Authority That Serves

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[0:02] Our text this morning comes from Mark chapter 1 verses 21 through 28. Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority, quite unlike the teachers of religious law. Suddenly a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. But Jesus reprimanded him. Be quiet. Come out of the man, he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed through the man into convulsion and then came out of him.

[0:55] Amazement gripped the audience and they began to discuss what had happened. What sort of new teaching is this? They asked excitedly. It has such authority. Even evil spirits obey his orders. The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee. Let's pray. Our good and gracious God, we thank you for your word. We ask your blessing upon it. We ask you would bless us with the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We ask you to bless these words that we speak and that we hear. God, would you speak to our hearts and our minds. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[1:36] I want to know how many of you have heard the phrase, you're not the boss of me. I want to know how many of you in your lifetime, probably not recently, have said the phrase, you're not the boss of me. Yeah, it's the anthem of youngest, children everywhere. And I was a youngest child. I am a youngest child. And nothing ever chafed me more than my older brothers trying to boss me around. But it's a normal struggle. We often struggle against authority. We like to be independent and in control of our lives.

[2:17] In fact, so many places advertise that you can be your own boss. And it's so appealing. That's what really speaks to people. Oh, the freedom you would have if you were your own boss. But then there are other times that we're tempted to just blindly agree with people in authority. And this might be how our nation is in the place that it's in today, so divided, as each side of the divide listens to certain political forces without fact-checking or without seeing what the truth really is. And who can blame us for that? Because we're not the boss of me. We're not the leader of the Righteous Righteous Righteous Righteous Righteous Righteous themselves. But there are authority figures that I do trust though. Some I trust with my life. I trust people who have trained in their fields. I trust them to know what they're talking about. I trust them to be able to advise on things that their fields include. I trust those who are close to me, like my family and friends, because I know them and I respect them. I also trust people who have a lot of knowledge in areas they claim to have authority in.

[3:58] The people in the synagogues were like that. They had been educated. They trained under other well-respected teachers and authorities. They had knowledge. But the thing is that these teachers of the law didn't speak with their own authority. They couldn't. They had to begin their comments with something along the lines of, I don't know, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. They had to begin their comments along the lines of, there is a saying that, or rabbi so-and-so once said, they could only teach from what they themselves had learned from somebody else.

[4:36] Even the prophets couldn't speak of their own authority. They had to say, thus says the Lord. They couldn't say, do this because I say so. They spoke according to what they were told. They couldn't say, do this because I say so. But they were told by God. And that was their authority. So how many times when Jesus was speaking did he say, thus says the Lord? Instead he said, but I say to you. And he was his own authority. He was authoritative because of who he was, the power given directly by God. We don't know what Jesus taught in the synagogue that day. We don't know what he said, but whatever it was, the people recognized right away that he spoke with authority, and not authority given to him by education, not authority passed down to him by another teacher. It was with his own authority.

[5:42] It was the authority of one who owns and controls all knowledge and wisdom. The NLT version that we read said he had real authority. It wasn't that the teachers and the scribes lacked authority to teach. They were within their rights. They had learned. They had done the work. It was just that Jesus had real authority. And other versions say that Jesus had the right and the power to teach. He spoke truth. And it was not the kind of truth that you walked away feeling like you were being judged. It was not the kind of truth that you were feeling concerned about. It was not the kind of truth that you walked away and had to fact check. It was not the kind of truth that could be one person's truth but not another person's truth, or maybe was stretched or twisted. It was the eternal full truth that we can trust and believe, and even the kind of truth that we can build our lives upon.

[6:47] Of course, today we know that the NLT version of Jesus is the one that we can trust and believe. We know that Jesus' authority came from being the Son of God. And as readers of this Gospel of Mark, a few verses before this passage, in verse 11 of this chapter, God was speaking at Jesus' baptism and said, You are my Son, whom I love. With you I am well pleased. So as readers of this Gospel and 2,000 years later, we have knowledge that the original congregation in the synagogue didn't have. We have knowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, but this congregation didn't know that. They didn't have the same background information that we have. There was just this underlying power in Jesus' message. There was something so incredible that they couldn't deny his absolute authority over interpreting scripture, and they were shocked by it. We know Jesus has this authority because we know he is the authority, he is God.

[7:57] These people knew without a doubt that he had authority, but they didn't have the same knowledge, they just had that understanding. It was what an interaction with Jesus could do, and only in interaction with... with Jesus could do, that they walked away with this knowledge that this man knows what he's talking about and this man is in control.

