Mark:1:21-28
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rwp @
Mark:1:21 @{
And taught } (\
edidasken \).
Inchoative imperfect ,
began to teach as soon as he entered the synagogue in Capernaum on the sabbath .
The synagogue in Capernaum afforded the best opening for the teaching of Jesus .
He had now made Capernaum (
Tell Hum )
his headquarters after the rejection in Nazareth as explained in strkjv @
Luke:4:16-31 |
and strkjv @
Matthew:4:13-16 |.
The ruins of this synagogue have been discovered and there is even talk of restoring the building since the stones are in a good state of preservation .
Jesus both taught (\
didask \)
and preached (\
k
russ \)
in the Jewish synagogues as opportunity was offered by the chief or leader of the synagogue (\
archisunag
gos \).
The service consisted of prayer ,
praise ,
reading of scripture ,
and exposition by any rabbi or other competent person .
Often Paul was invited to speak at such meetings .
In strkjv @
Luke:4:20 |
Jesus gave back the roll of Isaiah to the attendant or beadle (\
t
i hup
ret
i \)
whose business it was to bring out the precious manuscript and return it to its place .
Jesus was a preacher of over a year when he began to teach in the Capernaum synagogue .
His reputation had preceded him (
Luke:4:14 |).
rwp @
Mark:1:22 @{
They were astonished } (\
exepl
ssonto \).
Pictorial imperfect as in strkjv @
Luke:4:32 |
describing the amazement of the audience , "
meaning strictly to strike a person out of his senses by some strong feeling ,
such as fear ,
wonder ,
or even joy " (
Gould ). {
And not as their scribes } (\
kai ouch h
s hoi grammateis \).
strkjv @
Luke:4:32 |
has only "
with authority " (\
en exousi
i \).
Mark has it "
as having authority " (\
h
s ech
n exousian \).
He struck a note not found by the rabbi .
They quoted other rabbis and felt their function to be expounders of the traditions which they made a millstone around the necks of the people .
By so doing they set aside the word and will of God by their traditions and petty legalism (
Mark:7:9 ,
13 |).
They were casuists and made false interpretations to prove their punctilious points of external etiquette to the utter neglect of the spiritual reality .
The people noticed at once that here was a personality who got his power (
authority )
direct from God ,
not from the current scribes . "
Mark omits much ,
and is in many ways a meagre Gospel ,
but it makes a distinctive contribution to the evangelic history _in
showing by a few realistic touches_
(
this one of them )
_the
remarkable personality of Jesus_
" (
Bruce ).
See on strkjv @
Matthew:7:29 |
for the like impression made by the Sermon on the Mount where the same language occurs .
The chief controversy in Christ '
s life was with these scribes ,
the professional teachers of the oral law and mainly Pharisees .
At once the people see that Jesus stands apart from the old group .
He made a sensation in the best sense of that word .
There was a buzz of excitement at the new teacher that was increased by the miracle that followed the sermon .
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Mark:1:23 @{
With an unclean spirit } (\
en pneumati akathart
i \).
This use of \
en \ "
with "
is common in the Septuagint like the Hebrew _be_
,
but it occurs also in the papyri .
It is the same idiom as "
in Christ ," "
in the Lord "
so common with Paul .
In English we speak of our being in love ,
in drink ,
in his cups ,
etc .
The unclean spirit was in the man and the man in the unclean spirit ,
a man in the power of the unclean spirit .
Luke has "
having ,"
the usual construction .
See on ¯
Matthew:22:43 |.
Unclean spirit is used as synonymous with {
demon } (\
daimonion \).
It is the idea of estrangement from God (
Zechariah:13:2 |).
The whole subject of demonology is difficult ,
but no more so than the problem of the devil .
Jesus distinguishes between the man and the unclean spirit .
Usually physical or mental disease accompanied the possession by demons .
One wonders today if the degenerates and confirmed criminals so common now are not under the power of demons .
