The Master Teacher: His Word is Truth Mark 1:21-28

The Master Teacher: His Word is Truth

Mark 1:21-28

Introduction: In response to the question, “Who is Jesus?” it is fairly common for people to say “He was a great moral teacher, but I don’t believe any of that stuff about him being the Son of God!”  Already in the first chapter of Mark, we see clearly that He must be much more than a great teacher! Mark has pointed to the witness of Scripture, the testimony of John the Baptist, the descent of the Spirit and the testimony of the Father, leaving no doubt that Jesus was no merely human teacher.  John MacArthur writes,

“Heralded by John, commissioned by the Father, filled with the Spirit, victorious over sin and Satan, and accompanied by His disciples, the Lord Jesus began His public ministry with every necessary credential demonstrated.”

The evidence already is compelling.  Without question, “God spoke in times past to the fathers through the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken in the Son...” (Heb 1:1).  Mark has been presenting his case, answering the question, “Who is Jesus?” He has been answering it in such a way that it does not allow the reader to conclude that Jesus was a great teacher, but merely a man. Today’s passage highlights that truth. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis responded to the same issue, saying,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 

Who is Jesus? The power of His Word testifies to who He is! He spoke with authority, and showed his sovereignty over every aspect of creation and life.

The Maine* Idea: The astonishing authority of the Word of Christ exposes darkness and spreads the true Light.

I.  The Astonishing AUTHORITY of the Word of Christ (21,22).

²¹ And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching [an inceptive sense, “he began to teach”, seems to be the most natural reading here, SN.].  ²² And they were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 

       Jesus and His first disciples went into the village of Capernaum, on the north-north-west shore of the Sea of Galilee, about 20 miles east of Nazareth. It was a small, but bustling fishing village, filled with travelers and merchants. As with most predominately Jewish communities, the synagogue there was the center of community life.  And it was there that Jesus went on the Sabbath to begin His public ministry.  It may be that Jesus called these four disciples on a Friday afternoon, and then as they walked to the village, as the sun set, the Sabbath began. And so they went to the synagogue. It was normal for a visiting rabbi to be given an opportunity to teach. And so, as Jesus entered the synagogue, He “began to teach.” The scribes were experts in the Law and the traditions of the fathers. Their teaching was based on the “authority” of others. This teacher was different.

       “…and they were astonished at His teaching…” Even though we might immediately want to jump to the “power encounter” that follows where Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit, this paragraph is bound together with references to His teaching. Here Mark says, they were “astonished” at His teaching. Then, in verse 27, after the demon comes out of the man, we read “And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority!” The authority of His words, which even the demon could not resist, is what astonishes them. 

       The word “astonished” is not too common in the New Testament, appearing only 13 times, five of those in the Gospel of Mark. It seems to have the idea of “shock and awe,” something that was so unexpected and powerful that it was overwhelming. It is used in Mark principally to describe reactions to Jesus’ teaching, but also to His works…

Mark 6:2 “And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?”

Mark 7:37 “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done all things well. He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.’"

Mark 10:25-26 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."  ²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, "Then who can be saved?"

Mark 11:18 “And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.”

God’s Word is “…living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart...” (Heb 4:12).  Jesus was not simply discussing the writings of the old rabbis. He was speaking with authority. And it astonished those who heard. Where did such authority come from? The word itself, exousia, speaks of “rule, dominion, authority, power.” Jesus will use that word three years later when He says, “All authority has been given unto me in heaven and on earth…”  His authority is that of the Son, the Word made flesh. It is intrinsic to His being as the great “I Am.” His Word is absolute truth, and has absolute power. The astonishing authority of the Word of Christ exposes darkness and spreads the true Light. So we see the Astonishing Authority of the Word, and secondly...

II. The Convicting POWER of the Word of Christ (23-27).

²³ And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,  ²⁴ "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 out with a loud voice, came out of him.  ²⁷ And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." 

       Notice first that His Word Convicts: it exposes sin and the certainty of judgement (23,24).  Remember the reality that we are in a spiritual war.  Paul reminded the Ephesians that “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places…” (Eph 6:12). As the apostle John said, “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one…” (I Jn 5:19). The enemy is at work to keep humans from seeing the truth and coming to God for forgiveness and life. Paul stated the challenge of our mission in 2 Corinthians 4:3-5,

³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing.  ⁴ In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  ⁵ For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord…

But don’t be intimidated. Greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world!  The issue is Light and darkness (read John 3:19-21). Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17). Jesus is teaching, bringing the Word of God to the people with authority. Immediately the demon possessed man recognizes Who this is, and he is terrified! Mark uses a compound word, the demon, “cried out,” [anakrazo]. It only appears five times in the New Testament.  Three times it is of a demon possessed man crying out in terror in the presence of Jesus, the Holy One (Mk 1:27; Lk 4:33; 8:28). It is also used in Mark 6:49 when the disciples cry out in terror when they see Jesus walking on the water and think they are seeing a ghost. The last time the word appears is in Luke 23:18 as Pilate is desiring to release Jesus and the chief priests and rulers “cry out” in a frenzy for Jesus’ death. The word seems to be intensive, emotional, cry of terror. The demon was exposed! The Light was overwhelming, unbearable. He knew who this was, he knew the power, the authority of the One that stood before him. And he was terrified.

