“Authority Like No Other” (Mark 1:21-45)
Where did the brokenness of this fallen world break in on you this week? Where
did you face pain? Where did you face disillusionment? Where and when did you
experience the effects of the fall?
Guys, maybe you looked at a women longer than you should have, and then you
rationalized the behavior and told yourself, “No, I wasn’t lusting after that woman,
I was just enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.”
Maybe you were overbearing with your co-workers, or you were overly
domineering with your wife, children, or friends, and you know went overboard
with your words and actions but then you rationalized that one away as well and
told yourself you were exercising God-given leadership abilities.
Maybe you were walking into a department store this past week and you saw a
young child with downs syndrome and you felt pity for that child. Or maybe as you
were shopping you saw a quadraplegic in a wheel chair and you asked yourself,
“Why does someone have to live a life like that?”
I was in seminary with a student that everyone referred to as “The Blind
Evangelist.” I’m sure you can guess why. Yes, he was blind, and he was also very
evangelistic. And you see that and ask, “God, why would you allow someone who
is so zealous for you to become blind? Why would you allow this to happen to
someone who wants to serve you?”
And on and on we could go, I’m sure. Well, this passage that we just read and that
we’re going to look at today, gives us five little stories that teach us one clear and
compelling truth: Not only did Jesus come to save our souls, but he will not relent
until every vestige of the fall is removed. Because, you see, in God’s kingdom, not
only is atonement made for our sins but every aspect of the fall is taken away. We
will be in a “perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord” (Lucado,
3:16, 110).
This is why we sing at Christmastime:
No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
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In this particular passage we learn who Jesus is by what he does. And interestingly
enough, many commentators have referred to verses 21-34 as “A Day in the Life of
Jesus,” because everything seems to take place in one twenty-four hour period.
Indeed, this would certainly count as a memorable day.
So, let’s look at these five scenes together this morning. In the first scene we come
to:
1. A Synagogue in Capernaum (vv. 21-28).
Mark tells us that this took place on the Sabbath and that Jesus was teaching, as
was customary in those days for itinerant rabbis. But Mark wants to focus our
attention on the reaction of the people: they were astonished because he taught
with authority, and not like the scribes, that is, the religious scholars of the day
who specifically trained in the interpretation and application of the Law of Moses.
How was Jesus didn’t from them? He was different in that his message didn’t
consist of a regurgitation of what other rabbis in past eras taught. If it were written
article, for example, we wouldn’t see Jesus’ essay filled with footnotes or a litany
of citations from contemporary theologians to support his arguments.1
So we see Jesus’ authority in his teaching. But that’s not all. At this synagogue in
Capernaum, we’re not told there was a man with an “unclean spirit” (V. 23). In the
NT an “unclean spirit” is interchangeable with a person possessed by a demon.
And Jesus’ first public appearance we find him going head-to-head with the power
structure of evil.
In V. 24 we find the demon crying out through man, “What have you to do with us,
Jesus of Nazareth?” Notice the plural, “us,” indicating that there’s a host of evil
forces possessing this man.2 “Have you come to destroy us?” Though it’s phrased
in the form of a question, it can also be a statement of fact: “You have come to
destroy us.” This is a no contest match. And they recognize who Jesus is: The Holy
one of God!
Are you keeping track here: Mark says Jesus is God (1:1); the Father agrees (1:11),
and the demons know it too!
1
R. C. Sproul, Mark, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary (Orlando: Reformation Trust, 2011), 25.
2
James R. Edwards, The Gospel According to Mark, PNTC (Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2002), 57.
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V. 25 – Jesus “rebuked” the demon, or “brought him into submission,” by saying,
Be silent. Or in contemporary language, “Shut up, not another word from you.
Come out of him!” What does this mean? Jesus told us in Matt. 12:28 - But if it is
by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come
upon you.
V. 26 – When Jesus commanded, the demon obeyed. He spoke the word and it was
done. He wasn’t behaving like a shaman. He didn’t have beads. He didn’t recite
incantations. He spoke.
And Mark tells us the reaction of the people in V. 27: And they were all [all is
emphasized] 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.”
This was a public demonstration of Jesus’ Messiahship. He shows us who’s boss. I
love the words of Robert Stein here: “Jesus not only proclaimed the arrival of the
kingdom but manifested its arrival by plundering the household of Satan.”3
Because people had never seen anything like this before, they spread the news, and
hence V. 28: Jesus’ fame spread. But unlike others, Jesus doesn’t bask in the fame.
Instead, he moves on. He moves on to a fisherman’s house, a fisherman by the
name of Simon (AKA, Peter).
2. A Fisherman’s House (vv. 29-31).
And so beginning in V. 29 we find Jesus heading out to Peter’s mother-in-law’s
house. We’re told in V. 30 that she was ill with a fever. For us, this probably seems
fairly minor, but we should know that the rabbis at this time taught that fevers were
a result of God’s punishment or demon possession.
So what happens next? V. 31: And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her
up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. NO magic spells, no
incantations, he just lifts her up and she is instantaneously healed. It’s immediate.