[8:25] And we do not have that same kind of encounter with Jesus today. Yes, we do encounter Jesus and we do encounter him personally and it's in awe striking and amazing ways, but we cannot be physically in the same room that Jesus is teaching in like they could in that synagogue. But we have read the book and we've seen witness through history, we do know that Jesus is the son of God.

[8:53] If Jesus was not the son of God, then his teaching to us, removed from what he spoke, would be lacking something. We wouldn't know because the scripture didn't tell us what he spoke that day. So it would be just like any other teaching. We'd say, oh, those books are not the same as the one that Jesus spoke. Those people were surprised at something. He must be a very good teacher.

[9:20] And that's important. That's why it's important to realize who this teacher is and why we can believe him. As Christians, we accept Jesus' teaching, not because we like them or even always agree with them and not because he's a great teacher or makes a great point, but we accept these teachings, all of them, simply because he's the son of God. And that's why he can teach with authority. And that's why we can believe him without hesitation.

[9:53] But there's this age old debate on whether Jesus is Lord or whether he was just a great teacher of his time. So C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, he was speaking directly to these people that claim that. He said, I am here trying to teach you, but I'm not.

[10:16] Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? Right? with a man who says he's a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us, and he did not intend to.

[11:14] So we can choose to ignore the teachings of any human teacher, because at the end of the day, we don't know the depth of truth that they hold. But Jesus is the son of God and holds all truth and authority.

[11:30] And then in this passage, something else. Something really interesting happens. Like, it's interesting that he has authority over scripture. That's stunning, and the people don't really know what to make of it. But then something else happens, and he shows he has authority over more than just words. We see in this next part of the passage is that Jesus demonstrates his further authority over spiritual forces. We've seen Jesus have authority over nature. In other parts of scripture, he calmed the storm. We see him have authority over the word. We see him preach. We see him have authority over humanity as he cures illness. We see him have a lot of authority. But now we see him have authority over spiritual forces. And this is at the very beginning of the gospel. So this might be one of the first glimpses of it.

[12:33] And it gives us a reason for following his teaching. So he had authority over his teaching, but what's to say he's going to follow his own teaching? Here, he's caring for humanity on such a level that he can cast out demons and make the person whole again. So it gives us this reason for following him. Because not only did he teach the things of God, but he acted on the things of God. And he acted on the things of God as well.

[13:04] And many teachers would have sent away the demon-possessed man. It was the Sabbath. And healing on the Sabbath was not permitted. And not only that, but many would have been unable to cast out the demon.

[13:20] And many more simply would not have had the patience for the disturbance of their teaching. They took their teaching very seriously. And it was a high offense for someone to interrupt them or disturb them. These scribes and teachers of the law were learned men. And they held a certain demand for respect. So to be interrupted, they just wouldn't stand for that. But in those days, evil spirits were considered by many, even by many Jewish teachers, to be numerous and powerful. They were hanging around, doing whatever they could, just to inflict trouble and suffering. And when someone seemed to be possessed, they were possessed by a demon.

[14:04] The exorcists, whether they were Jewish or pagan, used these complicated magical rites and spells in order to compel the demon to leave. It was not a short process. It was exaggerated. It took time. It took effort. And the power was considered to be in the magic. It was believed. So whoever knew the right incantations and ingredients and methods could use them to bring about these unseen conditions that would manipulate the spiritual world.

[14:41] So it was a process. Not everyone could do it. Not everyone wanted to do it. But Jesus was astonishingly different. When the demon-possessed man disrupted the meeting, Jesus simply ordered the demon to leave. And it left. The people in the temple were shocked. The people in the synagogue had never seen anything like it. Who could have such authority that even the evil spirits had to obey his simple words?

[15:15] And he hadn't been offended by the disruption. He hadn't turned his back on the demon-inflicted man. And that was unusual, too. But instead, Jesus had compassion on the interruption. This man was inflicted to such a degree that he couldn't even act. He couldn't even ask for help. But Jesus had heard his soul and helped him anyhow.

[15:37] It didn't matter that it was the Sabbath. It didn't matter that it came in the middle of his teaching and disrupted the synagogue. Jesus knew that it was God's will for him to have compassion over the man. He lived out what he was teaching to the people. And that was fresh and new. A lot of the teachers preached one thing and lived another way. But Jesus lived another way. He lived out his life by the same principles that he spoke by. And his authority was even more obvious when he lived it out.

