7.-A Sabbath at Capernaum
“And they go into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes. And straightway there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who that; art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And the unclean spirit tearing him and crying with a loud voice came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? a new teaching! With authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.
“And the report of him went out straightway everywhere into all the region of Galilee.
“And straightway when they were come out of the synagogue they came into the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Now Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever; and straightway they tell him of her: and he came and took her by the hand and raised her up; and the fever left her, and she ministered unto them” (1:21-31, R.V.).
(Many of these renderings by W.K. are taken from Vol: II. of the Believer’s Monthly Magazine.)
The Servant of Jehovah proceeds with His ministry of the kingdom of God. Only He is not now alone in it. We read previously that “Jesus came into Galilee”; we now read “they go into Capernaum.” He would necessarily direct all the service and provide and arrange all matters as the Master. It was their part to be ear-witnesses of His gracious words and eye-witnesses of His miracles and signs, and some of them of His majesty also. But they, we may be sure, found their joy and their strength. not in visions of the future, but in the simple satisfaction that arose from being in the company and under the direction of a loved One. Is it not so even now? Does not the renewed heart crave for a sense of the Lord’s presence? And did not the Lord Himself answer that craving by His promise before His departure, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). And, if this assurance be said to have a special collective application, the wish of Paul for Timothy is undoubtedly individual, “The Lord [Jesus Christ] be with thy spirit” (2 Tim. 4:22). May we then, individually and collectively, walk with Him!
The Lord was pleased to select Capernaum as His abode in Galilee, making from thence His circuits through the numerous towns and villages—of that populous district. Capernaum was from this circumstance highly favored as a place.—Matthew, alluding to the Lord’s residence there, speaks of it as “His own city” (9:1). In the words often quoted from Chrysostom, “Bethlehem bore Him, Nazareth nurtured Him, Capernaum had Him continuously as inhabitant.”
The Lord Himself referred to this mark of outward privilege and its abuse in words of solemn and tremendous import, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hell [hades]; for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day” (Matt. 11:23). Capernaum repented not at the preaching of Jesus, and while its unbelieving inhabitants must answer for themselves individually in a day of judgment yet to come, this, the Lord’s own city in Galilee, has been so completely overthrown that its site cannot with certainty be identified.
In the Lord’s service on this Sabbath day in Capernaum, as recorded by Mark, He is shown (1) teaching in the synagogue, (2) expelling a demon, and (3) healing Simon’s wife’s mother.
JEHOVAH’S SERVANT TEACHING WITH AUTHORITY
Jesus straightway went into the synagogue, probably that one built by the Roman centurion (Luke 7:1, 5), and began teaching. We are not: told here the matter of His discourse. Matthew, in, what is commonly known as the Sermon on the mount, has summarized in the words of our Lord the moral principles which should characterize the coming kingdom of heaven. Mark simply states that He who had preached the fulfillment of ancient promise and the gospel of God now commenced to expound the truth, so that those who were hungering and thirsting after righteousness might be filled. Many prophets and kings had desired to hear the things taught in Capernaum that day, but had not heard them. And many in the synagogue, the Simeons and the Annas, had waited for that day, and now they received with joy the welcome news of grace, saying in their hearts, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for him; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isa. 25:9; cf. Luke 2:29).
But the Evangelist points out for our admiration and instruction that the teaching of the lowly Servant in the synagogue was “with authority”, and also that this character was so evident in His words as to fill the audience with astonishment. His words carried with them the weight of divine credentials, giving them a distinction altogether superior to those of unauthorized teachers, so that not only the common people, but a learned rabbi was constrained to say to Him, “We know thou art a teacher come from God.”
