Hi guys,
Today, let’s take a look at the people’s response to Jesus’ teachings and miracles:
“And they were all amazed, so that they were arguing among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’ And immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.”
— Mark 1:27-28
Amazement was the immediate response to Jesus rebuking the unclean spirits and casting them out of the man. The text further tells us that they started arguing among themselves, clearly discussing what to make of all that was happening. Let’s explore what led to these arguments:
A New Teaching
Jesus brought a teaching unlike that of the rabbis of the day. The Pharisees and the Sadducees had veered away from the original intent of the law and the teachings of Moses. Jesus would later rebuke them for this fault:
“Thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
— Mark 7:13
At one point, Jesus accused them of abandoning the teaching in God’s word in favor of their own traditions. Furthermore, their conduct and practice had strayed far from what the law was meant to teach:
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
— Matthew 23:13“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”
— Matthew 23:23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence.”
— Matthew 23:25
This teaching, which the people called new, was Jesus calling them back to the heart of what the law was meant to do. Jesus reintroduced the law to help them understand that left to themselves, they could not fulfill it. He made this point clear when He told the people their righteousness needed to exceed that of the Pharisees:
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
— Matthew 5:20
A good example of this is seen in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus uses the phrases, “You have heard…” to call attention to what the scribes had misinterpreted or limited in their view of the law. Jesus would then go further to expound on the true meaning behind what was given in the law:
“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever murders shall be guilty before the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”
— Matthew 5:21-22
This new teaching was meant to remind the listeners that they cannot attain true righteousness on their own. It was meant to remind them that they need a mediator with God, as the prophet Isaiah pointed out:
“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.”
— Isaiah 64:6
Later, the apostle Paul also made this point to Titus:
“He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
— Titus 3:5
As believers, we need to be reminded, along with the listeners of Jesus in His day, that true righteousness only comes through faith in Christ. The righteousness we receive is not our own, but rather it is the righteousness of Christ Himself, covering us completely when we place our faith in Him:
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:21
An Authoritative Teaching
Another thing this audience noted about Jesus’ teaching is that it was authoritative. The authority of Christ’s teaching was evident in how the unclean spirits obeyed Him.
This reminds us that Jesus Christ has authority over unclean spirits. Based on their amazement, it is clear that this was not a common sight. They had not seen such wonders and signs since the days of Elijah, Elisha, and Moses before them. These events were not common occurrences, which is why the people were amazed.
Like the signs and miracles observed during Elijah, Elisha, and Moses’ times, these also had a purpose. The signs and wonders performed by Jesus Christ were meant to validate Him as one sent by the true God. We see that this was the case whenever signs and wonders were shown through a messenger of God.
Signs and wonders validated Moses to the Israelites, and to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, that Moses indeed came in the name of God:
“But I know that the king of Egypt will not give you permission to go, except by a strong hand. So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wondrous deeds which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.”
— Exodus 3:19-20
We know that the same was true for the prophet Elijah, who performed great signs and wonders to be validated as a prophet of the true living God:
“Now it happened at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, ‘O Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your slave, and I have done all these things at Your word. Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Yahweh, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.’ Then the fire of Yahweh fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”
— 1 Kings 18:36-38
The same was true for the apostles, who performed wonderful signs and wonders to be validated as having been truly sent by Jesus Christ Himself to proclaim the gospel to all the ends of the Earth:
“The signs of a true apostle were worked out among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:12
The people’s amazement was due to the fact that even unclean spirits obeyed Him. This is because, like all the other signs, they were meant to show that Christ indeed has authority over everything and that He was truly sent by God.
Jesus’ teachings were authoritative because He spoke the word of God. Moreover, Jesus spoke for God, not only as a prophet but more importantly because He is God Himself.
This is why the unclean spirits obeyed Him, why the signs and wonders were performed, and why we need to rely on the word of God to deliver His message. As believers, we must be careful not to rely on our own strength or wisdom but rather on the truth of God’s word to do His work.
This also means that we need to be diligent in learning all we can about the word of God. Just as the psalmist did, we should treasure God’s word deep in our hearts so that it can produce a conviction in us to walk according to His word.
I pray you are blessed by this Word.
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