Cosmic Authority Mark 1:21–28 (ESV)

Cosmic Authority

Mark 1:21–28 (ESV)

Capernaum

Capernaum was a small town on the upper northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, about two miles from where the Jordan flowed into the lake. This is at the northwest edge of the Sea of Galilee, at the top of the Sea of Galilee. It is a city that became the largest city on the lake because it was the crossroads. People went through this city going north and south and east and west. It had a Roman garrison because it was a potential area of crime because there was so much action, so much trade, so much travel traffic. It had a customs tax office as well.

Capernaum was a beautiful place, still is, but a very, very sinful place, far away from Jerusalem, far away from the quote/unquote “Holy Influences” of core Judaism on the fringes of a Gentile world. It was a very evil place. In fact, in Matthew 11 Jesus actually said that it would be better for Sodom in the day of judgment than Capernaum. The sins of Capernaum, vile sins, and the opportunity for Capernaum to be exposed to Christ gave them a greater responsibility. And that’s why it would be more tolerable for Sodom than Capernaum in the day of judgment, Matthew 11:23 and 24.

Capernaum became Jesus’ headquarters apparently during His Galilean ministry. It wasn’t Nazareth where He came from because you remember the first time He went to Nazareth, according to Luke 4, and preached in the synagogue, they tried to throw Him off a cliff.

The Synagogue

Those who visit Capernaum today can view the remains of a second-century synagogue which may well have been built on the sight of the original synagogue in which Jesus preached. Whatever the case, the congregation in Jesus’ day was made up of humble townsfolk: fishermen, merchants, craftsmen, laborers and their wives. They participated in the praisings, the blessings, the prayers, and the reading of the Law and Prophets while they eagerly awaited the expected sermon from the Nazarene who had been causing such a stir in the countryside. And they were not to be disappointed. The text says in verse 22 that they “were amazed at his teaching.” Literally the word means “to strike with panic or shock.”2 It means that his preaching struck them like a blow. Barclay renders it that they were left “thunderstruck.”3 Jesus’ preaching carried a powerful punch.[1]

The Preliminaries are Done

As we come to Mark 1 again, we come to verses 21–28, preliminaries are now done and Mark begins his actual account of the events of the ministry of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark begins with an amazing account of how Jesus overpowered a demon, This is one of many, many times and one of many statements about Jesus’ power to do that, that are made through the rest of the first chapter, on into the third chapter, on into the fifth chapter. All of this because

It is essential that if Christ is to come and establish His Kingdom, He must overpower the current ruler who is none other than Satan. He must have cosmic authority, authority that is beyond human authority, that is beyond this temporal world. He must have power that extends into the universe. He must have power over all the evil forces that exist in the universe. This is necessary if He is to rescue sinners from bondage to this evil power. And so, we find Mark telling us that Jesus has that power.[2]

“They went into Capernaum.” “And immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.

CHRIST’S AUTHORITY: HIS EXTRAORDINARY PREACHING

Mark 1:21–22 (ESV) 21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.

Jesus was the most truly passionate man in history because he believed more than any other in his message. He knew what was in the heart of man, and he knew the eternal issues that rest in moral choices. He was sublimely passionate, and this is why he was so supremely successful in his preaching of the gospel of repentance and belief. This is also why the four fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, and John) followed him to become fishers of men and so transcended their provincial world and became apostolic in heart and life.

He was so real, so true, so utterly, passionately sincere. But as important as these factors were, the text places the responsibility for his success on his logos, his word: “because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”

The scribes, who were largely Pharisees, were in bondage to quotation marks—they loved to quote the authorities. “Rabbi Hillel says … But on the other hand Gamaliel says.… Then there is Rabbi Eleazar’s testimony.… ” It was secondhand theology! Their labyrinthine, petty, legalistic distinctions were boring, with no spontaneity, no joy!

When Jesus spoke, it was just the opposite. There were few quotation marks. His style was, “You have heard that it was said.… But I tell you” (cf. Matthew 5:21, 22, 27, 28; 7:28, 29). He preached God’s Word, not about God’s Word. He explained the Law and the Prophets. He was clear and simple, as all great preachers of the Word have been (and are).

The Gospel of Mark 3. A New Teaching—With Authority. Ch. 1:21–28

Jesus’ word, presented with a sovereign authority which permitted neither debate nor theoretical reflection, confronted the congregation with the absolute claim of God upon their whole person. Jesus’ teaching recalled the categorical demand of the prophets rather than scribal tradition.

What a lesson to the four new fishers of men! To be sure, they did not sit down and analyze the situation in classical categories. But they learned by his example. They knew he was genuine. They knew he passionately cared. They saw how he handled God’s Word, preaching it clearly. As they ministered in the name and example of Christ they would experience miraculous power, for the Holy Spirit is pleased to use such messengers.

