Mark 1:27 - Want Revival? Accept God's Authority

The Verse

Mark 1:27 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." (NIV)


My Paraphrase

Compelled by amazement, the people asked each other, "What just happened? Is this a new teaching that actually holds water? He even has authority over demons!


My Thoughts

I like that the text says, "The people were so amazed that they asked each other." In other words, their amazement spurred on an ensuing discussion. In other other words, this was a tough crowd. I imagine these men as self-proclaimed intellectuals that didn't just buy the first thing that was thrown at them (and probably not the second, third, or fourth either). However, after an amazing event like this, they needed to vent and debrief each other. "Did you see that?" "What just happened?" Whereas perhaps a more Spirit-driven (and some would term: simpler and more ignorant) synagogue would have been amazed and praised God and skipped the discussion.

(This is not to say skepticism is without merit. I just mean that there is a chasm of difference between a skepticism fueled by the Holy Spirit and one that is complacent and arrogant.)

But what caused this intellectual complacency? Simply: They were used to hearing watered-down, lackluster reading and teaching. They were the congregation who would come to church out of obligation, or need for a social life, and sit self-righteously in their seats while demonized men ran rampant in their midst. No one ever did anything about the demons because no one ever felt it was within his/her wheelhouse. No one was was empowered because the teaching they received was bland and non-compelling. This sounds so much like churches today, it makes me sick. How many congregations are told that the miracles of the Spirit were only for "then" and not now? How many church members reduce the Holy Spirit to a glorified Jiminy Cricket and that believing He is more than that is a direct ticket to Crazy Town? How many of them are taught to be so skeptical when they hear of modern miracles that they end up robbing themselves and others of blessing and testimony? This synagogue was clearly suffering from the same lies because they obviously hadn't done a thing to fix their supernatural problems. . .Yet--and here's the kicker--they were actually living right in the middle of the biggest "then" that there ever was! That should tell us something. I've heard so many atheists and non-believers with the argument "Well, I'd believe in God if He actually came to earth and physically talked to me." Is that really all it would take? Because, guess what, He already did that and people still chose not to believe in Him! Which should show us, logically, that the problem doesn't lie within God manifesting Himself or not, but within humanity who either chooses to accept or reject the manifestation! 

It's called free will, People. 

So this congregation, who under normal circumstances would have been silent (and probably asleep from boredom), saw this miracle and were revived and awakened to the point of dialoguing and asking each other about Christ. (I've been, granted, pretty hard on these people in this post so far, so I'll let up on them now. I don't mean to dismiss the fact that they were talking about God, and talking about God is great.) This was new for them. This was good for them. They hadn't done this before. They were finally witnessing something in church that warranted an after-party of discussion. 

Jesus got them talking.

And this, Class, is the truest definition of revival. Christ's authority compelled what was formerly dead to come to life--instantly. Shaking the foundations of mere belief and reforming it into the structure of true faith. This is what repentance looks like: A change of mind. Their minds were changing from the obligation and rules of their current Scriptural interpretations into the freedom and live-giving power of which the Scriptures had been speaking all along. 

A man had been freed from possession, but revival was the bonus miracle.



They asked each other, "Is this a new teaching?" According to Solomon, there is nothing new under the sun. However, it wasn't the concept but the perspective that was brand-spanking new to them. They had heard of demons being cast out many times in the stories of old. However, what they didn't realize was that casting out demons was a power that any person with faith in God could have. Apparently, a lie had been perpetuated and believed that either none of them could actually cast out demons--so no one ever tried--or that only a select few past prophets could have done it, and that's it. God was closed for business otherwise. 

With that in mind, do you see how absolutely mindblowingly revolutionary this event was now for these people? When a lowly carpenter's Son, and Friend of working-class fishermen--a Nobody among nobodies--came along, he not only taught but performed this exorcism with all the authority of God Himself? 

I mean. . .I'd be talking too. . .In fact, I am! Ha!



Looking back at verse 22, we see that the people were initially amazed at His teaching authority, but what sets them over the edge, to the point of discussing it all, is this verse 27. "He even gives orders to impure spirits." In other words, He is a great public speaker, but much more than that--His speaking commands demons. 

