8-21 “The Conquering King!” (Mark 1:21-33)
- (21-24) Evangelism Authority
- (25-27) Exorcism Authority
- (28-33) Energizing Authority
Mark 1:21–33 (NKJV)
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.
29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.
31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.
32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.
33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.
Jesus the Nazarene
Interestingly, the spelling of the word, Nazarene, in the passage is actually very different. It is commonly spelled: Nazarene, in our English. But in Matthew 2:23, and elsewhere, it is spelled: Natsorean. The word Natsorean means, branch. Incredibly the spelling change occurs in 14 other places, including Acts 22:8, where the glorified Jesus calls Himself, Jesus the Branch!
Why should that be exciting? Because this points us back to the Old Testament fulfillment of the coming, righteous branch. Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Jeremiah 33:15-16, Zechariah 3:8, Zechariah 6:12-13.
Let us look at one of them:
Zechariah 6:12-13 12 Then speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying: “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From His place He shall branch out, And He shall build the temple of the LORD; 13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD. He shall bear the glory, And shall sit and rule on His throne; So He shall be a priest on His throne, And the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’
This is what Jesus did in His victorious death, life-giving resurrection, and glorious ascension. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came into the people of God’s pasture, and this was the building of God’s temple.
In the Old Testament, the Branch Man is prophesied to do many things: He will cleanse from sin, He will make the earth fruitful, He will reign in all authority, He will be the Lord who is our Righteousness, and He will be the servant of God. This can be none other than the living and reigning Lord Jesus Christ!
This has a lot to do with us! In Romans, Paul says that we were grafted into the root—that root is Jesus Christ! (cf. 11:1) This means that we have been joined into the lifegiving branch that is Jesus Christ. Jesus has done this for you because He loves you!
