Back in school I used to be a bit of a bookworm and I loved action packed novels. They would draw me in and then I was stuck in them because they were so quickly paced. The story moved from one thing to another so quickly that I couldn’t put them down! This is what Mark is like in these opening chapters. We are propelled from one scene into another, getting different plot lines, different characters, and also seeing who Jesus is gradually revealed throughout the book. One of the greek words Mark uses to do this is ‘euthus’ which simply means ‘immediately’ and it is used 12 times in the first chapter alone! In today’s passage we are told that they went to Capernaum and immediately they went into the synagogue and Jesus began to teach.

Jesus’ teaching caused quite a stir in the synagogue because he taught differently to all the teachers before. The scribes and the teachers of the law taught simply by quoting other rabbis and not by their own authority. However, Jesus comes into the synagogue and teaches with his own authority and people were amazed. Although it wasn’t just people who were amazed, but a man with an impure spirit was stirred and cries out. What is amazing and almost ironic is that what he cries out is true. Jesus has come to defeat sin, death, and all that is evil, and he is the Holy One of God! But Jesus commands the spirit to be silent and come out of the man. The result? The spirit came out of the man and became silent.

In these few verses we are given an awesome picture of who Jesus is. He has authority to teach, and he has authority over the impure spirits. We also are given glimpses of the kingdom breaking into the world. Jesus’ teaching is made known, and all that is evil is being driven out. MC

Questions

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for the authority of Jesus, for his teaching, and for his authority over evil. Thank you that you are ultimately in control and that you have the final say. Help us to recognise this more and more in our lives. Amen.