This should encourage all preachers and teachers of the Word. Your message can have ultimate authority. When you put aside your own agenda-driven ego and pick up God's Authority, you will become a force to be reckoned with. Notice too, if you really want revival in your church: It's not the pyrotechnics of the exorcism that spurred revival; it was the authority by which Christ did these things. Authoritative messages stir up revival. Authoritative sermons bind the enemy. Authoritative messages change the face of history.

Mark 1:24 - The Stupidity of Hell (A One Act)

The Verse

Mark 1:24 “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”


My Paraphrase

"What are you going to do to us, Jesus?  Will You destroy us?  I know you're God's Chosen One!"


My Thoughts

(If you are just tuning in, I am doing a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Mark, and it helps me to think when I reword the verse. I'm not suggesting that my paraphrase is Scripture or anything. It's a little Bible study tactic I learned from a Priscilla Shirer simulcast.)


 So many things in this verse and where to begin. . .


So first of all, whenever I have read this verse in the past, I tended to read it as though the demon had all the information that we do today. (Just like how I used to read the temptations of Jesus as though Satan actually knew with Whom he was dealing in verses 12-13. . .You know what? Go here if you don't know what I'm talking about.), so I used to think that maybe the demon was being sarcastic like how Goliath was all, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with a stick?" (I Sam. 17:43)  Like. . ."Is this tiny person supposed to scare me?  I'm so much scarier!  Bwahahaha!"  


When I was little, I used to be really scared of demons, so I think that now--even as an adult--I have just given them too much credit.  Honestly, I think the demon in this verse was just going on whatever information Satan was able to give him from his "Temptation of Jesus." 

Which, honestly, was not much.  During "The Temptation," Jesus hadn't done any miracles.  He hadn't tried to fight.  He hadn't tried to prove Himself.  All He had done was to withstand temptation--which, granted, had exceeded most Old Testament men's decisions (Think: David and Bathsheba, Noah and his daughters, King Saul and. . .everybody....*cough*) 


So here's how it probably went down: Satan tempts Jesus.  Jesus withstands temptation.  Satan concludes, "This Guy must be at least a prophet--and a good one at that. . .But is He that blasted "M" word?. . ."  Remember, it's the Messiah that he has been trying to thwart all the way since the Garden of Eden, so any prophet up to this point has been fair game.  (Talk about being a nervous wreck!  Satan has known this Messiah to be his undoing for millennia!)  

So, anyway, Satan gathers his minions (Like. . .the actual definition of the word.  Not the adorable one-eyed yellow rip-offs of the Aliens in Toy Story. . .). Satan tells them, "Okay, Guys. This Man needs constant surveillance--I couldn't even crack Him!"

Obligatory gasps.  

"What in bleepity-bleep is Yahweh up to???"  Satan notices one demon in the crowd that didn't gasp.  He's too busy playing Words with Enemies on his cleverphone.  

"You!"

All hell is silent as all eyes fall on this demon.  His buddy next to him nudges him.  He shoots his buddy a look of death and then realizes the situation.  He is mortified.  His cleverphone zips out of his hand and up onstage onto Satan's podium.

Satan looks at the phone, holds up his fist to smash it, stops at the last second, and then starts speaking. . .patiently, yet through his teeth, "Since you obviously have a lot of time on your hands, you will go to that synagogue, and when this Jesus starts preaching, I want you to FINISH HIM!"

The demon whines, "But, Sire!  It's not fair!  I'm only second level!  I haven't even been given grave wandering rights yet, let alone execution ones!"

Satan, hot with (self-) righteous anger, yells, "Oh my...G-Gog and Magog!!!" grabs a lightning bolt from his stack, and is about to hurl it at the demon.  Just then, the guy on Satan's left taps his shoulder, whispers in his ear, Satan turns to listen, after two seconds pushes him away, looks back at the demon in question, and waves his hand. "Okay, so.  Whatever.  Avada-Kedavra! Boom! You have them now, Okay?"

