Mark 1:21 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Mark 1:21

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Now they come to Capernaum, which Christ was to make his headquarters for the Galilean ministry. Luke tells us that following his rejection and attempted murder in Nazareth, the town of his birth, he moved to Capernaum where Peter and Andrew have a house, probably a relatively humble place. He is going to be teaching repentance and remission of sin. He will expound the Scripture and unfold it to them, and, of course, he knew it through and through because he was the author of Scripture, and he expounds it in such a way as they had never heard before.Mark hurries to the first teaching he is going to record and the allied miracle. Here is Christ’s purpose emphasised: ‘Straightway on the sabbath day.’ He knew exactly what his timetable was. He knew what he was going to do today, tomorrow, where he would be all the way to Calvary and his arrest and apparent weakness. He determined it before he even created the world. Mark considers the effect of Christ’s teaching: ‘And they were astonished at his doctrine.’ The Greek word translated ‘astonished’ literally means, ‘they were struck’ or ‘struck out’, as it might be rendered. Their normal thoughts, expectations, aspirations, ideas of life were just knocked to one side, struck completely out of the way. They could think about nothing else but his teaching. They had never heard anything like this, they were astonished. Their normal train of thought was completely pushed out of the way. The teaching of Christ was not works but grace. It wasn’t, ‘Do this, do that, and God will be pleased with you.’ All the minute aspects of the ritual and so on: that was not what he was emphasising. That was the teaching of the scribes and the Pharisees. Christ’s doctrine was entirely different. It was about grace; the mercy and the forgiveness of God must be freely sought. It is a gift; you cannot earn it; you cannot deserve it. Of course, Christ would have told them at that time, ‘You must observe the law. Its teachings, its symbols are vital and God has given them.’ Those symbols were to come to an end but for the time being they were important. But they didn’t earn or deserve the favour of God for you. The sacrifices all pointed to a great sacrifice that would be made by Christ himself, when he came to his substitutionary, atoning death and suffered on behalf of sinners. Christ’s preaching was this: look to God for his mercy, repent of your sins, ask for free pardon and forgiveness, for transformation and change. They had never heard anything like it, and now this is being taught in the synagogue by Christ and they are astonished. What a judgment on Capernaum, that the vast majority of people there ultimately rejected him! They had heard him and they had been astonished and they had seen the difference, yet in the full light of day they rejected the mercy of God. The scribes were probably very dogmatic and ponderous, and maybe cold in their teaching, lacking compassion. They drowned in a sea of ritual, but Christ was so different. He had the ability to interpret. In fact, it seemed to the listeners that he interpreted as though he was entitled to interpret. It seemed to be so natural to him and he spoke with conviction and he applied the teaching to hearts and cared about the people to whom he spoke. It was all so self-evidently true, and it made its way into their souls and moved them. His preaching was an attestation by itself of his divinity and of his Messianic nature and purpose. Yet he would work miracles too. The miracles would underscore and make plain the teaching; the two things were connected: what he taught, that he did.

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Questions

What is the purpose of the miracles? Generally, many do not grasp what miracles are for. Vast numbers, some not recorded, sometimes healing all the sick in an area. Some, but not all the purposes are taught. People say, you turn miracles into parables. How do you get from them to the way in which Christ saves souls? They were mighty acts of power, also called in Greek signs and wonders and works. They were always works above nature, instantaneous, public, successful, permanent. All the people thought he was a prophet, but more than a prophet, for he always healed in his own name. They witnessed miracles such as none had ever done. These were not little things. They took away the excuses of his enemies, and therefore they were judged guilty because the miracles were so conspicuous and unusual. Christ taught by words and by deeds, for the miracles also teach. Common classification of the miracles in the Bible dictionaries are rather rationalistic and inadequate, dividing them into miracles over nature, and miracles over bodies. Yes, this division is systematic but no classification like this takes account of what they teach. They are there to demonstrate he was divine. They shows his love and compassion. They also fulfil Old Testament prophecy. But there is much more, for they taught how he would save, who he would save. Luke 5:23-24 makes quite clear that the miracles depict his power to forgive, and he makes it clear to doubting scribes that his teaching and miracles run together.

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Introduction

Mark 1:21 Commentary and Bible Study