opportunity properly.

Jesus utilized the moment. His time was short, so He seized the opportunity to teach. Time is short. We must use every minute to the fullest, for the night is coming when no man can work. There are several mistakes made with time.

1)   We can lose time: just let it pass, never seize the opportunity.

2)   We can ignore time: pay no attention to it, give it little if any thought.

3)   We can neglect time: be unconcerned and non-caring, fail to realize its potential and exactly what could be achieved with its proper use.

4)   We can abuse time: use time to do the opposite of what we should be doing; misuse time by using it half-heartedly, sloppily, ineffeciently.

(1:22) Jesus Christ, Teaching: Jesus astonished the crowd. The word “astonished” (ekplessonto) is a strong and expressive word. Its literal meaning is to be struck in mind, to be astonished. The people were stricken, stirred, aroused, moved by the Lord’s teaching.

     Jesus astonished the crowd for two reasons.

1. His message was very different
2. His authority was strikingly different. Note the words, “He taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” Five comparisons will show this.
3. Tradition vs. authority. Other teachers relied upon esteemed men, their traditions and teachings, and quoted them as their source of authority; but not Jesus. He taught with a personal authority; He spoke independently of all others. He spoke with a certainty, a positiveness, a finality that no one else had ever done.
4. Form vs. power. Other teachers stressed ritual, ceremony, and form. Jesus stressed the need and availability of power to overcome the trials and sufferings of life.
5. Humanism (laws) vs. the spiritual (truth). Other teachers reasoned and formulated law after law, teaching that these were the way to real life. Jesus spoke about matters of the heart and life, of the soul and spirit. The answers He gave were spiritual truths, not human thought and rationalism.
6. Religion vs. life. Other teachers preached their religion; Jesus preached life—a life to be lived abundantly and eternally.
7. Profession vs. possession. Other teachers professed to follow God, but they twisted and interpreted the law of God to their own liking. What they followed was their ownman-made religion. They were anything but followers of God. Jesus practiced and lived what He taught. His life was so different from other teachers that people sat up and took notice of what He had to say.

Lk 4:33-35 with Mk 1:26 — ³³In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil^NIV-6-6 spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ³⁴”Ha! 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!”

³⁵”Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly. “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and [shook him violently and^MK] came out [of him with a shriek^MK] without injuring him.

This is the first of several times that Jesus will confront a demon, or, as Luke calls it “a spirit of an unclean demon.” His culture was riddled with superstitions about demons (cf. Edersheim, Appendix XVI).^6-11 In fact, the Jews had a large body of literature dealing with demons. It dealt primarily with two things: (1) demons being the disembodied spirits of wicked people, and (2) exorcism by magical incantations. Jewish superstitions, however, do not mean that demons don’t exist. Jesus does not deal with superstitions but with realities.

Edersheim (I:480), notices how Jesus dealt with demons as a reality and not merely as superstition or psychosis: (1) He commissioned his disciples to cast them out (Mt 10:8). (2) He thanked God when they were cast out (Lk 10:17-18). (3) He reproved his disciples when they could not cast them out (Mt 17:17). Either Jesus was duped by the superstitions of his day, or he pretended they were real in order to gain a hearing among the crowds, or demons were, in fact, a reality.

While it would be a mistake to deny the reality of Satan’s activity, so also is it a mistake to overemphasize it. Ours is a day of morbid curiosity in the occult, even in Christian circles with our “power encounters.” Here are several truths that should be reflected in our theology and experience of demons:

1. Satan is neither omnipotent nor omniscient. To claim to be tempted by Satan may be a bit boastful—he probably has bigger fish to fry.
2. There is no indication that demons “specialize” in certain activities such as cancer, anger, selfishness, pride, stealing, etc. In other words, although demons appear to have personalities (Mk 5:8; 9:25), there is no indication that a certain affliction is caused by a certain demon and therefore needs to be identified before it can be exorcised.
3. The idea that you must obtain a demon’s name or you will be unable to exorcise it has its roots more in Greek and Jewish magic practices than in Scripture.
4. That we are in spiritual warfare is undeniable. However, it is false and faithless to view this battle as dualistic—fairly equivalent powers of darkness and light and one will barely win over the other. The Holy Spirit is infinitely more powerful than the created, fallen, evil spirits. There is simply no contest.
5. There is no indication that the victory of good angels is contingent upon the prayers of the saints. It is pure fiction that humans empower angelic spirits with their supplications.
6. Demons are not illnesses. In the Gospels sickness and disease are identified as separate from demons. Sickness is a natural part of our fallen world. Demons are a spiritual part of a “heavenly fall.”

