Observations on the Gospel of Mark

Mark 1:21-34 (ESV)

And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath [Jesus] 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.  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.  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.

Intro:

If the preceding vv. of 16-20 demonstrated Jesus’ authority in calling disciples, then vv. 21-34 begin to exhibit the authority and power of his word in teaching, exorcism, and healing. In this section of the text Mark wants to establish and present Jesus as an authority by highlighting some of the extraordinary works he performed early in his ministry. Additionally, Mark chooses to emphasize the early response to Jesus’ synagogue message, which was rather positive by the people. This is a partial contrast to the later episode of Jesus’ teaching being rejected in the Nazareth synagogue in chapter 6. Lastly, what also makes this section of Mark both amazing and mysterious is that we have the first event of a demoniac reacting to the incarnate Son of God, and Jesus simply eradicating whatever unclean spirits were in the man with a word. On top of this, Jesus is beginning to heal those who are sick as a demonstration of his compassion for those who are in need and his authority over sickness and even death.

Verses 21-28

We are told initially that Jesus and his disciples entered a synagogue in Capernaum, which was normative at the time to hear the scriptures read aloud in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, to pray and worship, and to hear a short exposition on a piece of scriptural text (i.e. a sermon). Mark indicates that Jesus was the teacher on this particular day, and although we aren’t told what he was saying, we can see the demonstrative effect of this teaching in two ways. First, the people “were astonished at his teaching” because he taught them in a way very different to that of the scribes, and with authority (exousia) being emphasized in the original Greek. The people were, in effect, overwhelmed by Jesus’ teaching. There’s some humor in this verse too because Mark is obviously taking a shot at the pedagogical practices of the scribes and their (non)ability to teach—which was their principal job and expertise in the 1^st century. The scribes’ authority was based on their own learning, whereas Jesus’ seemed to be like that of a prophet—someone who had received a word of God without study.

The second demonstrative effect of Jesus’ teaching is much more serious within the context of the narrative. It has to do with the response of a demon possessed man upon hearing the teaching of Jesus. First off, this man should not have even been present in the synagogue because he was ritually unclean from having a spirit, and thus we should probably see his entry into the synagogue while Jesus is there as a deliberate provocation. The demon/spirit in the man will be confronted and challenged by its opposite—the Holy One of God. Notice also that Jesus’ focus is on teaching and his teaching is interrupted, and only then does he respond by healing the possessed man. We will see that this is a regular pattern in Mark’s Gospel. Healings seem mostly to happen in response to a pressing need, not as part of a program Jesus set out to follow. Notice, however, that in this circumstance it is the spirit/demon in the man that initiates the conversation. It is not accidental that Mark presents an exorcism as the first miracle in his Gospel. He wishes to make evident that Jesus has come to destroy the powers of darkness. His ministry involves waging war on these powers.

Supplemental note: We also see that the words of the spirit/demon must then be seen as hostile. They should also be seen as an attempt, by a naming ritual, to get control of the situation. This defensive maneuver required that a correct name or title be used for Jesus in order to try and gain control. The OT parallels to the phrase “what to me and to you” (cf. Judg 11:12; 2 Sam 16:10; 19:22; 1Kings 17:18) means something like: What do we have to do with you, or what do you want with us, or why are you meddling with us? The spirit/demon rightly feels threatened and so is hostile, even though Jesus has done nothing to warrant such verbiage. Yet it is a paradox that Jesus encounters evil not merely on the Sabbath but in the synagogue right at the beginning of his ministry. The demon seems to be suggesting that by his teaching there, Jesus had invaded the territory of the spirit/demon.

Additionally, we can see some very interesting things in this exchange between the demon and Jesus. First, the demon uses “us” in v. 24, maybe implying that there is more than one spirit present or as a collective whole for the fact that Jesus’ attack is on the whole community or realm of evil. Here, as elsewhere in Mark, only God, or supernatural beings, or humans who have received revelation from above know who Jesus really is. Notice also that the demon says it “knows” who Jesus is, but knowing doesn’t necessarily meaning having a relationship with, like in our culture. To say, “I know God,” does not equate to “I have a relationship with God.” Likewise, to say, “I believe in God” also does not necessarily mean “I have a relationship with God.” The reason is clearly indicated in this text because the demon really knows Jesus and believes in Jesus. Additionally, and importantly when speaking on the subject of demon possession from a New Testament context, it is important to stress that in Mark’s Gospel there is a distinction made between those who are sick or have a disease or fever and those who are possessed! This suggests that Mark does not in any way, shape, or form see demon possession as just another disease.

Regarding Jesus’ exorcism of the demon from the possessed man, there are some interesting characteristics present. Jesus uses no adjuration, incantation, physical manipulation, or appeal to a deity to accomplish this exorcism—as was the case in the ancient near east, and even now. Instead, the emphasis is entirely on Jesus’ simple, effective command, “Be silent, and come out of him!”, and so on his innate authority in the situation. Jesus does not need any help. Lastly, the response of the surrounding people in the narrative is noteworthy. Jesus’ powerful acts are definitely unsettling and often prompt questions about who he might be. Notice we are told that the crowd debates this matter, which means it is not a foredrawn conclusion.

Verses 29-34

As a presupposition regarding the literary construction of the Gospel of Mark, the assumption is that Mark is getting much of his information and material first-hand from the Apostle Peter, and vv. 29-34 reinforce this fact. The incident of these verses took place after Jesus left the synagogue, v. 29, and went to the house of Simon and Andrew (probably nearby; only Mark’s Gospel account mentions Andrew). We are not told what caused Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever. It had, however, put her in bed; and Jesus was told about her. The healing is described simply, yet with interesting detail: “Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her up.” The cure was instantaneous and complete, and this inferred because she got out of bed and began to serve the needs of her guests, which probably means she prepared food for them.

The last section of our text makes mention of Jesus extending his healings not to a few but many. It’s often a thematic part of the all the gospel accounts that Jesus is always generous with his healings. These healings again are divided up between either those who “were sick or oppressed by demons.” Again, Mark makes a differentiation between sickness and demonic activity. On the last point, we are told that Jesus muzzles the demons because “they knew him.” Luke’s Gospel reveals another element: “because they knew he was the Christ (Luke 4:41). Many scholars believe that the reluctance by Jesus to have the demons reveal him as the Messiah is best explained by Jesus’ desire to show by word and deed what kind of Messiah he was (e.g., one quite different from the popular conception of the Messiah) before he declared himself.

One Response to “Observations on the Gospel of Mark”

1. Wyatt Houtz says:

   February 2, 2010 at 6:06 pm

   Great commentary!