If we want to communicate in our walk and talk, God’s authority must be part of our life.

We need not so much to possess the message, but rather to let the message possess us. If we want people to see that it is real, we need to be passionate about it and speak the Word clearly. Then there will be power, authority, and life in the communication between son and daughter, between parent and child, between teacher and student, between employer and employee. [3]

CHRIST’S AUTHORITY: HIS MIRACULOUS POWER

Mark 1:23–26 (ESV) 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.

We do not know when the opposition came or who the opposer was, but as the people sat thunderstruck by Jesus’ teaching, “a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘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!’” (vv. 23, 24). The light of Jesus’ teaching was too much for the evil of a demonized life. Just as foul things scurry from the light when you lift a stone, evil spirits who love darkness recoil from the light. It is very possible to recognize Jesus for who he is and hate him all the more. This is what was happening here. This man wanted nothing to do with Christ. The demon’s shriek was full of malevolent aggression. His opening burst, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?,” was a common Old Testament formula which was roughly equivalent to, “You have no business with us yet!”5The evil spirit wanted Jesus to go away.

A demonized man completely under the sway of evil

I especially want us to see that this demonized man was completely under the sway of evil. His personality had been damaged to the point that the demonic spirit usurped the core of his self and even utilized his voice. Satan always tries to imitate God. Christ came to earth in human flesh and now dwells within us by the Spirit. Aping God, Satan fabricates incarnations through his spirits.

This man was lost, a kennel for the malevolent spirits of fallen angels. He was literally “in an unclean spirit” (v. 23, Greek). The moral nature of the unclean spirit fused with his, so that he was coarse, filthy, and base within. So fully was he under the command of evil that he renounced all interest in Christ, saying, “You have no business with me yet! Go away!” Moreover, his religious and cultural associations had done him no good. He was absolutely helpless. This does not mean he was as morally evil as he could be or as some who were not demonized (men and women are quite capable of the deepest evil all by themselves!), but that he was completely under Satan’s power.

“Have you come to destroy us?”

The next phrase, stated as a question (“Have you come to destroy us?”), was really a defiant assertion: “You have come to destroy us!”6 The demon realized the menace of Christ and cried with an instinctive expression of dread. He wanted Jesus to disappear, for he knew that Jesus would destroy him.

The first testimony in the gospel of Mark to the identity of Jesus comes from a demon. 1:24.

Note his dramatic, final cry: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (v. 24). Rather than being a submissive attempt to palliate Christ, this was a frantic attempt to bring the Lord under his power. We know this because the idea was widespread at that time that “the exact knowledge of the other’s name brought mastery or control over him.”7 This was an ill-informed attempt to control Christ.

What makes a demon cry out?

They scream because they’re terrified of Jesus. They scream because they’re panicked, because they know where they’re headed. They know about the Lake of Fire long before Jesus refers to it in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew 25:41. They know about the Lake of Fire and that they’re going there long before the Book of Revelation is written to describe it in chapter 20. They know about it because they know from the time they were thrown out of heaven where they are headed. They know their destruction is coming. They are terrified. They can’t resist screaming.[4]

The authority of His Word … the authority of His Word. It’s all about His cosmic authority. Here came Jesus teaching the truth … the truth which does damage to their kingdom. Apart from the truth, no one can be rescued from their clutches. He comes with authoritative teaching of the truth.[5]

The demons do not attack Jesus during His ministry, they attack souls of sinners.

They’ve always done that. They will always do that. They don’t attack Jesus. Jesus attacks them. Just by showing up, they panic. They are terrified.

They blow their cover. They can’t restrain their fear because while to us they are invisible, they know to Him they are not invisible. And when in His presence they are fully aware that He recognizes them and they must therefore scream because of the terror that grips their wicked souls. The demon in this man is a representative of the demon dread that exists in all demons when confronted by Jesus. So this is not an illustration of Jesus going through His ministry attacking demons. Demons are always there. They’re around now. They were around before. They will be around until the Lord comes and throws them all in the Lake of Fire at the end of the time of the Millennial Kingdom. But they’re always around but they don’t always blow their cover.[6]

If sinners therefore are to be liberated from satanic dominion, then the liberator must have power over that kingdom.

Can He? Can He tear, as it were, sinners out of the clutches of demons? Well according to 1 John 3:8, “The Son of Man appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. The Son of Man appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

The new King has to demonstrate His power to dethrone Satan, to rescue sinners from his power.

The need of the human race is twofold.

One, we need a sacrifice for our sin. We need a substitute who will pay the penalty for our sin so we don’t have to pay the penalty.

Two, we need someone who has the power to rescue us from the domain of Satan. And so our Lord Jesus left the divine realm and entered this world to be the sacrifice for our sins on the cross and to demonstrate His power to destroy the grip of Satan and demons and rescue sinners.[7]

“Be quiet!”

