Mark 1:21-22 - Teaching With Authority

Mark 1:21-22
21 They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22 They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Message: Teaching With Authority

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word immediately used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

I have already discovered that Jesus didn't stay in Judea because of Herod. John the Baptist had been taken into prison by Herod. So instead, Jesus headed up north, near and beyond the Sea of Galilee, and here he is at Capernaum. Capernaum was located on the main trade route between Damascus and the Mediterranean coastal plain. Jesus could teach local Jews as well as those passing through on their way elsewhere.

In the synagogue, the scribes were experts in the Old Testament law and held high honor in the synagogues and sat in the prestigious seats. The scribes cites opinions from various rabbis, appealing not on their own authority but the authority of others.

Mark, as I have seen, is brief in his summation of what Jesus is doing. He doesn't record the words of Jesus, but so far, his deeds. Here, he emphasizes that Jesus, upon entering Capernaum immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. He arrived to the synagogue on the most popular day. He didn't walk in to listen, but went in to teach. And they were amazed at His teaching. It is interesting that Mark focuses on what Jesus did and the people's response and what was said is not mentioned.

For He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Again, I think Mark wants the reader to think about the impression that must have been felt by those there. Jesus taught as one having authority, thus he taught as a rabbi. He didn't simply re-tell what someone else said. Jesus was very different from the others.

Promise: Jesus was not merely a teacher, re-telling what others had said. He brought a message of authority. His Words are truth itself; he spoke with divine authority.

Prayer: Lord, again, I thank you for the words of Mark that speak of your deeds, and continue to share about you and your work here on earth. Thank you for Mark's approach. Thank you for the brilliance of your message and your authority. Help me, as your child, to always take your words seriously and heed them. I don't simply want to be knowledgeable of you, but I want my life to reflect your words.