Mark part 9…March 18, 2015
Chapter 1:29-34.
Title: A day in Jesus’ sandals.
I am sure you have heard the old saying I would hate to be in their shoes.
Or it takes a lot to fill that person’s shoes.
Tonight Mark shows us a day in the life of Jesus.
Verse 21 we are told that it is the Sabbath Day and Jesus and His disciples go to the synagogue
and Jesus being a teacher was asked to teach.
Anytime a person gets up to speak there are always responses given by the congregation.
Those responses range from people sitting on the edge of their seat with keen interest…
To others sleeping or playing with their phone…
Even the great Apostle Paul preached once and a man sitting in the window sill fell asleep
fell to the ground and died.
He had to stop in the middle of his sermon go raise the man from dead and bring him back in
pick up where he left off.
At times there may be seem like nothing is exciting in the pulpit but there is always something
exciting in the congregation.
It is said a preacher was preaching and there was a couple making out in the balcony…
So he stopped and pointed them out and said that man up there is making out with his girl and as
soon as he stops making out with her I am going to start.
He didn’t quite phrase that right but it definitely got the congregations attention.
I said all that because Mark loves to point out or record the responses of the people Jesus
spoke to.
Here in verse 22 he says they were astonished at His teaching…
In verse 27 they were amazed at His authority.
When it comes to authority there are at least three kinds…
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Inherited authority…such as a king, this comes by virtue of being born into a royal family.
Delegated authority…such as a president of a company, this comes by board of directors.
Achieved authority…such as a professor in a university, this comes by years of research,
preparation and experience.
Jesus had not only inherent authority but also Divine authority as He was the Son of the
source of authority.
That’s why the people were amazed at His teachings.
But not only does the congregation have responses to the message and the messenger…
The Messenger also responds to the congregation.
Mark even records one response of Jesus when he says Jesus was amazed at the unbelief of the
people in Nazareth.
It is important to understand that Jesus knew He was and He knew what authority He had.
But just because Jesus knew it doesn’t mean the people knew it.
He taught with authority and that was great but the people needed to know how much authority
He had.
One of the hardest things to do is tell and then convince someone what you can do.
We spend a lot of our lives sad to say proving ourselves.
It is so much easier when you don’t have to say it and someone that knows you says it for you.
The last time we were together in the study of Mark we saw where there was a man in the
congregation with an unclean spirit or demon.
As Jesus spoke the man cried out or the demon in the man cried out…
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.
Do you see what is happening?
The demon who knows Jesus and knows He has unlimited power tells the whole congregation
who Jesus is.
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The demon screams out that Jesus has the authority to destroy them.
I know who You are the Holy One of God.
The demon clearly identified Jesus’ humanity when he said Jesus of Nazareth.
The demon identified Jesus’ deity when he said The Holy One of God.
Of course the devil is a liar and a liar is not the best person to introduce you even if they tell the
truth who knows what to believe.
So Jesus rebuked him and said be quiet which literally means be muzzled and come out of him.
Another reason Jesus muzzled the demon was because Jesus knew it would create problems with
both the Jews and the Romans.
The Jews would want to follow Him because of His power to heal…
And the Romans would want to follow Him because they would think He was trying to
overthrow the government.
Jesus told the demon to be quiet Jesus also told people to keep quiet about who He was at least
seven different times.
They didn’t obey Him and it created major problems for Him.
When we get to verse 29 it is still the same day and after service Jesus is invited to go to
Peter and Andrew’s house for lunch.
This shows us when we leave service make sure we take Jesus home with us.
When they got to the house Peter’s mother in law was sick with a fever and they told Him
about her at once.
These guys knew what Jesus could do so they invited Him over.
Mark uses this as a way to translate Jesus’ authority for teaching into the power to heal.
Verse 31…So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up and immediately the fever left
her and she served them.
Fever refers to infection in her body and the body was fighting hard to fight the infection.
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Keep in mind Jesus has revealed His power over satan and over demons now Jesus reveals His
power over sickness.
Verse 30 says she was laying down which shows the severity of the fever.
Jesus came took her by the hand and lifted her up.
And immediately the fever left her.
Luke adds that Jesus rebuked the fever.
Just like Jesus told the demon to go out of the man…
Jesus told the fever to go out of the woman.
Go away fever…
Keep in mind Jesus is not dealing with the symptom He is dealing with the cause.
He is speaking to all the causes of why she is sick not just the symptom.
All the causes of the fever disappear.
For any who have had a bad fever you know how painful and uncomfortable it is.
And you also know that when a fever leaves it takes time to regain your strength.
Look at the words and she served them.
This means she got up went into the kitchen and prepared a full meal from scratch no
microwaves…
And she prepared a meal for four fishermen and Jesus and others in the house.
No weakness, no dizziness, no sweating, no struggling, all symptoms of the fever gone.
It was as if she had never been sick.
Jesus here shows His total sovereign power and control over the spiritual world and total
sovereign control over the physical world.
He commands and there is instant compliance.
After Jesus did this for her she got up and she served Him.
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Many might have said thank You Jesus…
But her actions were louder than her words she got up and served Him.
When the Lord does something miraculous for a person that person should serve Him with all
their heart.
But Mark continues and he shows us the results of the miracle…
Let me remind you this all the same day.
The miracle of Peter’s mother in law triggered a response…
Verse 32 At evening when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who
were demon possessed.
Verse 33 and the whole city was gathered together at the door.
When the sun had set they came.
Why did they wait until the last minute?
The reason was they could not carry anything or anyone on the Sabbath or while the sun was up.
They waited until sunset and then went through the city gathered up all the sick and the demon
possessed…
And they came to the door where Jesus was.
Imagine looking out the door and the seeing the whole city at your door.
There was a healing explosion that night that virtually banished disease from the city.
One little city in the world had no sick people at all.
This fulfilled Isaiah 53:4 He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.
Next time you think you’ve had a full day go back and read what a day was like for Jesus.
He never turned His back on anyone, He always had time or made time for people in need.
No one ever cared for us like Jesus.
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