Now remember what he heard just prior to this. Jesus doesn’t bask in the fame; he
goes to his friend’s house and heals his mother who is ill. What do these stories tell
us about Jesus? Yes, they are unmistakable indicators that he’s the Messiah. But
3
Robert H. Stein, Mark, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 90.
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they us that our Lord cares about how the effects of the fall have brought
brokenness into our lives.
Why is this important to you? It’s important because this is the world you and I
live in. And the brokenness of this world invades your life every day. Whether it’s
a sore body, a broken family, a broken marriage, a strained friendship, a fight at
work, or the death of a loved one. You live in this world. And whenever you’re
confronted with the fallenness of this world, this passage teaches us to say with
confidence, “My God cares!” Every effect of the fall will be conquered.
When the prophet Isaiah pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of the new
world in ch. 33, he says, “You will see the King in his beauty; you will see the new
Jerusalem; he says it’s an “untroubled habitation” (V. 20), and no one will ever say
there, “I am sick” (V. 24). Do you look forward to that day?
Well, the compassion that Jesus showed to Peter’s mother is now extended to the
crowds.
3. The Crowd Finds Christ (vv. 32-34).
V. 32 – People waited until the Sabbath was over to bring their sick to Jesus. And
then notice what V. 33 says: And the whole city was gathered together at the door.
Can you imagine what this scene must have looked like? Imagine all of those
broken bodies; all those oppressed people. All of the suffering, all of the pain. I’m
sure none of us would have wanted to see this. It would have been all too
depressing.
But it’s at this moment that an issue must be addressed, because it’s going to be
important for us to remember as we study this passage and as you read the Bible on
your own: What is the motivation of this crowd? We have to answer this question
or else we won’t understand what Jesus does next.
Well, notice this: There is no evidence that this crowd is running to Jesus because
they want him to be their Messiah. We don’t see that they want to worship Jesus;
that they want to submit to his Lordship. They don’t seem to be excited about the
fact that Jesus is the Messiah, or excited about his message—Repent and believe—
they’re excited about MIRACLES!
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Now, please hear me: Needs aren’t bad; we all have them. But if the only reason
we come to Jesus is to have our physical needs met or because we want relief from
whatever we’re experiencing, then we need to evaluate what it is we’re really after.
As long as your cry for relief is louder than your cry for personal change, you will
not experience true, personal transformation.
You see, Jesus is not going to be used as a tool to get you what you really want. As
John Piper put it, “God will not be used as currency for the purchase of idols.”4
Maybe this is a good time to ask this question: What is it that you really want from
Jesus? And do you realize your deep need for him?
Even though there’s nothing in the text that says the people’s motives were pure,
V. 34 lets us know: And he healed many [which is Hebraic way of saying, “the
whole community5”] who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many
demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
After a busy evening of healing and ministry, we see that . . .
4. The King Withdraws (vv. 35-39).
V. 35 - And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed
and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. With all of the miraculous
healings taking place, it’s easy for us to forget that Jesus is fully human. And we
see that here. We know from other places in the NT that Jesus got thirsty, that he
got hungry, that he got tired. He experienced life in this fallen world. He was
dependent upon his Father.
While this is certainly a great example for us, not everyone was happy about it.
Look at V. 36 - And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and
they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” The word
“searched” there in V. 36 carries with it the idea of a manhunt. I mean, they are
trying track Jesus down.
And although we can’t hear Peter’s tone in V. 37, we should understand that Peter
is annoyed. This is a rebuke. Peter’s asking, “Where have you been? You don’t
have time to pray right now. Your fame is spreading; we need to be priming the
pump here. Things are starting to role.
4
John Piper, Pierced by the Word: Thirty-One Meditations for Your Soul (Sisters: Multnomah, 2003), 18.
5
Edwards, Mark, 61.
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V. 38 – Stunningly, Jesus says, “Let’s go somewhere else.” His words
communicate that “these people are so caught up in my power that they don’t want
to hear my word. My basic message is “Repent and believe.”
These people wanted more healings. Repentance doesn’t seem to be in their sights.
Danny Akin writes, “Like so many today, they wanted a Jesus of their liking, a
Jesus who would perform miracles and fit into their agenda.”6
Jesus is revealing to us what’s important to him: Yes, he will heal; yes, he will cast
out demons; yes, he will give sight to the blind; yes, unstop deaf ears. Yes, he can
perform miracles. But what drives Jesus is deeper than all of these things.
What really bothers Jesus is the sin in people’s lives.
So what does that mean for you and me? We are to be compassionate people. Yes,
we should care about justice and mercy. We should care about the poor. But I do
think we need to realize that we will not transform our world by doing random acts
of kindness. That won’t bring God’s shalom into this world. Only the gospel can
do that. Do you believe that?
Do you love the gospel? Does it motivate you? The gospel should motivate us in
all these areas because the gospel has cosmic implications because it tells us that
our crucified king will not relent until all traces of the fall have been vanquished.
V. 39 summarizes what he did: And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in
their synagogues and casting out demons. He proclaimed the kingdom in word,
calling the people to repentance and faith, and demonstrated it by plundering
Satan’s household.