[16:11] And yet, for all the authority that Jesus displayed, not just in this passage, but in his entire ministry on earth, he was not authoritarian. Think about what happens when humankind gains power and authority.

[16:28] They use it, and oftentimes they abuse it. They use it, and oftentimes they abuse it. They use it, and oftentimes they abuse it. They hold it over others. A little authority makes humanity power-hungry. Jesus, the Son of God, had all the authority in the world, in the universe. God created all things through him and put all things under him. So even these spirits that turned evil, though he allowed them to exist, were completely subject to him. And we can look at Colossians, the book of Colossians, Colossians 1.16 and Ephesians 1.20 and 21 for some support on that.

[17:08] But he has all authority that there is, yet he uses it entirely differently from the way many people would. He took action when necessary. Jesus did not stifle normal living by trying to prevent all possibility of something going wrong. He didn't post sentries at the doors to keep all potential demon-possessed, He didn't post sentries at the doors to keep all potential demon-possessed, looking people from coming in. He simply dealt with the problem decisively when it arose.

[17:40] And then also, he didn't overreact. He didn't make a Broadway production of making the demon leave. He didn't turn to magic and spells and ingredients. He didn't knock the demon around and punch him and make a big fight for a while and tell him off for ten minutes or scream at it. Or kill it or declare war on all demons. He just simply spoke and made it go.

[18:10] And then he didn't boast about it. Jesus didn't use this incident to further his image. He didn't print up flyers and proclaim himself as the one who tossed out the demon. He just moved on. So Jesus uses his authority to serve and not to be served.

[18:32] It reminds me of the passage that Hans-Erik read. When you have this authority in Christ given to you, you use this authority that Christ gave you to serve and not to be served. You use this authority that Christ gave you to love and not to be worshipped or adored. You use this authority that Christ gave you to reach out to others and not to keep them down. Whether that be by eating idol meat or any other thing, what you use your authority in Christ for is to help build up the community of Christ. And that's how Christ used his authority, was to serve and not to be served.

[19:19] Whether our authority is at home or at work or anywhere else, Christ wants us to use it to help others and not make ourselves into idols or into big shots. So later in Mark 10, 42 through 45, Jesus explained it to his disciples like this. You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be served must be your servant.

[20:06] And whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve others and give his life as ransom for many. So what a difference it makes when the authority we're subject to is a blessing instead of a curse.

[20:27] Proverbs 29, 2 says, That when the wicked rule, the people groan. It is when authority is used to help, not to overpower, that those under it can rejoice. Jesus doesn't overpower us. He serves us with patience and mercy, helping us to grow to see how much we need him.

[20:49] The man who interrupted his teaching was being forced to live under the authority of demonic force, of sin. He was a slave to a cruel and unforgiving authority. Much like the authority of Satan or sin in each of our lives is cruel and unforgiving. But Jesus is completely opposite of that. Jesus is compassionate, gracious, patient, loving, and merciful. The authority of sin is fraudulent. It's not really authority at all. But the authority of Jesus is absolute.

[21:25] Think of what Jesus did and who he did it for. This man did nothing to earn Jesus' favor. He came into the synagogue and totally disrupted what Jesus was doing. He didn't ask Jesus to heal him. In fact, through the unclean spirit, he accused Jesus of coming to destroy him. In Mark 1, 15, Jesus taught that we must repent and believe the good news. We can imagine that's what he was preaching in the synagogue that day. But this man was afflicted to the point that he had no control over his body and mind. He could not do as Jesus was teaching.

[22:09] So how did Jesus respond? He could have responded by kicking him out and saying, if you won't abide by my teaching, why should I help you? But instead, he immediately rebuked this unclean spirit and healed the man. And Jesus is going to do whatever it takes to help all people live by his teaching, to repent and believe the good news. What Jesus did for the man with the unclean spirit, he eventually would do for all the world. When he went to the cross and died for our sins, not because we asked him to and not because we deserve it, but simply because he chose to, he went to the cross and set us free from captivity and from captivity to sin. And that is why we can live by Jesus' teaching and authority.

[22:59] Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you that your authority is good. We ask that you would help us to live further into your authority, that we would also demonstrate your authority by living for your world, by living for your kingdom, by being merciful and compassionate.

[23:26] God, we ask that you would help us to not be authoritative, but to declare your authority with love and compassion. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.