The Life of Christ

• He had groomed them and depended upon them to carry on the family business that may have spanned multiple generations.

• To leave their father was the cost of discipleship. It also meant leaving their established trade that had taken years to develop.

• Each of these may have suspected this was coming and perhaps had already talked with their wives about what it would mean.

• What they didn’t realize were the future ramifications of accepting such a call. It meant becoming one of the foundational stones of a future church that would number into the billions!

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Mk. 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.

Archaeologists have unearthed this particular synagogue and found it to be 60 feet wide and 79 feet long.

Today it can still be walked through.

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Mk. 1:22 And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

He spoke with authority because He was endued with the power of the Spirit.

• The scribes also taught the Word of God, but lacked any authority, even as they lacked anointing.

• To speak with authority means that people are inspired to now go do what you have said. • When the Greek philosopher, Cicero, finished an oration, the people would say, “How well he spoke”; but when Demosthenes finished speaking the people would say, “Let’ s march! ”

Mk. 1:23 And just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

This verse introduces the existence of demonized individuals into the Bible.

• The Old Testament does not mention a single demonic possession, nor do the Apocrypha and the Mishnah.

Mk. 1:24 “…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!’”

How do these demons know about Jesus?

• They remember Him well from before Lucifer’s fall.

Demons demonstrate a preoccupation with destruction — "Did You come to destroy us? ”

• This shows a lack of understanding of God's plan, which projects their destruction 2000 years into the future (Eph. 3:10).

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