Irvin Wasswa, Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Mark 1:23-28
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
The context of Mark 1:23-28 is Jesus beginning His ministry here on the earth. He had just called the first disciples to follow after Him and then proceeded to go into the synagogue and teach word of God in Capernaum. By the way, imagine going to the temple and seeing the guest speaker be Jesus Christ, Son of the living God! That would be awesome! In the midst of teaching the Word, a demon possessed man comes into the synagogue and what happens next is crazy: The demon begins to have a conversation with the Lord. Jesus responds by commanding the demon to come out of the man, and immediately the demon left. The reaction of the crowd that day was as expected. They were amazed and quickly went to share what they witnessed that day with all who were in that region.
We too have seen the Lord do some great things in our lives haven’t we? From saving us by His grace and love while we were sinners (Eph. 2:1-10), to growing us in Christ (2 Peter 3:18), to providing for us and meeting a need (Philippians 4:19), He has done great things! The question is are you still amazed by Him and His greatness? If we are not careful, as Christians the God of the universe can become just another cool character in the Bible; the Gospel can become just another cool story of the many that are in the Bible. May that never be the case!
Listen, the same Jesus who spoke and commanded the demon to flee from the man in the synagogue, is the same Jesus who came and died to give you life. The same God who met you in the lowest of valleys in your life back then, is the same God who is with you on the hilltop today. The same God who saved you back then, is the same God who wants to work in and through you today! He is still El HaGadol, the Great God! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! May we never lose the wonder of our Lord! May the greatness of the Lord and what He has done for you lead you to respond in awe, in worship, and in sharing of His greatness with those around you!
Prayer for Today: Dear Gracious Lord, You are amazing! Thank you for who You are and what you have done for me because of your love! Help me to never lose the wonder of who You are! I pray all these things in Your name. Amen!
MEMORY VERSE FOR THE WEEK:
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.