What Have You To Do With Us?

What Have You To Do With Us? Mark 1:21-28 NRSV This world is filled with promises and decisions. All of us have either heard or made promises that were never fulfilled. Promises we were sure we'd be able to keep, until something happened. Promises made to us that we knew either wouldn't occur or ended up hurting our feelings when they didn't happen. Politicians are good at making promises. And we've all listened to salesmen promising us the world by giving us their best sales pitch. My mom once ordered a Solar Powered Dryer, guaranteed to be the most cost-effective way to dry your clothes. Do you know what she got? A clothesline! Promises are made. Promises are broken. And because of life's repetition of broken promises, society has become increasingly suspicious of promises, and we must decide what we're going to do. One way we decide is we look for assurance. We're looking not just for promises but the fulfillment of those promises. Nobody likes getting clotheslined. Nobody likes being let down and hurt. Nobody likes hearing the same old thing without anything ever being acted upon. These are some of the feelings that Jesus walked into when he entered the synagogue. And the question asked in today's Scripture, "What have You to do with us?" can be answered in at least 3-ways: Christ's authority in His Word, Christ's authority over demons, and Christ's authority as Head of His church. Today's Scripture says, "They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, He entered the synagogue and taught." Capernaum was a fishing town on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. What's really neat is that archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of a synagogue dating from around the 2nd century. Under the floor of those ruins lie the remains of a black basalt stone floor of an earlier synagogue-perhaps the very floor on which Jesus frequently stood on to preach. Here's Jesus. He just called His first disciples to "Follow Me," which we learned about last Sunday, and now they've traveled to Capernaum, Jesus' home base, so-to-say. It's still very early in His public ministry, and Jesus, along with His disciples, enter the synagogue on the sabbath. Now, Jesus didn't go just to sit in a pew and hear another message; Jesus went to teach. So, picture yourself standing on the black floor inside that synagogue. You got there early, sat in your favorite seat, and are ready to praise "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Exodus 3:6; Matthew 22:32). But when the scrolls are opened, instead of the scribe teaching, it's someone new. And when Jesus taught, look what the Bible says happened, "They were astounded at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Now, not to bad mouth the scribe's lesson plan, but their teaching was based more upon their tradition. Think of it like this: If you were seated in that synagogue, a modern equivalent would be the frustration of having to call a customer service helpline. You have to navigate the automated menu: "Press 1 for billing, press 2 for accounts, press 3 for returns, press 4 for customer satisfaction." And if you actually can reach a real person, they never have the authority to fix your issue. The teachers of the law in Jesus' day resembled today's customer-service helplines. They lacked a personal response and were of little help when they taught. They taught the law, but then used the law as a weapon. And their authority lies more in their politics than in their polity. They delivered the dollars-and-sense of their religion, making sure they taught the very letter of the law while not even living up to it themselves. Christ's teaching, on the other hand, was exceedingly personal and spiritual. He taught judgment, mercy, and faith, and He did so with "authority." The word authority in Greek is exousia (ex-oo-see-ah), meaning "strength, freedom, power, jurisdiction," and, get this, "superhuman." Jesus is fully human, but His teaching was "superhuman" because He is also fully God. And because He is God, Jesus has the strength, freedom, power, and jurisdiction over all of creation! Christ taught with superhuman authority and made God's Word powerfully clear. And unlike the scribes and the teachers of the law, Jesus followed the authority of His words with the authority of His actions. Verse 23 says, "Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit." The words "Just then" conveys a surprise, something that happened all of a sudden. Now, early on in 2003, a very dangerous disease began to emerge. It's called "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" or SARS. Almost becoming a pandemic, symptoms of SARS included headache, fever, cough, and trouble breathing. People tried to contain its spread, but as easy as travel is these days, SARS quickly spread on airplane travel between countries. Back in Jesus' time, when someone was affected by a disease, disability, or demonic possession, they were labeled as "unclean" and had to live isolated lives outside of the community. They were marginalized and lived as social outcasts. These people were shunned and separated from everyone, including family. If they had to enter a town, just like the lepers we read about in the New Testament, they had to yell out "Unclean!" so everybody knew to stay away. They had to do this because the law in Leviticus 13:45 said, "Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!'" Separated, hurt, confused, with your self-worth being only a few dirty rags, these people were helpless to save themselves. Just how SARS, better known as COVID-19 today at first went unnoticed, the "man with an unclean spirit" entered the synagogue, and his affliction was unnoticed. If his condition had been noticed, that man wouldn't have made it too far in town, let alone inside a synagogue filled with scribes who lived their lives by staying away from anything they deemed as unclean. This demon was sneaky, and the man snuck in unnoticed. But once Jesus began teaching, the demon started shouting, "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." The demon rightly saw Jesus' authority as a threat to his destructive work in that man. But notice how this demon also said "us" twice, revealing that the entire evil realm knows who Jesus Christ is. Before anyone else in