Monday: An Unforgettable Worship Service
Daily Lesson for Monday 8th of July 2024
Read Mark 1:21-28. What unforgettable experience happened in the Capernaum synagogue, and what spiritual truths can we take from this account?
Most Christians have some unforgettable moments in their Christian walk—the decision to follow Jesus; the day of their baptism; a powerful sermon during which they deeply felt the presence of God. Some of these moments might not only be unforgettable but be life-changing, as well.
Image © Barry Wingard at Goodsalt.com
So it might have been for some people in Capernaum on the Sabbath described in Mark 1:1-45. “And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22, NKJV). As Jesus was teaching, a demon-possessed man, no doubt impacted by the power of Jesus’ teaching, shouted, “ ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God’ ” (Mark 1:24, ESV), and Jesus cast out the demon.
Think of the implications of these words from the demon.
First, the demon recognizes Jesus as “ ‘the Holy One of God.’ ” He acknowledges that Jesus is the holy emissary of God, in contrast to the unclean, unholy hosts of Satan. In a worship setting, one expects holy things and individuals, not unholy and unclean things. Thus, in this story there is a sharp contrast between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We can see here the reality of the great controversy. People might not yet know who Jesus is, but the demon certainly does and publicly acknowledges it, as well.
Next, the command to come out of the man is understandable, but why the command, “ ‘Be quiet’ ” (NKJV)? Beginning here in Mark, a remarkable motif appears: Jesus’ call for silence regarding who He is. Scholars call this the “Messianic Secret.”
Jesus’ call for silence makes good sense because of the political overtones of Messianic expectations in His time. It was risky to be a messiah. Yet, mixed with the calls for silence are the unmistakable revelations of who Jesus is. What will become clear over time is that Jesus’ identity cannot be hidden, and the truth of who He is becomes the center of the gospel message. People need not only to know who Jesus is but also to make a decision about how they will respond to His coming and what it means for them.
In seeking to witness to others, when might it be prudent not to present all that we believe regarding “present truth”?
(26)
Jesus called for silence because it was not yet His time. That was reiterated to his disciples later in in His ministry.
In one of the conferences where I taught school, teachers were asked to help out in the preaching program. There were not enough ministers to preach to all the churches on Sabbath. I was happy to do this, I had two sermons at the time so I knew I had one sermon up my sleeve just in case I had to preach in the same church twice. I remember one Sabbath in one of the larger congregations, I was in the middle of the sermon when a woman near the front passed out. I continued to preach as the deacons came in and carried her outside. The situation was nowhere near as confronting as in the Synagogue at Capernaum.
There are several issues in this story and while the author covers most of them, I want to add one more. The healing occurred on Sabbath and it is quite possible that this set the scene for the discussion on Sabbath-keeping in Mark 2.
Jesus spoke in a synagogue as one having authority in his own right, without appealing to rabbinical writings for precedents. So when he healed the possessed man on Sabbath he ignored the rabbinical teaching on Sabbath-keeping, putting the needs of a desperate man first. And in doing so he set the scene for the practice of true religion.
We must be always aware of the truth that we teach to others, yet with the awareness that they cannot grasp all of the truth at one time. We must put the puzzle together a piece at a time. Here a little and there a little.
The reason is that the human mind cannot attain every word the Lord wants to feed to our hearts and minds because it is definitely too weak. On that note, I would mention that the devil(s) infiltrate some church members who have not fully invited the Holy Ghost into their hearts and lives.
It is important to note that the demon was present in the synagogue. It is therefore incumbent on us not to idly listen to discussion and sermons in church, but to listen critically,because it makes us prone to deception by these spirits. Consequently, the speakers in front,either in class or during sermons, should leave themselves open to discussion should the occasion arise when someone may need clarification on something being taught or said.A point of note is that those in such leadership positions should not allow pride or ego to allow them to suppress open discussion or correction,or to humbly receive light from the Holy Spirit through other Believers. Of course,this questioning or discussion should be presented in a respectful manner.
We might not all be able to stand up and preach a sermon on Sabbath like Maurice, but we can, through acts of kindness, be the sermon!!!
For emphasis, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27 KJV
It was not the human speaking in Mark 1:24 but a demon through the possessed. Jesus told the demon to be quiet, not the human. Could it be that Jesus (1) demonstrated perfect union with God the Father and faith in His power by casting the demon out, (as an example of the power to be utilized through faith of his disciples when he sends them out on their own?)
