Mark 1:21-28

Capernaum was somewhat of a home base for Jesus during His ministry years. On this particular Sabbath, Mark makes the statement that Jesus “began” to teach. It appears this may have been one of the first times He taught in this way, as Mark records: “The people were amazed at His teaching, for He taught with real authority—quite unlike the teachers of religious law.” This was something new for the people, and they took notice.

How does someone speak with real authority? One must first understand where real authority comes from—God, who is the ultimate authority.

There are people who speak from expertise and head knowledge, but then there are those who speak for God, which is entirely different. God’s words are not just words; they are backed with power, anointing, and results. The anointing is so important, for as Isaiah 10:27 states, it is the anointing that breaks the yoke of bondage:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.”
Isaiah 10:27 (KJV)

The scribes were well-versed in Scripture but lacked anointing. Jesus taught with power and explained the why behind the what. He made it all make sense. What good is knowledge without its correct application?

The gospel is transformational, and Jesus proved His authority not only by the words He spoke, but by the miracles that backed them up, as we shall see next.

As Jesus was teaching, a demon-possessed man became agitated and created a scene in the synagogue. I wonder if this man even knew he had a demon before this, or if others knew about it. Conditions must be right for demons to reveal their hiding places. They do their best work when undetected; however, when provoked, they reveal themselves. Trust me when I say that speaking the truth gets demons riled up.

Jesus essentially tells the demon to be quiet and come out of the man. Interestingly, Scripture says He “ordered” it to come out. That word alone implies authority. And what happens? The demon does exactly as it is told, screaming and throwing the man into convulsions as it exits.

When was the last time you saw that happen in church—or ever? It is quite alarming when confronted with the stuff nightmares are made of. This manifestation, however, did not startle Jesus in the least. He simply took authority over it. (Guess who has been given that same authority over demons? Us!) Consider these words from Jesus:

“Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
Luke 10:19–20 (NLT)

Jesus’ authority over this demon got the people’s attention. His words didn’t just promise deliverance—they actually delivered. So much so that news about Jesus quickly spread throughout the entire region of Galilee.