5. A Healed Leper Disobeys (vv. 40-45).
To appreciate this we must see that this is a highly offensive encounter.7
Leprosy (known today as Hansen’s Disease) was a widespread disease in Palestine.
Not only were there instructions on how to deal with this Leviticus, but the Jewish
commentary on the Law of Moses, known as the Mishnah, gives lots of attention to
this as well. We know that Leprosy is a skin disease, but the term can cover a host
of other skin diseases, like boils (Lev. 13:18), burns (V. 24), itches, ringworm, and
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7
Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Mark, Christ-Centered Exposition (Nashville: B&H, 2014), 35.
Edwards, Mark, 68.
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scalp conditions. All told, scribes could 72 different afflictions regarded as
leprosy.8
This disease, too, was considered divine punishment. In other words, to be a leper
was to be the ultimate pariah. As Danny Akin puts it, “A leper was a man whom
the culture considered an outcast, the law judged unclean, and the people deemed
cursed by God.”9
Because it was contagious, Lev. 13:44-45 required individuals to announce their
uncleanness to others. You had to stand fifty paces from other people. You had to
live alone. You lost your health, your job, your family, your friends, and were
banned from worship. It’s no wonder that the Jewish historian writing at that time
in history said that lepers were “in no way different from a corpse.” And to make
matters worse, there was no known cure.
In his desperation, he RUNS to Jesus. He breaks the Law. Note something about
this individual. Notice that he says to Jesus, “If you will . . .” He doesn’t question
Jesus’ ability; only his willingness. His words and longing are profoundly human.
More often than not, it’s not God’s ability that we question; but only his
willingness. As one writer put it, “It is sometimes easier to believe in God’s power
than in his mercy.”10
V. 41 – “Moved with pity” - Or anger. Not angry at the man, but filled with
righteous indignation because of the ravages of the fallen world. One commentator
proposes that the word be translated “Angry sympathy.” Jesus is infuriated at what
sin has done to his creation. Listen, our Savior cares about ALL the effects of the
fall.
Jesus heals him – “Unlike an ordinary rabbi, Jesus is not polluted by the leper’s
disease; rather, the leper is cleansed and healed by Jesus’ contagious holiness.”11
I think we would miss something that this passage teaches us if I failed to mention
this point: All of us here this morning are spiritual lepers. Sin disfigures our hearts,
8
Ibid., 72.
9
Akin, Mark, 36.
Walter W. Wessel, “Mark,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 630.
11
Edwards, Mark, 69.
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our thoughts, and our actions. And we cannot cure ourselves. And sin brings death.
And only Christ can cleanse us. And it requires the touch of his grace. We must
rest in his cleansing blood. This passage picture his grace, and it shows us that our
savior doesn’t stand far away. He comes close to us and touches us.
After this, you see that Jesus gives this man two crystal clear commands.
1. Don’t tell anyone.
2. Keep the Levitical Law.
V. 43 – Jesus veiled his messianic identity to preserve it from misunderstanding
and false responses. He’s not keeping his power a secret, but keeping his focus
central. He will not just be a healer. V. 44 – “See that you say nothing” – Because
people misunderstood Jesus mission. He wasn’t a divine vending machine; he
wasn’t a political messiah; he came to be the suffering servant. And listen, Jesus
doesn’t want people who merely seek miracles. He wants followers who seek him.
Jesus knows that people are always drawn to the sensational, but Jesus wants his
followers who are solely committed to him. He wants people who come to him to
get HIM!
In compliance with the Mosaic Law (Lev. 14:1), Jesus charges the healed man to
show himself to the priest (Lev. 13:49). This also shows that he’s no “law
breaker.”12
And what we see next is, in my view, absolutely shocking. Note V. 45 - But he
went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news.
He is immediately disobedient. Jesus had just healed him! And he does exactly
what Christ, the Messiah, asked him not to. I heard a seminary professor say once,
“One of the main reasons I believe what the Bible says about the fall of mankind is
the inability of people to follow simple directions.”
Is that not what we see here? I mean, this is a transgression—knowingly stepping
over God’s boundaries.
Rikk E. Watts, “Mark,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, eds. G. K.
Beale and D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007), 130.
12
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Hear me very carefully friends: This is our heart. This is who we are by nature. We
are rebels who would rather have our way, tell our story, and build our own little
kingdoms, rather than honor God’s Word.
Our hope is only in Christ’s cleansing blood, the great crucified king.
And there is no hope for us but the mercy of Christ. Do you run to him?
Jesus has authority like no other: Moses never healed someone by touching them;
Elisha refrained from physical contact with Naaman, and the priests could only
pronounce on the cure. But Jesus’ word and touch effected healing immediately.
The Messianic Age is here!
We get a preview of Rev. 21:4-5: 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death
shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former
things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all
things new.”
God cares about our problems in this fallen, sin-infested world. God knows that we
hurt and that sin is a constant reminder of our finitude. God has remedied our
hopeless condition by sending Jesus. Just like the diseased and demonized, we
should run to him and him alone.
© 2015 Calvary Baptist Church.
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