After Jesus had taught in the synagogue, this demon-possessed man pipes up, “Ha! What do you want with us?” Luke’s little added expletive “Ha” carries with it extreme emotion. It can indicate fear, hate, and anger all at the same time. The second part of this phrase “What do you want with us?” can also be translated, “What do we have to do with each other?” or even “Why this interference?”

The demons then ask Jesus if he is going to destroy them. This is Jesus’ first confrontation of demons. They give up before the fight even started. Jesus so totally overpowers them that they resign themselves to defeat. We who are filled with the Spirit of Christ have nothing to fear from demons.

The startling thing is that these demons were more aware of Jesus’ true identity than the other attenders of the synagogue, including Jesus’ own disciples. The demoniac said, “I know who you are—the Holy one of God.” We are reminded of James 2:19, “Even the demons believe, and shudder.”

But Jesus forbids them to speak. Why? Because: (1) Jesus has not yet had time to teach and display the true nature of his Messiahship. A mistaken notion of Messiah may do more harm than good. (2) It’s pretty bad publicity to have demons praise you. (3) Works are louder than words. Jesus wanted his actions to speak for themselves.

So Jesus “muzzled” them by ordering [epetime4sen] their silence. This word demands attention. Jesus will use it again in the next pericope (Lk 4:39, 41), when healing Peter’s mother-in-law. It is a key word in understanding the purpose of this section. Kee gives the following definition to epitimao4: “The word of command by which God’s agent defeats his enemies, thus preparing for the coming of God’s kingdom.”^6-13

He traces its use in broader Jewish literature, and finds that it describes God’s cosmic struggle against the forces of darkness, evident in both sickness and demon possession. Therefore, it shows that this one event is but a part of a long-standing battle. Furthermore, this demonstrates the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God which marks the beginning of the end for Satan’s dominion.

The demon reluctantly gives up his prey. As a spoiled child who can’t get his way, he throws the man down. This pathetic, yellow-bellied demon takes one last pot-shot at the man. This cowardly act of defiance is the last pleasure of attack he will know on this man. Luke, the physician, makes a note that the demon did not injure the man. He dare not in the presence of the God/Man.

This was not an exorcism. There was no magical incantation or formula. Actually, this was more like a healing.^6-14 Jesus, simply on the authority of his word, commanded this demon to leave and he did. The point of the story is not demonology but the authority of Jesus.

Let’s remove the false superstition about the undue power of demons. They are real, they are active, and they are in submission to the word of Christ. We who are possessed by the Holy Spirit have nothing to fear from an unholy spirit. “Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 Jn 4:4). Jesus came to “destroy the works of the Devil” (1 Jn 3:8), and will, on the last day, destroy all his workers (Mt 25:41).

Mk 1:27-28 — ²⁷The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” ²⁸News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

The crowd is shocked, not by Jesus’ deed, but by the power of his words. The deed serves to validate the word, not the other way around. The powerful word of Jesus is exalted, both his ability to teach and his ability to command demons.

 Jesus’ Power Over Evil Spirits and Its Impact: Delivering the Most Enslaved, 1:23-28

(1:23-28) Introduction: man can be delivered from all the forces of evil by the power of Jesus. He can even be delivered from unclean spirits that enslave him, no matter the grip of the enslavement. Jesus has the power to deliver man (Romans 8:31; 1 John 4:4).

1. Picture 1: the need of the possessed man (v.23-24).
2. Picture 2: the power of Jesus (v.25-26).
3. Picture 3: the impact upon people (v.27-28).

