Mark 1:21-34

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Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, 28th Edition Chapter 1

*21 Καὶ εἰσπορεύονται εἰς ⸀Καφαρναούμ· καὶ εὐθὺς τοῖς σάββασιν ⸂εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν ἐδίδασκεν⸃.* *22 καὶ ἐξεπλήσσοντο ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ·* ἦν γὰρ διδάσκων αὐτοὺς ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων καὶ οὐχ ὡς οἱ γραμματεῖς.*

*23 Καὶ °εὐθὺς ἦν ἐν τῇ συναγωγῇ αὐτῶν ἄνθρωπος ἐν πνεύματι ἀκαθάρτῳ καὶ ἀνέκραξεν 24 λέγων·* ⸆ τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί, Ἰησοῦ Ναζαρηνέ;* ἦλθες ἀπολέσαι ἡμᾶς; ⸀οἶδά σε τίς εἶ, ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ.* 25 καὶ ἐπετίμησεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ⸀λέγων· φιμώθητι καὶ ἔξελθε ⸂ἐξ αὐτοῦ⸃*. 26 ⸂καὶ σπαράξαν αὐτὸν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον καὶ ⸀φωνῆσαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ.⸃ 27 καὶ ἐθαμβήθησαν ἅπαντες ὥστε συζητεῖν ⸂πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς⸃ λέγοντας·* ⸄τί ἐστιν τοῦτο; διδαχὴ καινὴ κατʼ ἐξουσίαν·⸅ καὶ τοῖς πνεύμασιν τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις ἐπιτάσσει, καὶ ὑπακούουσιν αὐτῷ. 28 ⸂καὶ ἐξῆλθεν⸃ ἡ ἀκοὴ αὐτοῦ ⸄εὐθὺς πανταχοῦ⸅ εἰς ὅλην τὴν περίχωρον τῆς Γαλιλαίας.*

*29 ⸂Καὶ εὐθὺς ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς* ἐξελθόντες ἦλθον⸃ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν Σίμωνος καὶ Ἀνδρέου μετὰ Ἰακώβου καὶ Ἰωάννου.* 30 ἡ δὲ πενθερὰ Σίμωνος κατέκειτο πυρέσσουσα, καὶ εὐθὺς λέγουσιν αὐτῷ περὶ αὐτῆς.* 31 καὶ προσελθὼν ⸂ἤγειρεν αὐτὴν κρατήσας τῆς χειρός⸃⸆·* καὶ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὴν ὁ πυρετός ⸇, καὶ διηκόνει αὐτοῖς.

*32 Ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης, ὅτε ⸀ἔδυ ὁ ἥλιος, ἔφερον πρὸς αὐτὸν πάντας τοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας* ⸆ ⸋καὶ τοὺς δαιμονιζομένους⸌· *33 καὶ ⸂ἦν ὅλη ἡ πόλις ἐπισυνηγμένη πρὸς τὴν θύραν⸃. *34 καὶ ἐθεράπευσεν ⸂πολλοὺς κακῶς ἔχοντας ποικίλαις νόσοις⸃ ✽ καὶ ⸄δαιμόνια πολλὰ ἐξέβαλεν⸅ καὶ οὐκ ἤφιεν λαλεῖν τὰ δαιμόνια, ὅτι ᾔδεισαν ⸀αὐτόν.*

English Standard Version Chapter 1

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. 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. 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.

Jesus Heals Many

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 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.

32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

And they went into Capernaum...

We pick up Mark’s account in Capernaum, which is located on the northern coast of the sea of Galilee. Jesus enters the town with his new disciples, having just called them from their fishing boats; which were presumably within walking distance of the town.

Capernaum was a bustling fishing port and trading centre in the 1st century AD. It also had some importance politically since it stood on the boundary between the realm of Herod Antipas and his half brother Philip the Tetrarch who ruled in the north towards mount Hermon.

There is little left of the town today but you can still see the black basalt footings of houses, apartment blocks and other buildings that would once have been host to Jesus and His disciples.