Another frantic tap to Satan's shoulder.  More whispering.  Lots of pointing and "No"-nodding and hands making an "X" like, "Not the best idea with this one. . ."  Satan looks perplexed, smacks his forehead, and whispers under his breath, ". . .So hard to find good help these. . .ever. . ."  He looks up realizing he said that into the microphone.  To the crowd he says, "Just another perk of running hell.  Am I right?"

The crowd laughs nervously, thankful for a little tension release.  

Satan turns back to the demon with feigned composure, "Can you. . .inhabit?'

The demon says, "Yes."  Buddy nudges him again. "...Sir!"

"Can you intimidate?" 

"Probably. . .Like. . ." The demon furrows his brow stupidly, "That means yell, right?"

Satan rolls his eyes, "Yes. . .Yell!. . .Wave the guy's arms!  Froth at the mouth!  The regular routine!"  Satan grabs the podium with both hands trying to restrain anger, "I mean...anti-Christ!  Do I have to spell it out for you???  Just get him to reveal His plan!. . .If you can, do the--" Just then a thought pops into his head and he begins pacing onstage as he brainstorms,  "Here!  I know what to do!--I can't believe I didn't think of this before!  When I had my one-on-one with Him, I kept qualifying His title with an 'if,' as in, 'if you are the Son of God,' and that didn't work, because it was too easy to brush off!  It wasn't in-your-face enough!"  Satan stops pacing, looks at the demon, and starts wagging his finger, "What you need to do is look Him right in the face and, as eloquently as you can, get him to divulge His secrets!"   

"But how--" Nudge. "--Sir?"

At this point, Satan ignores the demon's ineptitude because he is so excited with his super intelligent plot, "Try calling Him. . ." He puts a hand to his chin and then releases it, "The Messiah!--No, no, that's not grandiose enough. . .Try, 'The. . .The Holy One of God'!--Yes!!!--and see where that gets you!"  Satan claps for emphasis and then crosses his arms, standing tall,  "If you puff Him full of smoke and flattery, maybe that will trip Him up!"

The demon slowly repeats the words, calculating how they feel in his mouth, "The. . .Ho-o-oly Wu-u-un of G--"

Satan interrupts, "--But remember!  Be eloquent!. . .Remember what you learned in 'Inhabiting an Atheist Professor' class!"

The demon looks a little confused, but says "Uh.  Okay. . .Right. . .Yeah."  Then, his face changes to spoiled boredom and he says indignantly, "I can do it.  Okay?  Whatever.  Can I have my cleverphone back now?"

Satan lifts his fist upward and shakes it as he yells, "Intertestiment-tennials!!!"

---------------------------------------

So the demon leaves, finds someone easily inhabitable in the synagogue, and finally the big day comes.  He's confident.  He's rehearsed his speech a thousand times. . .or at least twice.  He has bullet points.  He has rebuttals.  He even has pauses for laughter.  The whole shebang.  So he gets his guy to sit down in the midst of the crowd.  He's ready.  He's golden.  Then Jesus comes in.  All of a sudden the demon is struck with a strange overwhelm.  His guy's heart rate goes up.  Just be cool, he whispers to them both inside his guy's head.  Jesus starts preaching.  But His words are like nothing he, or his guy, have ever heard before.  Such authority.  Such amazing grace.  So. . .truthful.  All of a sudden, the demon starts losing his bullet points. . .Wait.  What was point one?  Was it, "How can there be a loving God if there is pain and suff--?. . .Errrrrr was that point two?. . .Was it. . .Wait. . .Evah. . .No. .. Evo. . .lu-tion?--No, no no! That one doesn't come for another 1800 years!!  His guy's palms start to drip from sweat.  Wait. . .What's my name again?. . .Not your name, Stupid! Mine!  Just then Jesus looks right at him, he panics, and the guy's leg straighten.  He's up.  Oh no.  Everyone is looking.  No going back now.  And he blurts out,

"What do you want with us, Jesus?. . . .To destroy us??" . . .Wait. . .that wasn't right!. . .Idiot!  Just keep going.  Oh!  I remember now,  "I know who you are!  The Holy One of God!"  Yes!  There!  At least I did something right!--err--wrong. . .?