 (1:23-24) Evil Spirits: the first picture is that of the possessed man and his need. The words “with an unclean spirit” (en pneumati akatharto) should be translated “in” (en) an unclean spirit. The man was in the grasp, in the possession of the unclean spirit. He was in the grip, captivated by the unclean spirit. He was under the spell, the will of the unclean spirit. To better understand the meaning, think of all the evil in the world, all the evil that occurs every hour and every day. Then note John’s words, “The whole world lieth in the wicked [or evil] one” (en to ponero, 1 John 5:19). That is, the world lies under the influence, power, bondage, will, and grip of the evil one. In the very same sense, this man was possessed by an unclean spirit.

     Note three things.

1. The possessed man, surprisingly, was in the synagogue. What was he doing there? Was he a regular attender or had he come just to hear Jesus? We are not told. But if he was a regular attender, then the synagogue was spiritually dead. How do we know this? Because the man could attend services time after time and never be helped spiritually.

How many services are dead, so lifeless that men with evil spirits can sit in the services and never be convicted or helped spiritually? How many sit in church and hear the Word of God week after week or live among believers and never make a decision to turn from their evil? They sit in service after service and brush shoulders with believers day by day, but they never decisively turn to God.

2. The possessed man raged and cried out, sensed and recoiled from purity. The unclean spirit recognized and cried three things.
3. The unclean spirit cried, “What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth?” The unclean spirit was entirely different from the clean spirit of Jesus. Jesus is perfectly pure and sinless. The unclean spirit had nothing to do with the purity of Jesus. The unclean spirit was diametrically opposed to the holiness of Jesus.
4. The unclean spirit recognized that Jesus had come to destroy him. Down deep within, the unclean persons know they are to judged and destroyed. They hate and despise, ignore and neglect, hide and rationalize in order to continue in their unclean ways. The paradox is that they know they will be judged even while they are sinning and rebelling against God. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).
5. The unclean spirit identified Jesus. He said, “I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” He confessed Jesus. As James says, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19).
6. The possessed man identified Jesus. This point is so significant it bears repeating: “I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God,” that is, the Holy Son of God.

The world cries out, “What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?” Why? Because He is the Son of God who demands belief and purity of life, self-denial and a life of sacrifice. “What have we to do with thee…?”

Wealth cries, “Leave us alone. Let us secure ourselves, build up, and bank more and more.”

Power cries, “Leave us alone. Let us take over, exercise authority, rule and reign, dominate, manuever and manipulate as we will.”

Ego cries, “Leave us alone. Let us seek recognition, attention, esteem, honor, and praise as we wish.”

 Flesh cries, “Leave us alone. Let us excite, indulge, stimulate, relax, release, escape, party, revel, and carouse as we desire.”

 (1:25-26) Jesus Christ—Power—Salvation: the second picture is that of the power of Jesus.

1. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit. Note the words, “Hold thy peace.” Jesus did not accept demonic testimony to His Messiahship. Why? Such acknowledgment was involuntary, that is, of the mind only. It was only the mental knowledge that Jesus was the Son of God. It was not of the heart nor of the will to follow Jesus. It did not come from being born again. The witness Jesus wants is the witness of a man who has made a deliberate decision to profess Him as Lord; the witness of a heart truly changed; the witness of a heart moved by the Spirit of God to confess, “Thou art the Holy One of God” (Mark 8:29; cp. Mark 1:34).

     Note also the power of Jesus. He casts the unclean spirit out. How? By His Word, by simply saying, “Come out of him.”

2. The evil spirit obeyed. Note the words “torn him” (sparasso). The words mean to be convulsed. Apparently the man had a convulsion, jerking to and fro and crying out with a loud voice.

     The question is sometimes asked, Why all this? Why such a scene? Why did Jesus not calmly heal the man in a serene atmosphere? There are probably two reasons.

1. The evil and unclean spirits in the world are powerful forces, possessing enormous power to enslave and possess man. Their power could be more clearly seen in a convulsive and noisy scene. People needed to know that the evil and unclean forces of the world are the true enemies of mankind. They are the powerful forces who enslaved men with their dirty, intoxicating, and immoral habits.
2. The man was possessed by an unclean spirit. The convulsion and cry were evidence of the unclean spirit actually being in the man.
3. The convulsion and cry demonstrated the power and Messiahship of Jesus. Jesus was actually conquering the force of evil within a man, and only God had such a power.

