Saturday after the First Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 13, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Mark 1:21-28 (NKJV)
1:21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, “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!”
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.
Devotion
“For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
The Lord Jesus Christ reveals His authority, and the crowd takes notice. We have seen throughout the readings this week that the crowds are willing to take notice of the Lord’s works in His ministry. In this passage, they state that Jesus has authority to command the evil spirits and they obey Him. The people’s observation is correct. But, as we saw in the reading yesterday, a mere observation of the Lord’s work and authority is not enough to overcome the uncleanness of sin and unbelief. The man with the unclean spirit was in the synagogue when the demon lashed out.
It is only by the Word and working of Christ that the demon obeys and comes out of the man. It is by the power of God alone, through His Word, that we poor sinners are given faith as a gift. We are made able to repent by the working and assistance of the Holy Ghost. We are fed and strengthened by the Sacraments.
It is not enough for us to merely observe that Jesus does these things, but we must trust Him, believing He has the authority to take our sin on the cross, to rescue us from sin and death, and to keep us until the day of His coming.
Collect: O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people who call upon Thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