Christ had been challenged. Very likely there was stone-silence for a moment in that synagogue by the sea. Perhaps the lapping water could be heard. Then Jesus responded. “‘Be quiet!’ [literally, be muzzled] said Jesus sternly. ‘And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. (vv. 25, 26). The poor man was racked with violent convulsions before the horror-stricken congregation, and the demon departed with an inarticulate howling, having been forbidden to say another word. The hopeless man who had rolled before them in dust and despair rose to wholeness, joy, and peace.

Violent Confrontations

From this encounter we know without doubt that whenever the authority of Christ, the Son of God, is invoked in preaching or teaching, there is a violent confrontation with the evil spirits who possess men’s souls and rule their lives. This is what those who are opposing pornography and other moral evils of our day as contrary to the good news of Christ will reap in the days and years to come. The foul creatures under the stones do not like to be disturbed.

There is hope for the worst of us.

You (or someone you know) may have the hardest heart in the nation. To you and everyone else it appears impenetrable, irredeemable, impossible. Chances are if you have the hardest heart in the city it is a religious heart. You may have the proudest will—“a damned will” in the full sense of the word—bloodied, unbowed, unbroken, condemned. Since you were a young child you have never given in to anyone, not even your parents or your mate. Yet there is great hope for you! Christ can free you from the evil that has you in bondage.

CHRIST’S AUTHORITY: PEOPLE AMAZED AND ASTONISHED

Mark 1:27–28 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.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

The stark difference between the response of the demons to Jesus’ authority and the response of the people. His authority amazed the people. That is indicated in verse 22 and again in verse 27, “the people were amazed.” On the other hand, the demons were terrified. The people were amazed, the demons were terrified. The people wondered, the demons panicked.[8]

There had been no technique, no spells or incantations, no symbolic act. There had been only the word. There was no category familiar to them which explained the sovereign authority with which Jesus spoke and acted.

Their astonishment is reflected in the question, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.” The incident is generalized in their thinking from the single instance they have observed to the repeated instances they sense intuitively will take place. They do not fully understand who Jesus is or what his presence means, but they cannot evade the impression of having been confronted by a word invested with power to which there were no analogies in their experience. Here was a teaching qualitatively new in the authority with which it laid hold of men. And the people were alarmed.

The report concerning the enigmatic bearer of the authoritative word went forth at once into the surrounding region. The disturbance of men by God had begun.[9]

In the first half of the gospel of Mark, the only beings that are sure who Jesus is are the demons. They know Him. They have known Him since they were created by Him. They have known Him since they were dwelling in heaven as holy angels before they rebelled. They have known Him since they surrounded the throne, before Lucifer led them in their rebellion.[10]

What makes demons scream is the authority of Christ. It terrifies them. And it should terrify you, as well. It should terrify sinners the way it terrifies demons. The difference is, sinners don’t understand the reality of their doom … demons do. It’s not enough to be amazed by Jesus. The amazed people and the terrified demons will spend forever in the same Lake of Fire. Jesus doesn’t want your astonishment. He doesn’t want your amazement. He wants your fear. He wants you to fear Him as judge and then run to Him as Savior.[11]

What we learn from Christ’s action

His gospel of love and power is for all, even the least and the worst of us. Do you think yourself least likely? Know this: Jesus rejoices to change your life with a word. And he will if you will come to him. Will you?

The text considered in this chapter shows four new fishers of men under the authority of Christ. These four recruits saw the people thunderstruck at his teaching, “because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” As time progressed, they put this authority to use in their lives. Think of Peter at Pentecost! Think of his ethos, his pathos, and his logos. He preached in the authority of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and thousands were changed. These four recruits saw the demoniac healed and came to see that he was a symbol of the great things God would do through them.

We are the Church, the Body of Christ

By definition this has to do with those who have been indwelt by the Spirit of God. Our lives are to speak God’s Word authoritatively. Not only that, but as the Church of Christ we are to be involved in deliverance from sin. Christ calls his followers to minister in his authority.

Among our Lord’s final words were these: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20).

Jesus is with us! His authority rests with his Church! Let us possess and use it with humility and energy.[12]

2 2. G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, n.d.), p. 141. 3 3. William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1956), p. 25. [1]Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior (Vol. 1, p. 40). Crossway Books. [2]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [3]Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior (Vol. 1, p. 42). Crossway Books. 5 5. William L. Lane, The Gospel According To Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1975), p. 73. 6 6. Ibid. 7 7. Hugh Anderson, The Gospel of Mark(London: Oliphants, 1976), p. 91. [4]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [5]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [6]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [7]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [8]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [9]Lane, W. L. (1974). The Gospel of Mark (p. 76). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. [10]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [11]MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You. [12]Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior (Vol. 1, pp. 42–45). Crossway Books.