Mark 1:21-45

General Notes

What’s different about this period?

Why weren’t demons cast out in the old testament?

Why did people recognize this authority as different?

Because the kingdom is here.

This is why Jesus is so focused on preaching.

Tell the story:

What makes story telling good?

A good storyteller knows how to add key details without losing sight of the main narrative.

Preaching Series

Mark’s gospel (immediately, the next morning, as soon as)

Demon in church

Healing a mother in law

Preaching Priority (Intermission)

Skin Disease

Demon in church:

READ

This is the part in the story where we find out that Jesus can tell spirits what to do,

and not just any spirit,

but unclean spirits.

this is the word that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and sometimes John use to describe demons.

Crash course on demons:

They are very real.

They are part of God’s creation, and have a will that is in rebellion.

They have to obey God because God is the ruler of all.

Every demon is not satan.

A Christian cannot be possessed by a demon.

So, if demons have to obey God and God only,

it follows that the one who is casting out demons in the synagogue on a Saturday has the authority of God.

This is why if you were endeavoring to cast out a demon today, it would be foolish to say

“by the power vested in me by the state of Arizona”

or

“In the name of science”

or

in the name of any other god or power.

The only name that all creation bows to on the last day is Jesus Christ.

No one has ever done this before.

The Jewish people have certainly dealt with demons.

every culture has

In Jewish literature from the intertestamental period we see examples of things they were trying to do to deal with demons.

But it’s a battle.

Seven Sons of Sceva

With Jesus, there is no battle with demons.

He doesn’t even have to move.

He just declares.

2 Corinthians 3:17 HCSB

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

It’s interesting to note the response from those who witnessed it.

“What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”

Multiple Messiahs

Tension builds

Healing a mother-in-law:

READ

Heals a physical ailment.

In one day, he’s addressed spiritual and physical problems.

And so people flock.

“The whole town was assembled at the door.”

Black Friday vibes

These people do not yet understand why Jesus is here, or what His kingdom means,

but He is helping them anyway.

Which points to Jesus’ method.

He’s man fishing.

In this case he has cast a net that gathered up a whole town.

So what does Jesus do next?

He could set up shop here.

If he was like any of the messiahs who came before him he could really start to muster an army here.

Preaching Priority:

READ

The people of Capernaum have ideas for Jesus.

And so do the disciples.

How could you ignore the astonishing success?

The way this reads, Jesus calls them and says,

“Come with me and I’ll make you fishers of men”

and within a day they’ve got their whole hometown lined up.

They’ve gotta be elated.

Jesus doesn’t seem to share their sentiment.

Let’s move on. I’ve come to preach.

Preach what?

The kingdom.

What’s the kingdom?

God with us.

These three stories are about to be drawn up to drive Mark’s point, (which is Jesus’ point) home.

Skin Disease:

READ

Jesus is filled with compassion,

Why?

Leviticus 13:45–46 HCSB

45 “The person afflicted with an infectious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46 He will remain unclean as long as he has the infection; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

This man doesn’t just have a skin problem.

He has a worship problem.

To be an Israelite was to have your entire calendar revolve around temple worship.

This was the closest you could get to drawing near to God.

But according to God’s law, you don’t just waltz into the temple.

You have to be ceremonially clean.

And to have a perpetual skin disease is to be perpetually unclean.

This man is separated from God, and he is separated from society.

The closest thing to hell on earth that there is.

And here we have a man, relegated to the wilderness places, coming to the wilderness king.

He’s not allowed to draw near God in the Temple.

But as we will see as we move through the gospels,

Jesus IS the temple.

Jesus IS God.

This man crawls to Jesus on his knees.

That is desperation.

2 Points:

The Kingdom displaces that which is in opposition to God.

Why is this all happening?

The true king is here.

The last time God walked among people on earth was when there wasn’t any sin present.

The last time God walked on earth there wasn’t any disease present.

People weren’t crushed under the weight of having a demon.

People didn’t have skin diseases and fevers.

There wasn’t sin.

CUP ANALOGY

It’s as if humanity is a cup,

and it’s been full of sewage water,

death,

disease,

demons,

when the kingdom of heaven is dropped in the cup,

there’s no room for anything else.

So what has to go fleeing?

Sin.

death, disease, and demons

Jesus is found in the wilderness:

We view Jesus as an emperor who can’t be approached or like a Sonic Drive In

We either are too terrified to approach him,

or we have a whole menu of ideas of how we want him to spend his time.

Jesus is not an unapproachable God who has so much smoke rising up before his throne that you can’t even see him.

He’s as approachable as a lamb.

But we don’t tend to find him in the easy places.

He’s not a drive in restaurant where you don’t even have to move your lazy butt out of your car to get your fast food.

You won’t find Jesus there.

It is is precisely in the wilderness, when we feel separated from God and society that we find Christ right there with us.

And in our moment of desperation, when nothing else has worked,

we can say to Jesus,

If you are willing, you can make me clean.

You can make me whole.

You can restore me.

And THAT is when we hear Jesus’ response.

I am willing.

These two points are held together in tension.

The kingdom is here and displacing evil, but the wilderness is still a reality of following Jesus.

That’s why we have this wilderness meal.

New Covenant Passover meal takes on the features of manna.