And then his guy thinks to himself, "Well, that's it for me here.  Guess I better see if they're hiring in Damascus!"


[Aaaaaand. . .Scene!] 



Okay, I'm pretty sure that's not how it went. . .


Still, how completely gauche and pedestrian is it to blurt out "Why are you here??? To destroy us???"  Seriously.  Giving away the punch line before the joke is even told?  No class at all.  How can you scare Someone who clearly scares you and fills you with such paranoia?  


The stupidity of hell. 


Lastly, look at this demon's tactic:  He tries to intimidate Jesus by "blowing His cover."  It's like he's taking the glasses off Clark Kent and everyone is supposed to gasp in horror or something.  "I know who you are--The Holy One of God!!!"  This, of course, is what is so hilarious about that statement: In trying to "out" Jesus, he is actually helping to solidify Jesus' Messiah-ship.  How many non-believers became believers that day just because of this demon?  Answer: Plenty of them did.  (Spoiler Alert: Skip ahead to verse 27.)  Way to go, Satan.  Playing right into God's hands.


As per usual.


That's the thing about Jesus, Y'all.  You can tell me that Jesus was just a good man, and that He's nothing special.  So why do demons react to Him like this, then?  Why do people who reject Jesus reject Him so much? 

In the words of Billy Shakespeare, "Methinks thou dost protest too much. . ."

Mark 1:23 - Demons in Our Midst

The Verse

Mark 1:23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out,

My Paraphrase

Suddenly, a demonized man in the synagogue started yelling,

My Thoughts

This a very short verse, but there is a lot of serious ramification within it.  The first thought that hits me is this: So. . .what was this man doing in the synagogue?  Did he just wander in from off the street?  I kind of think that isn't the case because I think the Scripture would have said, "Just then a man wandered in from off the street," right?  There is no reason necessarily to think this was some hobo coming in to cause a ruckus.  So, I'm pretty sure this guy was a regular attender.  He was a man "in their synagogue."  I read several versions to verify the wording, and all of them suggest that this guy had been in the synagogue the entire time--like the entire time that Jesus was up there amazing the crowd at His authoritative teaching!  Isn't that crazy?  I mean, the entire time Jesus--Son of God, Creator, and Promised Messiah--is up there preaching His heart out, there is a demon-possessed man sitting there like a ticking time bomb!  This begs the question: If a possessed man can sit through the teaching and be in the physical presence of Jesus Christ Himself, and no preacher today even comes close to Jesus: How many demonized people do we have currently sitting in our midst?  Also: How many of us are demon-possessed/oppressed and don't even know it?  Doesn't it seem really out of place for demon possession to occur WITHIN the walls of, what one would assume to be, spiritual protection?  If a man can be demonized within the church--breathing the same air as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ--then, really, that means none of us is safe, right?   

Did the rest of the people know this guy was demon-possessed or was this a surprise to them?  If this man was a regular, did anyone ever question him?  Did they whisper to themselves at home behind his back?  Did anyone ever try to confront the evil spirit?  Or did the man simply hide it from everyone?  Was the man even aware of his possession until that moment?  There are a lot of unanswered questions, but two really important answers jump out at me:

(1) Demon-possession can happen within the church.  Not everyone who goes to church is a Christian, after all, and even Christians can be oppressed.  (2) If it can happen in the presence of Jesus Christ, it can DEFINITELY happen (and most probably--and obviously--is happening) in our churches today! 

This means we need to educate ourselves with how properly to deal with demons and evil spirits.  Ignoring them or downplaying them is the same as enabling them. 

I think the best teachings I have ever heard about demon-possession and demonic oppression are a sermon series called "Free Indeed" by Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church. (You can listen/watch the series by clicking the words "Free Indeed" above. They are in order from the bottom to the top.)  He explains really well how believers can come under oppression a lot more easily than we may think.  He also gives practical and helpful information about how to bind these spirits for good.  (You really need to watch it if you haven't already.)