-John 14:12
-Mark 6:7-10
And (2,) might Jesus have told the demon to be quiet because satanic forces speak in half truths and Jesus did not want his ministry to be associated with that type of message? It appears, to me, the demon interrupted Jesus from speaking the full truth. If the synagogue is to be a house of prayer and worship, of God, the demon had no place there. The demon is a heckler and might have continued to interrupt Jesus from speaking The Truth. Might this demonstrate the power of Truth to heal, set free and peace; not a need to hide?
I agree. This is much like Paul's interaction with the fortune telling girl in Philippi. I don't think demonic testimony is something that mixes well with Truth and I think Jesus wanted to be sure no one connected Him with these powers.
In addition to the comments raised about today's lesson, it is important to note that the devil came to church that day. Does he come to my church also? Another important point is the fact that the clergy of the day was not selected by the Holy Spirit to be the one to cast out the devil and to perform that miracle. This begs the question, should we allow occasions during our weekly service at church for the Holy Spirit to select whom he chooses to perform miracles for the glory of God? Doesn't the bible say that the Holy Ghost's job is to look at the needs of the church and to give gifts to whom he chooses for the work of the ministry? When will be willing to invite the Holy Spirit to do this during our regular weekly worship service?
It may not be prudent not to present all that we believe regarding “present truth to a new convert or someone transitioning from one denomination to the next. We should never overwhelm people with knowledge or truth as we know it, but prayerfully ask Jesus to create opportunities for the person to seek out additional truths. Once the Lord provides these opportunities, we must be spiritually prepared with a humble spirit and biblical evidence to support our explanations and answers. This interaction needs to come from a humble Christ-centered perspective.
Here it is Tuesday evening July 9th, and I still can't get Monday's lesson out of my mind. I think it is a grave disservice to our understanding of the nature of the conflict between Christ and Satan to merely ascribe Jesus' command as "the Messianic Secret",as scholars prefer to call it. Let us with a fresh outlook, a clean palate, if you will, re-examine the possible motivation of Jesus to command the evil spirit to "Be Quiet"!
The accusatory question posed by this former holy being to Jesus asks, "Are you come to destroy us" Mark 1:24 NKJV
As I read this passage I was reminded of two sentences in the book, "The Desire of Ages" in the chapter, "It is finished" page 759:
And we see the scriptural underpinnings of these words of inspiration. "Arise, take the young child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him" (Matthew 2:13 NKJV)
There is no question about it. There is no legal justification for killing a baby. This is murder. But what can we expect from the one who was a murder from the beginning? (John 8:44) Likewise the anger of the mob that almost pushed Jesus off of a cliff was inspired by one, "who abode not in the truth" ibid. See Luke 4:29,30.
Twice was Jesus threatened to be stoned to death, John 8:59 and John 10:31
So the question, Are you come to destroy us"? Is dripping with Satanic hypocrisy. Yet instead of getting into an argument with this former holy messenger that rebelled against God, about who is trying to destroy whom, Jesus silences the argument with two words, and two commands:"Be Quiet"! And come out of him"!
Instead of Jesus commanding the evil spirit to "leave Him alone" and arguing about who is bothering whom Jesus calls for an end to the discussion.
Rather than this being
"the Messianic Secret" this command is the greatest announcement to the world that Jesus is the Messiah, The Holy Son of God.
Why? You may ask. Because, as anyone who has ever raised a mouthy teenager has experienced, the evil spirit did not indeed talk back and argue with the Son of God. And he did leave the poor unfortunate human. This being, who before the fall, found it his highest joy to obey the Son of God, now still obeyed Him, though he resisted.
In light of this perspective what is secret about the mission of Jesus that scholars say this incident is about?
Beautiful
with power and authority: Scholars define power as Power can be defined as a manager's ability to influence others. A manager obtains his or her power from both the organization (positional power) and from him or herself (personal power). The key to successful management lies in using a combination of positional power and personal power.
Jesus powers is originally divin. His Strategically positioning make him the best Teacher than
It is clear although we attend churches the devil also infilitrate some believers who have not fully invited Holly spirit in their lives,therefore we must always fast and pray without ceasing and do good to those in need
Well said.