The Servant’s Authority (Mark 1:12–28)

We expect a servant to be under authority and to take orders, but God’s Servant exercises authority and gives orders—even to demons—and His orders are obeyed. In this section, Mark describes three scenes that reveal our Lord’s authority as the Servant of God.

I. Scene one—His temptation (vv. 12–13).

12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

A. The Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

This is a strong word that Mark used eleven times to describe the casting out of demons. It does not suggest that our Lord was either unwilling or afraid to face Satan. Rather, it is Mark’s way of showing the intensity of the experience.

No time was spent basking in the glory of the heavenly voice or the presence of the heavenly dove. The Servant had a task to perform and He immediately went to do it.

B. Mark presents us with two symbolic pictures.

Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness remind us of Israel’s forty years in the wilderness. Israel failed when they were tested, but our Lord succeeded victoriously. Having triumphed over the enemy, Jesus could now go forth and call a new people who would enter into their spiritual inheritance.

The first Adam was tested in a beautiful Garden and failed; but Jesus was tempted in a dangerous wilderness and won the victory. Adam lost his “dominion” over Creation because of his sin, but in Christ, that dominion has been restored for all who trust Him. Jesus was with the wild beasts and they did not harm Him. He gave a demonstration of that future time of peace and righteousness, when the Lord shall return and establish His kingdom. Indeed, He is a Servant with authority!

II. Scene two—His preaching (vv. 14–22).

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel. 16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. 21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

A. If ever a man spoke God’s truth with authority, it was Jesus Christ.

Our Lord’s message was the Gospel of the kingdom of God, or “the Gospel of God” as some texts read. No doubt most of the Jews read “political revolution” into the phrase “kingdom of God,” but that was not what Jesus had in mind at all. His kingdom has to do with His reign in the lives of His people; it is a spiritual realm and not a political organization.

The Gospel is called “the Gospel of God” because it comes from God and brings us to God. It is “the Gospel of the kingdom” because faith in the Saviour brings you into His kingdom. It is the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” because He is the heart of it; without His life, death, and resurrection, there would be no Good News. There is only one Gospel, and it centers in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

B. Jesus preached that people should repent and believe.

Repentance alone is not enough to save us, even though God expects believers to turn from their sins. We must also put positive faith in Jesus Christ and believe His promise of salvation. Repentance without faith could become remorse, and remorse can destroy people who carry a burden of guilt.

Because Jesus preached with authority, He was able to call men from their regular occupations and make them His disciples. Who else could interrupt four fishermen at their work and challenge them to leave their nets and follow Him?

It is likely that as many as seven of our Lord’s disciples were fishermen (John 21:1–3). Surely the good qualities of successful fishermen would make for success in the difficult ministry of winning lost souls: courage, the ability to work together, patience, energy, stamina, faith, and tenacity. Professional fishermen simply could not afford to be quitters or complainers!

C. Jesus ministered not only in the open air but also in the synagogues.

Wherever there were ten Jewish men above the age of twelve, a synagogue could be organized. The synagogue was not a place of sacrifice—that was done at the temple—but of reading the Scriptures, praying and worshiping God. The services were led, not by priests, but by laymen; and the ministry was supervised by a board of elders which was presided over by a “ruler”. It was customary to ask visiting rabbis to read the Scriptures and teach, which explains why Jesus had such freedom to minister in the synagogues.

You will discover as you read Mark’s Gospel that he delights in recording the emotional responses of people. The congregation in the synagogue was “astonished” at His teaching and “amazed” at His healing powers. You even find Mark recording our Lord’s amazement at the unbelief of the people in Nazareth.

III. Scene three—His command (vv. 23–28).

23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

A. How many synagogue services did that man attended without revealing that he was demonized.

It took the presence of the Son of God to expose the demon; and Jesus not only exposed him, but He also commanded him to keep quiet about His identity and to depart from the man. The Saviour did not want, nor did He need, the assistance of Satan and his army to tell people who He is.

The demon certainly knew exactly who Jesus is and that he had nothing in common with Him. The demon’s use of plural pronouns shows how closely he was identified with the man through whom he was speaking. The demon clearly identified Christ’s humanity (“Jesus of Nazareth”) as well as His deity (“the Holy One of God”). He also confessed great fear that Jesus might judge him and send him to the pit. There are people today just like this demonized man: in a religious meeting, able to tell who Jesus is, and even trembling with fear of judgment—yet lost! (see James 2:19)

B. The people in the synagogue were amazed and afraid.

They realized that something new had appeared on the scene—a new doctrine and a new power. Our Lord’s words and works must always go together (John 3:2). The people kept on talking about both, and the fame of Jesus began to spread.

Our Lord did not encourage this kind of public excitement lest it create problems with both the Jews and the Romans. The Jews would want to follow Him only because of His power to heal them, and the Romans would think He was a Jewish insurrectionist trying to overthrow the government. This explains why Jesus so often told people to keep quiet.