Mark part 8…March 4th 2015Chapter one verses 21-28.

If I was to title this tonight I would title it screaming demons.

Last week we saw where Jesus started putting together His team.

Jesus did not seek resumes or look in the religious places for the people He wanted.

Jesus sought out the men He wanted and called them to follow Him.

As this point Mark records Jesus calling four members of His team…

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They were Simon and his brother Andrew, James and His brother John.

Mark says they went into Capernaum.

They refers to Jesus and His team.

Capernaum was largest city on the Sea of Galilee the reason it was so large was due to fact that it was the crossroads.

People went through this city going north and south east and west.

Capernaum had a Roman garrison because it was a potential area of high crime due to the amount of people and travelers.

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Capernaum was also an extremely sinful and evil place.

It was so sinful that Jesus said that it would be better for Sodom in the Day of Judgment that Capernaum.

The reason for that statement was due to Jesus making Capernaum His headquarters.

By Capernaum being Jesus’ headquarters the people of the city were greater exposed to Jesus which made them have greater responsibility to the gospel.

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The more exposed a person is to the Word the greater responsibility that person has.

I love how Jesus chose ordinary sinful people for His team and a very evil and sinful city for His headquarters.

Jesus did not place His headquarters in the Holy City of Jerusalem He placed it in a very evil city.

Mark goes on to say when they arrived immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.

We have read or heard the word synagogues many times but we need to understand what a synagogue was.

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The word synagogue means to come together, to collect together.

The synagogue was simply a local meeting place.

They were known as houses of instruction because in the house the Law was read on the Sabbath and explained.

During the week it was a school, as well as a civil court.

The Scribes and elders who taught would become judges who would rule in cases of the Law.

Each synagogue had a ruler who was the executive person and did the organizing.

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It only took ten men to start or organize a synagogue.

So that meant there were a lot of synagogues around.

And the tradition was any visiting rabbi could speak so that meant when a guest came the place was available.

For Jesus that provided places for Him to go to teach and explain His message in different places.

When Jesus came to Capernaum He went into the synagogue and taught.

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Remember Mark is a bottom line action filled writer so he doesn’t tell us anything that Jesus taught.

Mark doesn’t focus on the content of the message he focuses on the response to the message.

Verse 22...And they were astonished at His teaching.

And then Mark goes on to tell us why they were astonished…

He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

I am going to start at the end of the verse and work backwards.

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In that day the people did not have a copy of the Scriptures because they were in scrolls and kept in a private place.

They were only available in the synagogue to the one who had access.

A scribe was the one who handled the Scriptures they were the ones who read and explained it.

So people had to hear the Scripture read and had to have it explained to them.

The scribes that read and explained the Scriptures were very respected and were given the title rabbi.

Rabbi means honored one.8

Jesus didn’t operate that way.

Jesus taught them as One having authority…what’s that mean?

Authority means rule, dominion, jurisdiction, full right, power, and privilege.

Jesus spoke with conviction, objectivity, authority and dominion as if He was in charge and that what He said was the truth and that was the way it was.

The scribes didn’t speak with authority they all quoted another rabbi.

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They taught by saying rabbi Sam said and rabbi Louis said.

But Jesus didn’t quote anyone He didn’t give a 3 point lesson like all the other teachers did.

Jesus’ teaching was:

Absolute not arbitrary...

Logical not evasive…

Was on essential things not on trivial things…

His teachings were clear not muddled…

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His teachings brought conviction not just suggestions.

Mark says the people were astonished at His teaching.

The word astonished is translated from the word ekplesso.

Ekplesso means to strike a person out of his senses by strong feeling…

If you leave the Greek and translation and go a Mikeology translation is means…

Jesus’ teaching blew them away!

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They had never heard anything like that before.

The people are astonished!

Verse 23…Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.

Unclean spirit means a man with a demon in him.

And he cried out saying…

The words cried out are translated from the word Anakrazo.

Anakrazo means to shout with strong emotion, to scream.

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Anakrazo speaks of deeply felt screams of someone suffering, or someone who is traumatized or in a panic state.

What we see here is a demon inside of the man screaming by using the man’s vocal chords.

Demons are evil spirits so they need a body and voice to operate unsuspicious.

The demon had been operating under cover through the man.

