Mark 1:21-45
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
A man with leprosy [various diseases affecting the skin] came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus was indignant. [Many manuscripts Jesus was filled with compassion] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
We are 20 verses into Mark's story of Jesus.
- The Kingdom of God has been announced
- Jesus has called some followers.
Now, in this longer section - it's actually four sections or pericopes - three are healing and/or the demonic.
It's the sabbath and Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. As he is doing this a man man who is possessed by an impure spirit [we often call this a demon], approaches Jesus and cries out
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
- Jesus silences him, without any dramatics.
- And then, right after this, he goes to the home of Simon and Andrew and heals Simon's mother-in-law.
- That evening many people are brought to Jesus to be healed and set free from demons.
- Early the next morning Jesus goes off by himself to pray.
- Then Jesus and his disciples begin to travel throughout Galilee, where he taught in the synagogues and cast out many demons.
- The chapter ends with Jesus healing a leper
There's a lot happening in a few short verses.
Mark, wants us to know that people are astounded; he uses two different Greek words to communicate this.
- v22 ekplēssō - astonished
- v27 thambeō - amazed
Jesus constantly filled people with a mixture of wonder, awe and fear at what He said and did.
Mark is not just telling us the “what”. He is trying to get us to understand the “why”—the meaning of the event. What would it mean, for someone claiming to be “the Christ”, to be in a synagogue, teaching with authority, being confronted by a demon, and then actually dispatching the demon? At minimum, it means that this man has power. The people of Mark’s day “got it”. But there is more. Mark is telling us that Jesus (this Christ, this beloved Son of God v11), by his very presence, causes the battle to show itself.
In a previous post I said that Jesus calls people as they are. He has no prerequisites. He asks that they follow, inviting them to learn what that means along the way.
Demons and demonic forces are actively trying to keep the man they possess, from Jesus. This is real. Evil seeks to keep people from Jesus.
Verse 41 is a difficult verse to understand
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus was indignant. [Jesus was filled with compassion] He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
- some translations say "Jesus was indignant"
- others "Jesus was filled with compassion"
- or "Jesus, having mercy on him"
- the Greek word is "splanchnizomai"
Those are quite the different emotions.
We have hundreds of manuscripts of Mark, and the other New Testament writings, and it is amazing how they almost completely agree. This is one of those areas where they don't.
[ASIDE] The field of study that examines all the details of these documents is called “textual criticism”. Criticism not in the negative sense, but rather in the academic sense.
So here's the question:
- Was Jesus angry,
- and if he was, what is he angry at?
I don’t believe He was angry at the man asking for help. This man shows faith in Jesus. He does not say “if you can”, He says, “if you are willing”.
That is a huge difference. This man believes Jesus has the power to heal. It is a question of will Jesus use his power on someone that is on the “low rung” of society — a leper.
Jesus, of course, heals him. Jesus heals people, not to show his power, but because of his compassion.
I think it is fully possible that Jesus is angry AND compassionate. It makes sense that he is angry. He feels this man’s distress deeply. I think that Jesus was angry that God’s very good, perfect creation, this image bearer of God, had been so contaminated by the sin that had entered the world.
Jesus, early in His ministry, gets an up-close, personal encounter with someone who needs to be restored. Moved with compassion, He touches the man — unheard of for someone with this disease.
As people, we are formed by our experiences. Fully human Jesus was being formed by this experience, formed for the ultimate moment when he will go to the Cross, to defeat the forces of sin which have wrecked havoc on his very good creation.
Jesus did that for this leper. Jesus does that for you and me.
Comments