Sermon on Mark 1:21-28, 4th Sunday after Pentecost 2020 (B), "A New Teaching, With Authority!"

 

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The theme that jumps out of Mark 1 today is Jesus’ Authority. He teaches, He casts out demons, and crowds marvel that they haven’t seen anything like this before. They search and inquire among themselves: “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” Jesus’ authority still rules His Church, and His Word still advances against a world of darkness and spiritual evil. May God continue to visit us with His authority for our good.

One of the first things strikes people yesterday and today, is that Jesus does not teach like everyone else. The rabbis, or Jewish teachers, had their customary way of quoting other supporting ancient teachers and authorities, building their interpretations and reasoning on what others had said before. Never standing on their own authority. Which in a sense is good; men should never presume to usurp God’s authority. Nevertheless, when Jesus taught with God’s authority, it was impressive, decisive, commanding. It stood up under every challenge. Jesus didn’t have to quote any authorities except the Old Testament scripture. God’s Word was authoritative, and Jesus was the definitive and Divine interpreter of that Word.

Then there was what Jesus taught. Not just the laws and rules of Judaism, though He breathed astonishing new conviction and beauty of depth into the commandments, that they had never appreciated before. But Jesus taught something else profoundly new. We heard it last week: “the due time is fulfilled; the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe the gospel.” King Jesus had arrived, ushering in God’s own kingdom. Prophecy was unfolding before their very eyes. None of this was rehash from old teachers. It was captivating, bold, and new. But not an empty show. It was with authority.

In life, authority always gets tested and challenged. Children test boundaries with parents or teachers. They search for where the line is; what’s safe or not safe, to the frustration of adults. Citizens and journalists test the moral, cultural, religious, or political authority of leaders by challenging the truth of what they say or do, whether they have double standards or consistency, whether their actions meet the lawful bounds of their authority or not. Armies and belligerents test the power and authority of their enemies’ military strength, searching for weaknesses and probing vulnerabilities. And Jesus’ authority is likewise challenged yesterday and today.

Innocent and genuine questions of searching people, to understand God’s teaching and apply it to their lives. Deceptive traps set by religious leaders to trip up Jesus. Cowardly protests of demons crying out at Jesus. Amused earthly rulers scoffing at Jesus’ authority. But every assault against God’s truth must fail. Whenever Jesus’ teaching was challenged, His authority and wise answers amazed everyone. He was nobody’s fool, and never was cornered or defeated in debate or questions. He ably silenced His skeptics, and His answers stirred deep reflection in the open-hearted. At Jesus’ bold teaching and powerful command for the demons to get out, the people were thunderstruck. Authority positively “exuded” from Jesus. But it was not a domineering, tyrannical, or flawed authority, but humble and yet royal authority, stimulating respect without demanding it.

People aren’t done challenging the authority of Jesus and God’s Truth. It still goes on today, and many enemies prematurely declare their own victory against Jesus’ authority. They seize on an old familiar argument against the Bible or Jesus, they ignore or never engage with literally 20 centuries of thoughtful, informed Christian responses, as though: “Hah! You haven’t thought of that one!” But God’s Word will stand the test if we will not retreat from it.

What happens when Christians prematurely surrender the authority of Christ or the Bible—when they retreat from challenges to Jesus as a historic person, or God as the Creator of the universe and mankind? Or when we retreat from the authority of the Bible, and piece by piece surrendering assaulted teachings? We’re really retreating from Jesus’ authority. Like fearful soldiers abandoning their ranks from fear of the enemy, we only risk greater danger. Jesus declared that even the gates of hell will not prevail against His church. The devil can never overthrow Jesus’ authority. Why fear God’s enemies? Why fear challenges to Jesus’ authority? Never abandon those secure walls and towers— “A Mighty Fortress is our God!”

But Jesus’ authority was not merely defensive, hiding behind walls, it was offensive and on-the-move. God’s kingdom advances on the world and releases captives from darkness. Christ’s authority goes wherever His Name and His Word goes forth…in our lives as well. Bring Christ’s authority to bear on our situations, call on Jesus’ name in prayer to defeat the spiritual evil in our lives! Those oppressed and harassed by sin, we lift them up in prayer, in the authority of Jesus’ mighty Name. Those blinded to their own sin, or trapped helplessly within it, we lift them in prayer in Jesus’ mighty Name! We go into battle with Jesus’ authority—not waging war against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual powers of darkness.

In this spiritual battle against our own sin, against the sinful world, we discover that Jesus’ authority is for our good if we’re on His side. What ways? Certainly “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to Jesus (Matt. 28:18), so we could name many more examples, but let’s consider three ways Jesus’ authority shows up in our lives for our good. Jesus’ guardian authority, His conquering authority, and His forgiving authority.

Jesus shows His “guardian authority”—when God “defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil”. Do I need shelter? Am I threatened by the power of sin and darkness around me? God is my guardian, my shelter. I take refuge under His Almighty wings. No weapon formed against me shall prevail. As crowds marveled that even the demons obeyed Jesus’ command and fled from Him, we likewise take refuge in Him and sing out and call out the Name and authority of Jesus against the spiritual powers of darkness that encircle us. His guardian authority is in our life. Just as He stood between His people and the Egyptian armies, or as His angels guarded the city of Jerusalem in the days of King Hezekiah, Jesus’ guardian authority is our shelter and refuge.

We also claim His “conquering authority”—that He “breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature”. What surprised the crowds was that Jesus took the fight to the powers of darkness and they ran from Him. They cried out in weak protest and defeat, as they tucked tail and ran from Him. “Have you come to destroy us?” They knew their defeat was already sealed. They just didn’t know how or when. But Jesus’ victory on earth and in heaven was secured in His death on the cross and rising from His grave, triumphing over the powers of evil. Their time is short, their doom is certain. And this conquering authority of Jesus becomes ours as John writes: “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5). Taking on the promise of our victory in the new birth and by our faith, we face the world unafraid, trusting in Jesus’ conquering authority to go with us into spiritual battle.

And we must always cling to His “forgiving authority”—He has “purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and the power of the devil.” In Christ, the devil has no claim on us. Jesus purchased us from our sins—He bought our freedom with His precious blood. He broke the chains of sin, death, and the devil that enslaved us. He calls: “come follow me.” All our sins are left behind. By His authority, our sins cannot follow. We couldn’t “forgive ourselves” or break the chains. We couldn’t excuse ourselves from the penalty or shake loose sins’ dogged chase after us. But Jesus’ blood absolves us of wrongdoing. Repenting, changing our minds to God’s way, He cuts our ties to the past, and Jesus’ forgiving authority paves a new way forward into life, His life. Free life, walking in His ways.

We need Jesus’ authority in our lives. It’s a good thing when we are on His side. Crowds marveled at His teaching in their synagogues and how the demons ran. “What is this? A new teaching with authority!” We can still witness His authority when we open His Word, speak it, read it, watch it command our lives. His Spirit stirs our respect for His authority and a desire that He show His power in our lives, by guarding and protecting us from all evil, by conquering sin and evil as His Word goes forth with us, and by forgiving our sins and setting us free from the chains of the past. Truly, may God continue to visit us with His authority for our good! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.