The only cure for confirmed criminals seems to be conversion (
a new heart ).
rwp @
Mark:1:24 @{
What have we to do with thee ?} (\
ti h
min kai soi ?\)
The same idiom in strkjv @
Matthew:8:29 |.
Ethical dative .
Nothing in common between the demon and Jesus .
Note "
we ."
The man speaks for the demon and himself ,
double personality .
The recognition of Jesus by the demons may surprise us since the rabbis (
the ecclesiastics )
failed to do so .
They call Jesus "
The Holy One of God " (\
ho hagios tou theou \).
Hence the demon feared that Jesus was come to destroy him and the man in his power .
In strkjv @
Matthew:8:29 |
the demon calls Jesus "
Son of God ."
Later the disciples will call Jesus "
The Holy One of God " (
John:6:69 |).
The demon cried out aloud (\
anekraxen \,
late first aorist form , \
anekragen \,
common second aorist )
so that all heard the strange testimony to Jesus .
The man says "
I know " (\
oida \),
correct text ,
some manuscripts "
we know " (\
oidamen \),
including the demon .
rwp @
Mark:1:25 @{
Hold thy peace } (\
phim
th
ti \).
First aorist passive imperative of \
phimo \. "
Be quiet ,"
Moffatt translates it .
But it is a more vigorous word , "
Be muzzled "
like an ox .
Songs:literally in strkjv @
Deuteronomy:25:4 ,
strkjv @
1Corinthians:9:9 ;
strkjv @
1Timothy:5:18 |.
It is common in Josephus ,
Lucian ,
and the LXX .
See strkjv @
Matthew:22:12 ,
34 |.
Gould renders it "
Shut up ." "
Shut your mouth "
would be too colloquial .
Vincent suggests "
gagged ,"
but that is more the idea of \
epistomazein \
in strkjv @
Titus:1:11 |,
to stop the mouth .
rwp @
Mark:1:26 @{
Tearing him } (\
sparaxan auton \).
Margin , {
convulsing him }
like a spasm .
Medical writers use the word for the rotating of the stomach .
strkjv @
Luke:4:35 |
adds "
when the demon had thrown him down in the midst ."
Mark mentions the "
loud voice " (\
phon
i megal
i \),
a screech ,
in fact .
It was a moment of intense excitement .
rwp @
Mark:1:27 @{
They questioned among themselves } (\
sunz
tein autous \).
By look and word . {
A new teaching } (\
didach
kain \).
One surprise had followed another this day .
The teaching was fresh (\
kain \),
original as the dew of the morning on the blossoms just blown .
That was a novelty in that synagogue where only staid and stilted rabbinical rules had been heretofore droned out .
This new teaching charmed the people ,
but soon will be rated as heresy by the rabbis .
And it was with authority (\
kat '
exousian \).
It is not certain whether the phrase is to be taken with "
new teaching ," "
It '
s new teaching with authority behind it ,"
as Moffatt has it ,
or with the verb ; "
with authority commandeth even the unclean spirits " (\
kai tois pneumasin tois akathartois epitassei \).
The position is equivocal and may be due to the fact that "
Mark gives the incoherent and excited remarks of the crowd in this natural form " (
Swete ).
But the most astonishing thing of all is that the demons "
obey him " (\
hupakouousin aut
i \).
The people were accustomed to the use of magical formulae by the Jewish exorcists (
Matthew:12:27 ;
strkjv @
Acts:19:13 |),
but here was something utterly different .
Simon Magus could not understand how Simon Peter could do his miracles without some secret trick and even offered to buy it (
Acts:8:19 |).
rwp @
Mark:1:28 @{
The report of him } (\
h
ako
autou \).
Vulgate ,
_rumor_
.
See strkjv @
Matthew:14:1 ;
strkjv @
24:6 |.
They had no telephones ,
telegraphs ,
newspapers or radio ,
but news has a marvellous way of spreading by word of mouth .
The fame of this new teacher went out "
everywhere " (\
pantachou \)
throughout all Galilee .