Epiphany 4
As we have been saying, the season of Epiphany is the continuation of Christmas as we look into the face of that Baby who was born and see who He really is—true man and true God, the God-man. In the season of Epiphany, as we again read of our Lord’s life and teaching, He is again revealing Himself to us.
In the season of Epiphany, the light of Bethlehem still shines and like the shepherds did that first Christmas night and like the wise men later on, people still come to Jesus. Traditionally Epiphany is a season that also focuses on mission work. That’s because of the example of the wise men coming to see and worship Jesus. They were the first in a long line of Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus; we, too, are in that long line that came to Jesus; today, that line of those coming to Jesus continues as people are brought to faith as the word is proclaimed and baptism is administered.
We remember the prophecy of St. Isaiah that we heard at Christmas [9.2]: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined. Jesus is that light; and all people—all of us as we come into the world, before we come to faith—walk in the darkness of sin and death. But Jesus has come! He has revealed Himself to us! There is Epiphany—upon them a light has shined.
What makes this prophecy from St. Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus’ birth, so amazing is that not only does in speak in general about people coming to faith in Jesus; about the Light, who is Jesus, shining on them and revealing Himself to them. But the verse right before it tells on whom the Light/ the Light of the Messiah would first shine— By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan in Galilee of the Gentiles. The Savior would first let His light shine/ would first reveal Himself in lowly, despised Galilee. And what have we been hearing the past few weeks in Epiphany/ what has St. Mark been reporting to us? After Jesus was baptized by St. John the Baptizer in the Jordan and entered into His public ministry [1. 14, 15], Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel.” Here Jesus was in Galilee, and then we hear about Jesus calling His first disciples—in Galilee, fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. And then today’s text begins: Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching. Capernaum is on the Sea of Galilee and there Jesus begins preaching in the synagogue. And notice the immediately on the Sabbath –there’s a sense of urgency. Jesus is anxious to preach, to reveal Himself to the people as to who He really is—the Son of God and Savior of the world. Jesus, the Light of the world, has come and in Galilee of the Gentiles first, the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.
In this account that St. Mark records for us of Jesus preaching in this synagogue of Capernaum, we catch a glorious glimpse of Jesus’ saving work and exactly what He came to do. The first and most obvious thing that we see in our text is Jesus’ victory over the devil and His kingdom: Just then there was a man with an unclean spirit in their synagogue. It cried out, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked the spirit, saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, and after crying out with a loud voice, it came out of him. This really comes to the heart and core of the work of Jesus’ coming, as St. John [1 3.8] puts it: For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. And what better way to announce that He had come, to have the light shine on the people walking in darkness and to proclaim what His work was all about than for Jesus, here in Galilee, first thing, to cast a demon out of a man? Jesus had come to destroy the works of the devil and here He shows His power over and conquers the devil. This beginning battle showed all there that Jesus could and would destroy the devil; that Jesus would be victorious over the devil and his kingdom.
Just then there was a man with an unclean spirit in their synagogue. That a demon plagued this man is a very fitting image of all the wretchedness and evil that the devil plagues us all with. That this man had this demon/ unclean spirit shows us the devil’s contempt of us for he especially wants to torment those created in God’s image. Here it does us well to remember what kind of enemy we are up against and that even as/ especially as Christians we cannot expect any favors from the devil. And given half a chance he would destroy everything he could and us as well. Although the world today poo-poos the idea that there is a devil and that it and its minions desire to work all sorts of horror and destruction—seeing it as some part of a superstitious past that still shackles people—we must be very much on guard and take very seriously the existence of the devil and his demons and that they desire and work harm. Although we recognize and respect their power, we dare not fear them. As we see in the text, Jesus is the stronger and the Lord over all and even they must do His will. Our text is clear: Jesus, that Baby born in Bethlehem, is the Victor over the devil and Lord of all.
Notice, then, the demon’s reaction: It cried out, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” That demon cried out in fear—it knew exactly who Jesus is and what He had come to do and would do. It was expecting only punishment from Jesus, that Jesus would then and there chain it in hell forever. In this fear, it cried out.
