The Book of Mark
Chapter 1 (NIV)
21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I wonder what it means that "he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law."
Did the teachers of the law, (Pharisees, I imagine) not teach with authority? Or is it that once Jesus started talking, the people realized "Wow. THIS is authority."
Was it Plato or Aristotle who said that we live in a world of shadows - faint and faulty replicas of real ideals. I imagine that if God were to come in our midst - His presence would be so Real and Authoritative, that we would clearly see how truly inconsequential everything else was before Him.
I tremble to think what it would have been like to see Jesus in person and hear his voice. People recognized his authority and power and goodness right away (even Pontius Pilate). How did people have the courage to defy him, much less plan his destruction? How could their eyes be so blind and their ears so deaf? I can only think that their own egos got in the way. I've recently had to confront my own ego and pride - and just start to recognize how it has limited my life and my spirit. Jesus is still calling to us now, and God is still teaching us through the bible - if we but CHOOSE to listen.
21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
The more amazing fact is that people listened to a man who taught in an open public, when it was unlawful to teach during the Sabbath. These verses make me think of the following verses in John Chapter 1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." Hence, we can see that Jesus was able to teach with authority because He himself was the word....The Book of Revelation refers the "word" to a "sharp, double-edged sword." We should seriously think about if the word of God really has authority in our lives.... we should pray to have faith and hope as we ready and meditate on the living word of God.
It is interesting how people living at that time called Jesus. Some called him teacher, some called him Lord, some called him Son of God, etc.
This verse always reminds me that Jesus wasn't just some man living 2000 years ago being a great teacher as some people perceive. He taught them as one who had authority... this authority to me means authority from God as our savior. He didn't come to just to be a teacher of the law but the one who surpassed the law in order to save us.
In today's world where qualifications such educational degrees, professional accreditation, work experience, etc. are fundamental to establashing one's expertise and credibility in an area -- including Christian ministry activities -- it's striking to notice how Jesus suddenly becomes a teacher with self-evident (rather than title- or position-based) authority. This did not just happen because the people in the synagogues were gullible and naive. Whatever the practical details, we know it happened because of God's authority. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking that people are so much smarter today than they were 2,000 years ago. But we are witness to every one of the follies and sins mentioned the OT and NT almost every day of our lives today, whether it's personal weaknesses like jealousy or social shortcomings like genocide or poverty.
I found all of the comments posted earlier enlightening!
Post a Comment