One of the things that I find quite interesting about this text from Mark is that it has really caused me to think about Jesus mission, and even to explore what Jesus thought his mission to be. It might seem fairly obvious, and to some extent it is. "He came to die for our sins", that is probably the stock answer you would receive from almost any Christian if you asked them about Jesus mission. While that is true, and there is no denying Jesus death and resurrection as the centerpiece of Jesus earthly ministry, if the extent of Jesus mission was to die a sacrificial death, why the several year ministry? Why not just come, die, rise again, and be done with the whole messy business?
I think the answer is that deep down Jesus was a teacher. Even more than that, he was THE teacher. To our detriment, we often allow Jesus' miracles to overshadow Jesus' teaching. It is important to note that even in this passage when he heals the man with the unclean spirit, Jesus does this as a response to the fact that his teaching has been interupted. As we read through the gospel of Mark, we will see a pattern emerge, where Jesus attempts to teach the people, but all they seem to be interested in is miracles. In many ways, we fall into the same trap. Jesus feeding of the five thousand, Jesus turning water into wine, those are the events that catch our eye. They are flashy, the seem to bear the greatest witness to Jesus' identity as the Son of God. And yet, if it were true that miracles offered the greatest proof that Jesus was indeed who he said he was, then why do we find miracles to so often be the source of confusion when it comes to Jesus' identity?
- When Jesus heals a man with a withered hand, it causes the Pharisees and scribes to oppose Him (Mark 3:6)
- When he casts out demons, the scribes think he is possessed (Mark 3:22)
- Jesus' healing of the sick fails to impress those from his own town (Mark 6:2-3)
- His miracles cause Herod to mistakingly believe that John the Baptist has come back from the grave (Mark 6:14-16)
- And in perhaps the most stunning example, the discipes fail to comprehend Jesus power even after he miraculously feeds 5,000, and then 4,000 people (Mark 6:52; 8:13-21)
The evidence would seem to suggest that if we are going to truly understand who Jesus is, we must look to what he preached and what he taught. The only miracle we need to confirm the authority with which he proclaimed his message is the miracle of the empty tomb.
So what should we learn concerning Jesus the teacher? Mark thinks there are a few things that we should know. First of all, Jesus has confidence in His authority, as he shows up to teach in a sacred place (the synagogue), and at a sacred time (the Sabbath). No one would really pay much attention to someone who stood behind a pulpit, preaching to an empty room on a Tuesday morning. But when the sanctuary is full on Sunday morning, standing behind the pulpit takes on a whole nother meaning. Secondly, Jesus' authority is innate, or based on His identity, rather than derived from any source. I like to think of the difference between an attorney and a Supreme Court justice. An attorney can argue what the law says, based on precedent and interpretation, but a Supreme Court justice can decide what the law says, and in the process make the law. Jesus teachings do not rest on the scholarly opinions of learned rabbis and scribes, or even on precedent, but rather on His own opinion, which by its very nature is truth with a capital "T". It's intriguing to note that in this introduction to Jesus as teacher, Mark doesn't even mention what it is Jesus taught. In this initial encounter, Mark's goal is merely to show us that Jesus teaches, and teaches as one with authority.
If Mark places so much emphasis on Jesus as teacher, perhaps it is worth taking a look at what it is Jesus' taught. After all, our ability to truly follow Jesus will be determined not by His ability to cast a demon out of someone 2,000 years ago, but on the words that he taught and preached whose truth remains as powerful today, as when they were first uttered.
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