There’s one building that is still half standing today, it’s a 4th century limestone synagogue, beautifully contructed. Under the 4th century synagogue are the footings of an older synagogue, undoutedly the very same one we’re reading about today.

Less than a stones throw from the synagogue there is a modern church building suspended above the ancient ruins of an apartment complex. The modern church is built above the footings of a house which at some point in the mid to late 1st century AD had been a church; archaeologists found 1st century Christian graffiti there in Latin, Greek and Aramaic. Later, a Byzantine church stood over the same spot. Archaeologists believe that beyond a reasonable doubt this was the house of Peter in which Jesus healed Peter’s mother in law.

The NT, as well as being the word of the living God is also an excellent witness to first century history.

immediately on the sabbath they entered the synagogue and was teaching...

Jesus enters the synagogue on the sabbath and begins teaching. Synagogues weren’t like churches, they were effectively local assembly halls where the scriptures were read and discussed by locals. A visiting prophet, or teacher could stand up in the synagogue and teach those assembled.

We read that His teaching astonished those who heard Him.

Mark doesn’t record what Jesus taught, he keeps Jesus in the cross hairs, it’s Him that we’re to pay attention to. Matthew and Luke’s gospels pay more attention to the teachings of Jesus than perhaps Mark does. Mark wants us to know who Jesus is through what He does.

There are many today who still miss what Mark wants us to see. They still want to focus on the teachings of Jesus and not on the man Himself. They miss the wood for the trees; that the purpose of those teachings was to point the hearers to Himself! It’s possible to know Jesus’s teachings and crucially not know Him.

He taught as one having authority and not as the scribes...

The word used here for authority is εξουσια

In Mark exousia occurs nine times, six with reference to Jesus (1:22, 27; 2:10; 11:28, 29, 33) and three with reference to authority conferred by Jesus on the apostles (3:15; 6:7; 13:34). Every instance of exousia therefore reflects either directly or indirectly the authority of Jesus. Mark’s use of this defining term at the outset of Jesus’ public ministry establishes his authority over the highest authorities in both the temporal realm, as represented by the scribes, and the supernatural authorities, as represented by the demon in 1:23 - James Edwards

His teaching was astonishing and it was authoritative. Christ’s teaching is contrasted with the teaching of the scribes; who were highly trained in the torah and the theologians of their day. Though perhaps their teaching was intelligent, precise and well presented it lacked in authority.

The scribes would often circle around a question of doctrine by quoting various Rabbi’s on the subject without really nailing their colours to the mast and landing on a conclusion. Jesus on the other hand taught the scriptures with absolute authority, exegeting them and preaching them perfectly since He had the right to do so! He was their author! However, the scribes, many not knowing who He was saw this as blasphemous! They were offended.

matt 11:5-6 - the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

There is nothing new under the sun. Many wonder how a 2000 year old book could possibly have relevance to our modern world in all of it’s technological glory. But under the bonnet nothing has changed; man is still as sinful as he was back in the 1st century AD, while he remains unregenerate he hates the things of God just the same as the scribes and pharisees did back then. Just as the theologians of Jesus’s day rejected Him so too do many modern, liberal theologians reject the Jesus of the Bible. His teaching is too certain for them, His words cut too cleanly for their liking. They demonstrate their hatred for Him by vandalising the scriptures; picking and choosing which particular bits of the Bible they think present ‘the true Jesus’ and rejecting those which they think don’t. Nearly always they want to dispense with the supernatural elements of Jesus’s ministry; which as we’re about to see is difficult to do since everywhere Jesus went supernatural occurences followed.

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit...

Though the modern secular world is sceptical of the existence of angels and demons the Bible is very clear; they exist and impact the world we live in.

Demons are mentioned in nineteen out of the twenty-seven New Testament books

The primary context in which demons are found in the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles is in relation to their negative and harmful effects on human beings. These include physical violence (e.g., Matt 8:28–33; Mark 5:2–5, Luke 4:34–36; Acts 8:7), muteness (Matt 9:32–33), blindness (Matt 12:22), torment (Matt 12:43–45; Luke 6:18; 11:24–26), and sickness (Acts 19:12).