 Anyways, my last thought here is how humbling it is that this first encounter with a demon in the Book of Mark wasn't out among the graves, nor in a house of tax collectors and sinners. Instead, it was within a place of worship.  That is very telling and should give us all pause.  

Mark 1:22 - No Authority?...Try Grace

The Verse

Mark 1:22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

My Paraphrase

The people were amazed at the authority of His teaching, because it wasn't like their normal bland teachings.

My Thoughts

This verse always perplexes me. How could there have been, prior to Jesus' arrival, teachers teaching anything if they weren't being authoritative?  Doesn't teaching, by definition, naturally carry authority?  I mean, can it even be called teaching if it doesn't?  On top of that, these teachers had the Torah!  From God's own mouth!  So. . .what were they wasting time saying??  I mean, we find out later in Mark that the Pharisees had added thousands of rules and regulations to the law. So. . .how did they foist these rules onto their congregations if not authoritatively?  

I've always wonder what the teachings were like before Jesus showed up.  

I grew up in a church environment and I have heard my share of bland, lifeless sermons (as well as many good ones, don't get me wrong), but. . .in the end, even the tritest, most boring messages still proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus along with whatever else they were saying, so there were still things to quicken your heart into an "Amen" agreement. . .

So. . .I always wonder what these lackluster teachings sounded like.  Social reform?  Behavior modification?  Slaps on wrists?  I mean, even a rote, monotone reading of Scripture is still the Words of a Holy God, right?  So these Pharisees and rabbis must have been so way out in left field, it took the preaching of The Author of Creation only once to get the people excited and interested again!  

Anyway, this is obviously to show that Christ was God, and Life-Giver, in all respects.  He healed, did miracles, and even raised people from the dead; and in addition, He taught with authority--bringing souls back to life.  But what made Him so different as a teacher (besides being the Son of God and all)?  I think, it is because, unlike the other teachers, He taught with Grace.  

See, the concept of Grace naturally has more authority than mere law.  This is why: People, believers and non, will always question a rule with, "But why should I follow it?"  That is just human nature.  A law-slave can only answer, "Because God said so."  The most authority a law-slave can experience is guilt.  Which isn't a very strong selling point to an unbeliever (nor a believer like me, frankly).  However, Grace answers the "why" question like this: "Because God has paid a way for sinful souls to enter holy heaven and therefore calls us all to walk in newness of Life."  

Even if you reject that statement, or even if you don't quite understand it, it does give you pause.  It makes you think.  It changes your heart.  The question is no longer "why should I do....(fill in the blank)?"--which is easy to ignore. Instead, it becomes, "But why would a Holy God do that for me?"  There is something wonderful, awe-inspiring, and terrible in that statement.  And isn't authority much deeper and truer when it is based on love and empowering rather than guilt and force? 

Mark 1:11 - Why Is Jesus the Only Way to Please God?

The Verse (NIV)

Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.

My Paraphrase

God's voice said, "You are my cherished Son. You bring me joy."

My Thoughts

While John was the only one who saw the "dove" situation, we can probably assume that everyone nearby heard the voice. I think this especially since the other gospels have God speaking in 3rd person ("This is my beloved Son..."). I mean, who else would need to hear it? Either way, God is very clear that Jesus is the One who is His Son and who makes Him "well-pleased." If we continue the idea that this scene is prophetic foreshadowing of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and glorification it makes sense that God is well-pleased with Jesus after baptism. This eventually would represent God being so pleased in Christ that He gives Jesus a place of ultimate honor and authority in heaven--His right side. 

Furthermore, we can assume that in order to please God, we must follow Christ's example. This probably doesn't mean that we are all to be crucified, but what it does mean is that if God wants us to do something, we should follow as Jesus would, were He in our same situation. It is also important to remember that since God is holy, He cannot commune with sinners apart from those who have turned to Jesus. Since Jesus is the One who is God's only Son "whom I love," this same love is imparted to us only through the person of Jesus Christ. This is why I believe that the onlookers were able to hear this statement. Everyone needs to hear this: If we want the same favor with God, then we should follow The One whom God loves. Makes sense, doesn't it?