Jesus says, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will never believe.” The “you” is in the plural, so Jesus is probably talking to the crowd following Him instead of to the nobleman. The nobleman is not looking for a sign. He just wants his son healed.

Perhaps you are thinking, “I thought that the purpose of the book of John was that “these signs were written that you might believe…” (John 20:31) That is true, but the key word is “written.” It does not say that we should wait to see signs before we believe. The written record of select miracles should be enough to evoke faith.

Remembering the big picture of history in relation to miracles, if you need to see a miracle to believe, then that leaves you out of most of biblical history. God always worked providentially, but only occasionally did He work miraculously.

I think this passage is relevant to the Signs and Wonders debate. I think that to demand signs and wonders is a very dangerous thing. Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who believe who have not seen…” Jesus says that an evil and adulterous generation demands signs and wonders. I have to reconcile those statements of Jesus with the modern day emphasis on the miraculous. If a Signs and Wonders advocate says that people need signs and wonders to believe, then we can say with assurance that that is not biblical.

Sometimes people get the impression that because we are not Signs and Wonders people we don’t believe in miracles nor think it would be good if God did a miracle. I have friends with cancer and other ailments, and I pray for their miraculous healing believing that God can do it. Because I don’t hype miracles doesn’t mean I don’t believe in miracles. Do I expect them? I know that the prayer of a righteous man effects much. And I know that sometimes we have not because we ask not, but I also know that miracles are not the norm for history.

The difference is that I am not demanding a miracle so that I will have faith or so others will believe. If I am, then I am putting people in a precarious position.

Jesus said, “Unless you see, you will not believe.” They could have believed without seeing. The proper belief is not in the miracle. It is in the person of Christ. It is not the act, it is the actor that they need to believe in.

So the condemnation is against people who think they or others need to see a miracle to believe in Jesus.

 (1:27-28) Decision—Jesus Christ, Response to: the third picture is that of the impact upon people. The people reacted in three ways.

1. They were amazed (ethambethesan), astonished. What the people had witnessed was unbelievable. Using no charms, no invocations, no exorcising devices, Jesus simply said, “Come out of him”; and the unclean spirit was dramatically cast out of the man. The people were shocked and stunned.
2. They questioned and buzzed among themselves, “What thing is this? What new power or revelation (doctrine) is this? What is God showing us? Is the revelation, the doctrine, the power from and of the Messiah? ‘For with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him.’” The people were doing just what Jesus had wanted. They were questioning if He was the Messiah.
3. They spread His fame everywhere. Imagine the conversation in the stores, businesses, homes, and streets as people travelled throughout the area and throughout the world. The impact upon us should be the same. All three responses should characterize us as we witness the power of God in changing and healing lives. Yet, how gospel-hardened so many of us become.

APPLICATIONS

• Faith is indispensable in pleasing God. Heb 11:6.
• Distance is no barrier to the power of God.
• Sickness is no respecter of age or person. It strikes the young and the old, the rich and the poor. Just because you are faithful, spiritual, a minister or even a missionary, doesn’t mean that your child won’t die in the field.
• Affliction may bring blessing in disguise. What brought the contact with Jesus? Sickness What was the result? Salvation. God may use human tragedy to lead people to Himself as the only answer both for physical life and spiritual life.
• Jesus is not just the creator of life – first miracle – He is the restorer of life – second miracle.
• Faith in God’s word is preferred over faith in God’s wonders. God may not always do wonders. We’ve already discussed how the wonders have only occurred in special times in history, but His word is always around. Trusting in the word of Christ is the key. Throughout the ages, people have continually tried to stress the miracles and perform miracles thinking that people need to “SEE” the miracle in order to believe. But this man believed the Word of Jesus.
• That is why Jesus is perturbed that this people will not believe unless they See. The opportunity to See miracles is so limited that few will have a chance to See and Believe. Most will have to just hear and believe.
• When Jesus says it, it’s done.
• Sometimes God works in the immaturity of our faith to bring us to more complete faith. Maybe it is not complete – saving faith. Another example is Cornelius who was a God-fearer. He had faith, but he didn’t have saving faith in the person of Jesus.