In addition to these maladies, other conditions manifest themselves in those who are overtaken by demons or evil spirits. These include: self-destructive or isolating behaviors, insanity, sudden outbursts, convulsions, crying out, grinding teeth, foaming at the mouth, and becoming stiff (Matt 17:14–17; Mark 9:17–29; 5:1–20; Luke 9:39–43).

There’s no reason to believe that the impact of the demonic realm upon the world has lessened since the days of Jesus.

“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” - Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects 1995

This knowledge shouldn’t cause us to cower under the duvet for fear of encountering a demon, nor should we begin to believe that there’s a demon behind every sickness and evil in the world. But it certainly ought to keep us on our guard. Dark spiritual forces are at work in our world today just as they were then.

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.” ...

The demon knew who Jesus was.

Acts 19:15 - But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”

The questions about Jesus’ identity come from the human side (1:27; 2:7; 4:41; 6:2; 6:14–16), and the answers come, in part, from the demonic side (1:24; 1:34; 3:11; 5:7). The effect of the interplay between human questions and demonic answers reveals that the human participants do not yet understand Jesus’ identity, whereas the demons do, for they, as he, belong to the spiritual world. - James Edwards

The Bible tells us that demons have knowledge of persons. They knew Jesus, and they knew Paul. The demon here in Capernaum not only knew who Jesus was, he knew something of His destiny. This demon knew that it was this Jesus who was destined one day to cast them into the fiery lake forever; he feared maybe that moment was now!

He also calls Him the Holy One of God. A messianic title that doesn’t appear very often at all in scripture but interestingly it does pop up in Psalm 16:10 - For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

We learn, in the first place, from these verses, the uselessness of a mere intellectual knowledge of religion. Twice we are specially told that the unclean spirits knew our Lord. In one place it says, “they knew Him.” In another, the devil cries out, “I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God.” They knew Christ, when Scribes were ignorant of Him, and Pharisees would not acknowledge Him. And yet their knowledge was not unto salvation! - J.C Ryle

James 2:19 - You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

“The life of Christianity,” says Luther, “consists in possessive pronouns.” It is one thing to say “Christ is a Saviour.” It is quite another to say “He is my Saviour and my Lord.” The devil can say the first. The true Christian alone can say the second.* - JC Ryle

Can you say that He is your holy one?

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.

In the ancient world and not just in Judaea there were travelling exorcists. They would charge lots of money, use incantations and potions, even use crass surgical proceedures on occasion. But Jesus cast this demon out with a word; Shut up, and come out of him!

Matthew 12:27-29 - And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Those watching were amazed; they had witnessed a showdown between the powers of darkness and light and it wasn’t even close! Who was this?!

we learn through a variety of encounters (calls, exorcisms, healings, and travels) who Jesus is by what he does.

Jesus didn’t only overcome sin for us, He also defeated the powers of darkness as a man for us. Through His victory over the devil we have the victory also by faith!

. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Why didn’t Jesus want the demons to testify about Him? This seems confusing at first. Why wouldn’t Jesus want the truth about Him to come out? Two main reasons:

Jesus wanted people to know who He was by faith, not through the testimony of angels or demons.

He knew that many wanted a military messiah, someone who would lead an army against the Roman occupation. Jesus wasn’t going to be taken by force and made into their puppet leader, He was the true Messiah, the suffering servant of Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 53.

By faith...

Ultimately we know that despite these incredible signs and wonders many who were there that day didn’t go on to believe in Jesus.

Luke 10:13-15 - “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.

It’s easy to think that if only people could witness a healing or a miracle they would surely turn to Christ but the Bible shows again and again that that isn’t always the case. Many in Capernaum saw Jesus Himself perform miracles, healings, signs and wonders and still ended up denying Him.

This shows that faith isn’t a matter of evidence but is a matter of the heart. You can’t give yourself a believing heart, only God can do that. I can’t make you believe, only God can give you the power to believe on the name of His son. But I can invite you to believe, I can command you to believe. My prayer is that you wouldn’t follow the example of many of the scribes and pharisees in knowing much about Jesus but refusing to come to Him. Come to Jesus today, repent and believe.