that synagogue knew about Jesus, the demons did. James 2:19 reminds us, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." When God is present and His Word proclaimed, the principalities and powers and rulers of darkness shudder with fear (Ephesians 6:12)! There's all sorts of evil in the world. Everyone was just having a good ol' synagogue service, and everyone was "amazed at Jesus' teaching," then evil showed up. Sometimes, it can feel like you just can't escape evil, doesn't it? I mean, you try to avoid it, and even come to church, but there it is, sneaking in, lurking in the shadows. Evil can look clean. It can offer promises that sound true or tempting. Evil can sneak into people's lives, it can fool others, and it causes separation. Like that unclean man, plenty of people hide something inside they don't want others to know about. They live as prisoners, hurting, confused, and separated from others. Evil is abundant, but God's grace is even more abundant! If something is plaguing you, no matter what it is, remember that nothing can remain hidden forever. Evil must listen to and obey Christ's authority, and when evil does, it shudders. So whatever you're struggling with, "What have You to do with us?" means you can be assured that God is bigger than your problems and Jesus Christ has the final authority to set you free. Christ's superhuman authority is seen when He casts out the demon-possessed man. Beginning in verse 25, Scripture says, "But Jesus rebuked him, saying, 'Be silent, and come out of him!' And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him." Jesus has the authority to cast out any demons in your life. We're all sinners, and as Isaiah 64:6 says, "all our righteousness are as filthy rags." Sin makes us unclean, and all of us were dirty and separated from God because of our sin. But Jesus came to you. He entered that synagogue of your life and spoke with authority. But did you listen? Did you watch? Jesus can clean you. He can make you pure by forgiving your sin if you confess your sin and recognize Jesus as "the Holy One of God." Placing faith in Christ means your filthy rags are gone. It means you're no longer separated. It means you're reconciled with God. Evil doesn't wanna let go without a fight, but God has already won the fight. Those hidden demons in your life are already defeated; they just don't want you to think so. That's where if you want to be set free, you must trust in God and read His Word because the new birth in Christ means a new life. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." He may flee "crying in a loud voice," but evil has no choice but to flee, because as Paul says Romans 6:14, "sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." "What have You to do with Us?" is believing the promises of Scripture because they are the Word of God Himself who has total authority over things seen and unseen and over all the evil forces in the world! But "Why did Jesus tell the demon to be quiet?" I believe there's 3 main reasons why Jesus hushed this loud spirit. First, by commanding the demon to "Be silent," Jesus proved His authority and power over evil. Second, Jesus wanted people to believe He was the promised Messiah by what He said and did, not by what the demons said. Third, Jesus wanted to reveal that He was the Messiah according to His timetable, not the demons. You see, Satan's great at lying and trying to make people lazy. If he can convince people to put off until tomorrow what could be done today, that just gives him one more day to keep you away from God. The devil doesn't care if you know about Christ, just as long as you don't KNOW Christ as Lord. After this amazing display of authority, verse 27 says, "They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, 'What is this? A new teaching - with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.'" "What is this!?" That's a question everyone must ask. One time, a little girl asked her father, "Daddy, do all fairy tales begin with, `Once Upon A Time?'" He replied, "No. There is a whole bunch of fairy tales that begin with, `If elected I promise.'" I'm sure some people walked outta the synagogue that day not believing Jesus was "The Holy One of God." But Jesus wasn't putting on a show to win a campaign. A promise is when someone makes a statement saying that they will or will not do something. Jesus' words and actions match, revealing that His promises are true. "What is this?" is not a new teaching, but the promised fulfillment of Christ the Messiah, the Savior, fulfilling the law, teaching about God's kingdom, shedding His blood, and dying for the forgiveness of our sin. It's freedom, grace, mercy, reconciliation, salvation, and promise. The promise that God's Word is truth and the assurance that God is love. "What have You to do with us?" means Christ's authority is the Head of His church. It means the church is always relevant because God's Word and Authority are for all people throughout all time. Christ is the head of His church; we are His Body. We worship a power and a presence that's greater than all that is broken around us and within us. Christ's authority conquers anything that could press us down by breaking the chains of oppression. Verse 28 said, "His fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee," because when you genuinely experience Christ, you'll want everyone to know about Him too! One day, a young man sat down next to his father and asked, "How do I become wise?" His father looked at him and said 2 words, "Good decisions." Hoping for a better answer, the young man pressed further and asked how he could make good decisions. His father smiled and said, "Experience." Still not satisfied, the young man asked how he could gain experience. His father said, "Bad decisions." Just like in that synagogue, everybody has to decide who Christ is. We're all pretty good at making bad decisions, but let us be wise when it comes to the biggest decision you'll ever be faced with, "What have You to do with us?" Remember, you can trust the promises of Jesus because of Christ's authority in His Word, Christ's authority over demons, and Christ's authority as Head of His Church. And if you're standing on the promises of God, then it means more than making a decision for Christ, because He asks you to walk and follow Him. AMEN 2