But where we saw Jesus’ teaching blew the people’s minds…

We see here where the demon blows his cover.

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So what we have here is…

The confuser is confused…

The terrifier is terrified…

An undercover demon blows his cover and is screaming.

Verse 24 He cried or screamed out…

Let us alone! What have we to do with You Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!

Here we have the first testimony in the gospel of Mark to the identity of Jesus and it comes from a demon.

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The demons know who He is.

Look at the difference between the people and the demons when it comes to Jesus:

The people are astonished and Jesus blows their mind…

The demons were not astonished they were terrified.

The people wondered and the demons panicked.

James 2:19 says the demons believe and tremble.

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So the question is what makes demons scream and tremble?

The reason for the different reactions was because the demons knew who Jesus was but the people didn’t.

In the first half of Mark the only beings that are sure who Jesus is are the demons.

They had known Him because they were created by Him.

The demons knew Jesus because they once lived in heaven as holy angels until they rebelled.

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The demons knew they had reason to be afraid of Him.

They knew that because they had experienced it first hand when He threw them out of heaven.

So they scream and panic because they know where they are headed and that is the lake of fire.

When a person or thing is terrified they scream!

Demons scream because they do not like the truth.

So the demons scream when Jesus arrived because they know the truth of

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the Word of God is only possible way a person can be liberated and freed from their possession.

The truth not quotes from famous people or nice messages about love and peace is what makes demons scream.

The truth damages their kingdom.

Truth is deadly to demonic operation.

The truth destroys demonic fortresses.

The truth crushes satans lies.

The forces of hell have a deadly fear of the truth.

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The forces of hell have deadly fear of the true gospel of the Word.

Mans words doesn’t bother or stop the devil or his demons…

But God’s Word not only bothers them it stops them and makes them scream.

What we see is when Jesus shows up the demons get all shook up.

So shook up they blow their cover they can’t hold back their fear.

The last thing a demon would have wanted to do was to reveal himself in the synagogue…

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The reason I said that is because they are called angels of light and the whole idea behind the term angel of light is covering yourself in a religious environment.

Demons are undercover and they are working for false religion.

Jesus exposes them by the Word and simply showing up.

That’s why we have to have the Word preached and taught in every service and why we must have the presence of the Lord in the house.

These verses in Mark show us something very important.

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If Jesus was to be a liberator and set people free then He had to have power over not just satan but satan’s kingdom.

We have seen already Jesus had power over satan now we see Jesus shows His power over satan’s kingdom.

In these verses tonight the demons see that the Son of God has come and they know the battle is on.

They know the kingdom of God has arrived because the King is present.

They knew their destruction is imminent.

So they scream with terror.

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The first testimony in the gospel of Mark of Jesus’ identity and it comes from a demon when they panicked and said out loud...

Let us alone!

What have we to do with You? Did You come to destroy us?

That question means…what is going on here?

Why is it now? Is this the hour of our final destruction?

Jesus of Nazareth…

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When they call Him Jesus of Nazareth it is a name of disdain because Nazareth was viewed as a disdainful town.

They speak of Jesus with the same scorn that others spoke of Him.

At the same time the demons are terrified they are also scornful.

Then they say I know who You are the Holy One of God!

Demons know the Son is holy just as the Father is holy.

Demons cringe in the face of perfect holiness.

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Because they had lived in the presence of Gods perfect holiness…

And they are terrified knowing they will have to stand and face God again one day.

They scream at the anticipation of torment.

Verse 25 we see another reason for the screaming demons…

They scream at Jesus’ power and authority.

Jesus rebuked him and said be quiet and come out of him.

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No dialogue, no negotiation, no exorcism, no prayer Jesus rebuked him.

The demon threw the man into convulsions screamed again and came out.

Throwing the man into convulsions…

Is a final statement made by the demons.

Convulsions comes from the Greek word sparasso.

Sparasso means to agitate greatly, convulse, distort by convulsions or seizures,

A final protest by the demons.25

Verse 27 says…They were all amazed.

They said to each other what is this?

For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Jesus is showing not just telling that He alone has the power to break the bondage that satan possesses.

The point Mark wants to make is Jesus the new King has made His power visible and unmistaken.

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Demons scream at the authority and presence of Jesus Christ and it should cause us to reverence and respect the Lord like never before.

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