We may pause here to inquire more closely and particularly as to the exact meaning of this phrase used with regard to the Lord’s teaching at Capernaum. “He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes”; and again, “With authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” What was it for Him to speak with authority? Does this mean that when He spoke His words were followed by an immediate and irresistible effect in the conviction of the minds and hearts of the auditors, or in compelling the obedience of the unclean demon present? Or does it mean that when He spoke it was evident to His hearers that He had an adequate commission as the Servant of Jehovah to declare the good tidings that He did? The latter, assuredly, is the meaning most in consonance with the scheme of this Gospel, and also with the general usage of the original word (ἐξουσἴα) rightly translated “authority.”
This word (ἐξ.) implies the possession of the right or title to act, and not only the capacity or competency to do so, the latter being expressed by the word often translated “power” (δύναμις). Moses might be said to have had zeal and competency when he first set about redressing his people’s wrongs in Egypt; but when his authority was challenged, “Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?” he fled ignominiously. Later, however, Jehovah said to him, “Come now and I will send thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” He then went as a divinely accredited emissary. It is so that Jesus is presented in Mark. He had an indisputable right to speak.
It is not implied that His word in any sense lacked power. On the contrary, in Luke we have, in connection with this very incident, both words used; “with authority (έξ) and power (δ) he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out” (Luke 4:36). As a Servant, He was heaven’s Plenipotentiary in the fullest sense of the word. He had the amplest title to speak, and His word was also effective, according to Isaiah’s prophecy, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).
The time soon came when men in resentment questioned this authority of the Lord. Did they not ask, “By what authority doest thou these things?” and, “Who gave thee this authority to do these things?” (Mark 11:27-33). But this question was the outcome of the stubborn will of man rebelling against the manifest authority of God; and Jesus vouchsafed no answer.
Here in Galilee were simple souls, thirsting for the word of life, desirous of having the great problems of an active conscience toward God settled with authority. They perceived with amazement such authority in the manner of the Lord’s teaching, even before that authority was demonstrated in their midst by the expulsion of a demon. It must be observed that this character was recognized although His word was not prefaced by the phrase so frequent in the prophecies which were read in their hearing every Sabbath, “Thus saith Jehovah.” Indeed, a false prophet might use such a formula, but here was One who spake in His own name and yet in the name of Jehovah of Israel and the God of all the earth also. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you”; “Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time... but I say unto you,” giving them thus, by virtue of His own right, the word of Him that sent Him. Can we wonder that it was said, “I perceive that thou art a prophet”; and again, “We have heard ourselves, and know, that this is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:19, 42)? While even the officers sent to arrest Him excused their failure to execute their task by the statement, “Never man so spake.”
The teaching of Jesus is placed in contrast with that of the scribes in so far as the former possessed an authority of which the latter was utterly destitute. “He taught them as having authority, and not as the scribes.” It is unnecessary to refer to the erudite speculations of professors of our day, at home or abroad, as to the theology of the scribes, in order to realize the force of this inspired contrast. We have all we need in this Gospel itself. The Lord Himself has characterized the scribes and their doctrine, and they therefore stand uncloaked in the presence of the Light of the world (Mark 7:1-13; 12:38-40). Besides, the question here considered is not the one raised later, viz., what the scribes taught, but how they taught. The unlettered peasants, hearing the Faithful and True Witness, confessed how different His teaching is from that of the false witnesses. They heard the voice of the Good Shepherd, whose own the sheep were, and it had a ring of authority never heard in the voice of the hireling who cared for the fleece rather than the flock.
The truth was that, though the scribes sat on Moses’ seat, they neglected the commandments of God, and expounded and enforced the precepts of men. Hence their words were bereft of all authority in matters appertaining to the responsibility of man to God, and this lack was evident to the natural conscience. But now One spake upon whose words sinful men might rest with assurance, as He said, “We speak that we do know, and bear witness of that we have seen.” “His word does not consist of arguments which evidence the uncertainty of man, but comes with the authority of One who knows the truth which He proclaims—authority which in fact was that of God who can communicate truth.” It is no wonder then that the audience in the synagogue was filled with amazement, as they listened to the authoritative words of Jesus of Nazareth. Let us hope that many received His words in faith, and, believing, had life in His name.
(To be continued)
[W. J. H.