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 1:23 - 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.  

Obscure Passages

Have you ever been in a church service where a pastor makes you turn to a minor prophet or like...Philemon or Jude and then calls it an "obscure passage?" Do you find that strange? I mean, it sounds like he privy to information that the rest of us aren't, which is strange, b/c the last time I checked, the Bible was the best-seller of all time...

There should be no "obscure passages" in the Bible.

Okay--in the pastor's defense--most Christians are lazy and would rather wear a W.W.J.D. bracelet (see Lisa's blog: http://arecoveringchristian.blogspot.com/2008/04/spirit-of-excellence-part-1.html ) than read the Bible, so telling them that a passage is unknown is not far from the truth. But it's not the obscurity of the passage, it's the ignorance of the church. This ignorance is a hole that becomes deeper and harder to get out of the less a congregation is fed--or encouraged to feed themselves.

The remedy is surprisingly simple. The message of Christ is energizing. It quickens the mind. Very little needs to be "done" to make it exciting. Since agenda fades after time and God's Word lasts through the ages, preaching strictly from the Bible makes for a much stronger sermon...The stronger the sermon, the easier it is for the hearers to nail down these passages in their minds and write them on their hearts...Then the passages would no longer be "obscure."

Being a pastor is a hard job, but it is only made harder when the pulpit becomes a forum. Passages like: the Psalms, Proverbs, Matthew 5-7, I Cor. 13, Hebrews 11, Ephesians 5, etc....are great, but...they are preached so often they become sounding boards for agenda, especially when the rest of the Bible is neglected save for "salt and peppered" cross-references. The Bible is a big book. If talking down to a congregation's Bible knowledge is necessary, then "lesser known" passages are a great way of educating the flock.