Mark 1:21-45
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 wasted no time getting in the synagogue and begin teaching.
- Jesus taught as one who had authority.
- Jesus didn’t do things just because it’s the way they were always done.
- Jesus didn’t follow the synagogue’s rules.
- Jesus taught and spoke His way because He was in His house.
- Jesus didn’t have to answer to anyone, ask for permission, or get approval before teaching.
- What does this mean?
- Now things get interesting:
- Notice that the demon knows who Jesus is, “What have you to do with us Jesus of Nazareth?”
- The demon questions Jesus’ intentions, “Have you come to destroy us?”
- The demon then tried to show power over Jesus by saying, “I know who you are-the Holy One of God.”
- It was not yet time for Jesus to be revealed as the Messiah.
- This was an attempt to overshadow and cause conflict in the ministry of Jesus.
- A demon possessed man heckles Jesus.
- Jesus speaks and rebukes the demon saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”
- This shows the power of Jesus that points all the way back to the creation of the world.
- Jesus who is God spoke the world into existence…and then it was.
- Jesus has the power of God the Father because Jesus is God in the flesh.
- The demon at that time had no choice but to leave his host.
- The demon convulses and cries out and leave the man who was possessed.
- This gets people talking and they were amazed.
- When Jesus commands something or someone…it will happen.
- Jesus in fact had the authority because Jesus is the authority.
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.
- Simon Peters MIL received healing through Jesus.
- Instantaneous healing, “took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her”.
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.
- Sundown - this would have been about 6pm and would have signaled the end of the Sabbath so that people could begin seeking and going about without breaking the law.
- All people needing help were brought to Jesus for healing…
- Isaiah 53:4-5 “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
- Sick
- Demon possessed
- This description of Jesus as healer points back to Isaiah 53:4-5
- Jesus having full authority over mankind and the world, did what the pharisee’s could not do.
- Are they responding for the right reasons?
- This was a radical authority that Jesus was presenting.
- People were responding.
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. 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.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
- Jesus continues to go and minister to the sick, needy and oppressed/possessed.
40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.
- Jesus encounters this leper.
- “If you will, you can make me clean.”
- Jesus moved by the mans faith, touches him, and says “I will, be clean.”
- This is radical.
- Concerning leprosy
- examine them without touching them
- if found to have leprosy they would take the persons clothes, give them torn and tattered closing to wear, then burn the clothes they were wearing
- send them to live outside the camp (or city) to live.
- Those with leprosy were not touched in any way.
- The priests would:
- To become clean:
- The bird that was killed would have the blood sprinkled over the leper in question.
- On the seventh day he must again shave all the hair from his body and then he will be clean.
- On the eighth day he will take two lambs without blemish and one ewe lamb (1 yr. Old), a grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil and give those to the priest.
- The priest will then take those things and the man to be cleaned and put them at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
- The priest would kill the one of the lamb and the log of oil as a guilt offering and then wave them before them as a wave offering before the Lord.
- The priest would then kill the other lamb as a sin/burnt offering. Taking some of the blood of the burnt offering rubbing it on the right ear lobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the man needing to be cleaned.
- Then the priest would take some of the oil and dip his finger in it and sprinkle the oil seven times before the Lord and then take what was left on his finger and rub that on the man’s right ear lobe, right thumb, and right big toe on top of the guilt offering blood that was rubbed on him.
- The rest of the oil is then poured over the mans head.
- The priest then will then make atonement for the man before the Lord by making the sin offering, and the burnt offering before the Lord.
- Now the man is considered clean.
- This is only if you could afford what we just talked about. If you were poor there were similar but different rules.
- The priests had go outside the camp or city to examine the leper without touching.
- If the priest finds no more leprosy, then the priest would take two birds and kill one and set the free.
- Now pronounced clean by the priest the man can come into the camp but only after shaving his entire body, wash his clothes and himself in clean water.
- Even now being allowed to come into the camp the man must live outside his tent for seven days.
- But wait, there’s more…
- Concerning leprosy
- Jesus has broken several Jewish/Mosaic laws here.
- The lepers heart is in the right place and seeks true mercy.
Let’s look at what happened with Jesus one more time…
- 40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”
- Jesus commanded the man not to tell what happened but so that the man would be accepted back into the city to go to the priests and make the offerings that Moses commanded.
- The man could not contain his excitement and told everyone.
- Jesus was sought after even more.
Jesus did many miraculous things during His time…
- Turned water into wine
- Fed 5000+ with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish
- Fed 4000+ another time later
- Make a fig tree wither and die
- Made money appear in a fish’s mouth
- Walked on water
Jesus did miraculous healings during His ministry:
- Cast out demons
- Healed a lot of lepers
- Healed a man with a withered hand
- Made the blind see
- Mute speak
- Lame walk
- Jesus put a man’s ear back on his head after it had been cut off
- Raised a widow’s son from the dead
- Raise Jairus’s daughter from the dead
- Raised Lazarus from the dead
Jesus heals sins, loneliness, physical ailments, emotional wounds, and most of all hopelessness because we have a Savior who loved us enough to die for us.