What is interesting is that until Jesus came, this demon that took over the man was seemingly quiet, but as soon as Jesus comes on the scene it makes a scene. Here we are reminded of the simple fact of the way the devil works: where Jesus is and where God begins His work, then the devil and his allies come alive! So when you are plagued with all sorts of doubt about the Lord and your salvation, when your conscience plagues you, when you wonder if God loves you, when you begin to have doubts that the Gospel and the word you heard: I forgive you all your sin…This is My Body and Blood given and poured out for the forgiveness of sin, when you feel seemingly stronger temptation to sin—all this is the devil marshaling his forces against you to drive you into doubt and away from the Lord. Where God and His word and work are—like in the heart of His dear Christian—there the devil will be most active. In times of spiritual doubt and anguish, take comfort—the devil fears what God has worked in you. If/ when you feel these things, do not despair. Run to Jesus! Run to His word! Go to Him in prayer. He is the Mighty One. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, and after crying out with a loud voice, it came out of him.
Not only do we see in our text Jesus’ victory over the devil’s kingdom—a most wonderful foreshadowing of His ultimate and great victory on the cross—but the other thing we see here is something even more basic than that: Jesus’ mercy on those suffering. And that is a blessed and powerful combination: the almighty power of God over all things in heaven and earth and under the earth, and His mercy on those suffering. Of course, our eyes are immediately turned to that poor man who was possessed by a demon—that poor man created with the dignity of human life, created in God’s image being tormented in this way by a demon.
Of course, we see Jesus’ mercy as He cast that demon out of the man. But there is another example of Jesus’ mercy on the suffering—and it is this: He was preaching to the people. He was preaching to them the words of eternal life, His holy divine word. That is His mercy on them—and us. Our text: Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching. They were amazed at His teaching, because He was teaching them as one who has authority and not as the experts in the law. Elsewhere St. Mark reports [6.34]: When [Jesus] went ashore, He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things. Jesus has mercy not only on their/ our physical suffering but also their/ our spiritual suffering. The only way that our spiritual suffering can be soothed and healed is by the word of God, the Gospel, that Jesus preaches. In each one of His words/ sayings Jesus’ divine authority and mercy shone through most brilliantly! That’s why the people were amazed—at what Jesus taught and the authority with which He taught. Jesus looked out on the synagogue crowd that day and certainly saw their spiritual suffering and so He began preaching. They were suffering spiritually because they were not hearing the word of God/ the words of eternal life. How sad that was for them! Here it was the Sabbath Day. It was to be a day of rest not only for the body but for the soul to be refreshed by hearing God’s word. And the soul was not being refreshed. Notice: Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching. Jesus—the One that all the Sabbath days of the OT pointed to: Jesus and the rest of heart and soul that He has and gives—now comes and teaches. Before, they most certainly heard from the scribes/ experts in the Law all about all sorts of man-made laws and traditions. All stuff they had to do and which gave no true rest to heart and conscience. But what was Jesus teaching? He was telling about the Kingdom of God that had now come in Him; as the Lord, He was revealing the mysteries of heaven. One time Jesus was in a synagogue and read a part of a scroll from the prophet Isaiah, a prophecy about Jesus and His coming and work. Then Jesus said [Lk 4.21]: Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. All their hopes and dreams rooted in the Savior for forgiveness, peace with God, etc. were all fulfilled because Jesus had come and was carrying out His saving work. And so what Jesus spoke was to the deepest longing of the human heart. And all that Jesus said and taught was not just something that sounded good but it had authority! They were amazed at His teaching, because He was teaching them as one who has authority. The devil, trying to disrupt Jesus and His teaching, trying to discredit Jesus, raging against the salvation that came in Jesus, actually unwittingly and against his will attested to the authority of Jesus’ word: Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, saying, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, and after crying out with a loud voice, it came out of him. Jesus’ word has authority, they effect/ bring about what they say: He told 4-day-dead-Lazarus, to come out of the tomb and he did; He told the wind and the sea to be still and they were; Jesus says to simple bread and wine, “This is My Body…this is My blood” and it is! That’s why we have great comfort and assurance when we read the Scripture: it is true; that’s why when we hear Jesus speaking through the pastor: “I forgive you all your sins…” we can be sure it is true; that’s why when we hear of the bread and wine that “This is My Body…this is My blood given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins” it truly is and does. This glorious comfort of the forgiveness of sins and that we are God’s dear children and heirs of heaven is true whether we feel it or not. That’s why we don’t just marvel but can treasure and hold fast this word and boldly and confidently share it with others.
Jesus again comes and reveals Himself to us that He is our Savior: He has mercy on us and has won for us the victory over the devil. INJ