        Christ’s authority is inseparable from His sovereignty: His Word Commands and overwhelms the darkness (25-27).  Jesus speaks and the demon is powerless to resist. “Be silent, and come out of Him!” He was teaching with authority, and now He speaks, not evoking another or relying on someone else’s authority. He commands, and the demon is powerless to resist. In the book of Acts we have a scene that contrasts the authority of Christ over the powers of darkness and the spiritual impotence of those who don’t know Him. We read it in Acts 19:11-16,

 ¹¹ And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul...  ¹³ Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus, whom Paul proclaims." [As though there was some magical power in mentioning the name, even without faith!] ¹⁴ Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.  ¹⁵ But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?"  ¹⁶ And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Lesson: The Lord has all authority in heaven and on earth.  We have nothing to fear in the spiritual realm, if we know Christ, and trust him. The battle is the Lord’s. THAT is why… Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees! He will attack, he will tempt, but greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world. Matthew and Luke tells us how Jesus responded to the temptations of the devil: He quoted Scripture! God’s Word is truth. And what about those who don’t yet know Christ? “God has chosen, through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe…” (I Cor 1:21). Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom 10:17).  I read this week a testimony that illustrates the power of the Word of God. It was told of a Christian woman in Brazil…

      "Pastor is it OK to sell a Bible to a prostitute?" You see Laura was a member of a small church in Brazil. She sold Avon products to supplement the family income. One of her weekly routes took her through the red light district. One day after asking her pastor if it is Ok to sell Bibles to prostitutes she took a few Bibles with her on her Avon trips to the red light district.
     God opened a door to present Bibles and Christian books in a house of prostitutes. Oddly enough, the house was located directly across the road from a large evangelical church. Ten of these women gathered around a table one afternoon as Laura shared with them the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. A few Bibles and some books containing testimonies of transformed lives were sold that afternoon.
      Several months later there were terrible rains and floods in that part of Brazil, causing several deaths. With the floods came mudslides in communities that had been swamped by the rising rivers. Two of the prostitutes who had attended the book demonstration earlier that year talked about the danger and decided to read the Bible they had purchased. It seems their thoughts were the Bible is like a mystery novel, so they started with Revelation in order to find the conclusion of the story. What they read frightened them. They came to REV 21:7, 8: "The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, and the sexually immoral, the idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
       The gal who owned the Bible became alarmed and exclaimed, "We’re lost! We’re lost!" Her housemate replied, "No, you’re lost. I’m not lost because I do penance every day." Still alarmed and concerned, they continued to read. A few days later God sent Laura. These two women literally pulled her off the street and shoved the Bible into her hands. "Read this part right there! Tell us what it means!" they ordered. Laura read the verses and responded, "It means that when you practice and live in one of these sins, you will not be permitted to enter heaven."
      Again, the owner of the Bible cried, "We’re lost! We’re lost! I told you we were lost!" Her friend again assured her, "No, you’re lost. I’m not lost because I repent every day."
       "Repentance," Laura explained, "is when you confess your wrong and completely turn around. You did not repent. Repenting is turning from your sin. You only felt guilty for your sins."
        Again, the prostitute shouted even louder, "We are lost! We’re lost!" After sharing the plan of salvation and trying to pray with them Laura returned home planning to visit again. One week passed by and she made her way down the muddy and rutted dirt streets of that little suburb. On arriving at the home of the two prostitutes, she was handed a note by the one who had been so assured of her false repentance. “Laura, Enclosed is the money I owe. Thank you so much for help. After your visit last week, I returned to my hometown and am living with my parents. On Sunday I attended an evangelical church and gave my heart to the Lord Jesus. If ever I visit your city again, it will only be to attend your church. Jesus has made me a different person. Maria Isabel”

God’s Word is powerful, it is truth, and it WILL accomplish God’s purpose. The astonishing authority of the Word of Christ exposes darkness and spreads the true Light. So we see the I. Astonishing Authority of the Word; II. The Convicting Power of the Word, and now finally...

III. The Compelling EFFECT of the Word of Christ: His Word will ultimately accomplish His purpose and build His church (28). We see in this detail mentioned in v.28 the effect that his ministry began to have,

“And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee…” (Mk 1:28).

The Lord said through the prophet Isaiah the EFFECT that His Word would have,

“…so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it...” (Isaiah 55:11).

This passage shows the authority of the Word of Christ. Notice that there is no “if” in that verse, it shall not return empty, it shall accomplish that which I purpose, it shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Here in Mark, Jesus spoke with authority in the synagogue in Capernaum. He astonished and amazed those who heard, and He showed absolute power in the spiritual realm.

       Jesus spoke with absolute authority and His words had an immediate effect. The result: His fame spread throughout the region. As we read the history of the early church in the book of Acts, one thing Dr. Luke points to is the power and effect of the Word...

Acts 6:7 - And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Acts 8:14 - Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John…

Acts 11:1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

Acts 12:24 But the word of God increased and multiplied.

Do you see the pattern? The expansion of the church is linked intimately to the going out of the Word. God’s Word is truth, it goes out with power and authority, and it is the means that God has ordained to stir faith in the hearts of the elect.

What is God saying to me in this passage? The astonishing authority of the Word of Christ exposes darkness and spreads the true Light.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?  You might well think, Jesus’ ministry in a synagogue in Capernaum in the first century is one thing, but how in the world can God use me? Chuck Colson said, “It is not what we do that matters, but what a sovereign God chooses to do through us. God doesn't want our success; He wants us. He doesn't demand our achievements; He demands our obedience.”   Jesus said, “All authority has been given me in Heaven and on Earth. Therefore go, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” That is the call He has given us, to the mission He has entrusted to us. Our mission starts at home, with those God has placed on the “front burner” of our lives. Think about those people in your sphere of influence: family, friends, neighbors, co-workers. Some profess to believe, but don’t attend church, others are still in the darkness. You are God’s ambassador, His witness right where you are.  Will you embrace that mission?   

Think about that, AMEN.