Mark 1:24-26

“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”  “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”  The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

From Background Notes [BN] for March 17^th/18^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What sort of spirit was this?

We learn from the way the spirit left the man that it was a violent spirit who left under loud protest. The spirit of the times in which Jesus lived was marked by violence of all kinds. It’s not surprising to find a man bound by violence. Apparently going to the synagogue each week didn’t change him. He no doubt heard all sorts of teachings from the famous rabbis: even some that claimed to date back to Moses! None of them made a different in the man’s life. He was stilled imprisoned by the spirit of violence. Mark seems to be telling us that traditional Judaism, in spite of all its fine and diverse scholarship, was of no help in saving people from the spirit of their times. Religions have their holy books and their official doctrines. The question for us to consider is do these things actually set their followers free? Is there a life-changing word in all this teaching? Or does the teaching simply drive the causes of violence deeper and deeper inside an already troubled society?

Jesus speaks the word of life and sets the man free. The people are amazed yet again that his teaching has the authority to dismiss those spirits that harass human life. Though Torah had been taught for generations in the Jewish synagogues, Jesus brought more than words on a page or original interpretations of old texts. He brought the powerful Word of God, able to set people free. Jesus was the living witness to the God of love who would not rest until the words of Isaiah 61 became reality. Nor should we. “Sing them over again to me,” we sometimes sing, “Wonderful words of life.” These are words of “eternal life” whose lasting significance lies in their life-changing power. As Peter once told Jesus, “Where else can we go. You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Let the church bear witness to words, “with authority,” that sends away the evil spirits of our age.  [BN, 5 & 6]

Join us this week in Study & Worship at ChicagoFirstChurch of the Nazarene –

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am, 5:30pm