Jesus, the Holy One of God, has Final Authority
Mark 1:21-28
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the fourth Sunday after Epiphany is the Gospel reading Mark 1. In our reading we see a confrontation between Jesus and Satan. The question being addressed is this. Who has final authority? Is it Jesus or is it Satan? The answer of course is Jesus Christ. Jesus has final authority because He is the Holy One of God.
The final authority of Jesus is mentioned in all of our readings for today. We see it in our Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy. Recall what was said by Moses. “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to him you shall listen”. In the time of Moses God appeared at Mt. Sini. His arrival terrified the people of Israel and for good reason. God was holy and the people were sinners. No person who sins can stand before a holy God. But the Lord loved His people and so He did speak to them. He spoke to them through Moses. Moses is now telling the Israelites that the Lord will sent an even greater prophet who will speak the Word of God. The fulfillment of that prophesy is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ultimate prophet who will reveal Himself to His people and speak to them. He will be the one who will make them right with God. Jesus has final authority because He is the holy One of God.
We see the authority of Jesus being mentioned in our epistle reading as well. Remember what Paul said. “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist”. Paul is talking about the one true God. And He is saying that Jesus is the Son of God. As the Son of God, Jesus has final authority over all things. Jesus is indeed the holy one of God.
We see the authority of Jesus in our Gospel reading for today. Recall what was said about the Lord in our text. “And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath (Jesus) entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them with authority, and not as the scribes”. The religious leaders in the first century quoted from different teachers who often contradicted each other. Their teaching caused confusion and uncertainty among the people. Not so with Jesus. When He spoke He spoke the Word of God clearly and with great authority. This should not surprise us because Jesus is God in the flesh.
Mark tells us about a great conflict between Jesus and Satan at the synagogue. The question being addressed is this. Who has final authority? Satan is a fallen angel who wanted to be like God. He was thrown out of heaven because he is not God. Satan and all of the other fallen angels known as demons or devils want everyone to think that they have final authority. Satan and the other fallen angels want to speak as if they were God. That is what Satan did in the Garden of Eden. He tempted Adam and Eve and tricked them into thinking that God’s Word was false and his word was true.
We see Satan’s handy work being mentioned in all of our readings. In our Old Testament reading Moses warns about false prophets. Recall what he said. “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die”. In our epistle reading Paul mentions the idols and false gods of the Greco-Roman world. In our Gospel reading we hear about a man who was possessed by a demon.
In our reading we see a conflict between Jesus and Satan. The question being addressed is the one I have mentioned several times. Who has final authority? Satan wants people to think that he has final authority. The false teachers, false religions and false philosophies all come from Satan. He uses then to deceive people. The worldly thinking that we see around us comes from him as well. Satan’s goal is to try to pull people away from God. So he will tell them just about anything to do so. He tells people that there are many paths to God. He tells them that there are many gods. He tells them that there is no God. He hopes that we will start to believe one of these lies as well. He wants us to doubt God’s Word. He wants us to doubt God’s love. He will speak loudly. He will speak with great confidence. He will try to get us to think that he is the one who speaks with authority. He wants to destroy our faith in the Lord.
Mark tells us about a great conflict between Jesus and Satan. The question being addressed is this. Who has final authority? We are given the answer. “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 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”.
Notice that the demon actually spoke the truth in the synagogue. Jesus is the holy one of God. And yet Jesus silenced him. When Satan speaks he is arrogant. He wants to speak in God’s place. Jesus silences the demon. He tells Satan that he has no authority to speak in the place of God. Jesus is the one who has final authority. Jesus not only silences Satan but thoroughly defeats him. It was the Lord Jesus who resisted the temptations of Satan and lived a perfect life in our place. It was Jesus who went to the cross and died on the cross in order to crush the head of Satan. Because of Jesus and His death and resurrection our sins are forgiven. Satan can no longer accuse us of our sins for they have been wiped away. It is the Lord that guards us from Satan by putting His armor upon us. It is the Lord who will command his angels to take Satan and throw him into hell on the last day. Mark tells us about a great conflict between Jesus and Satan. Who has final authority? The answer is Jesus, for He is the holy one of God.
As you continue to move forward in your life, who are you going to listen too? Are you going to listen to Satan? He will tell you to put your own interests above others. He will tell you that the only way you can be happy is if you indulge your desires. He will tell you to hold on to that grudge and to hate your enemies. He will tell you to skip church and immerse yourself in the world. He will want you to get comfortable in your sins. He wants you to forget about God. If that tactic does not work he will try another. If he can’t get you comfortable in yours sins then he will try to throw your sins in your face. He will tell you how miserable you are and that your sins are so horrible that God will not forgive them. He will tell you that God has forsaken you and that He does not love you. He will want you to question God’s Word and doubt His promises. He wants to destroy your faith in the Lord.
As you continue in you Christian pilgrimage here in this life, who are you going to listen too? Are you going listen to Satan, who is going to be thrown into hell or are you going to listen to Jesus, the eternal Son of God? It is the Lord who tells you what is right and what is wrong through His all-powerful Word. It is Jesus who calls you to repentance. It is the Lord who calls you to turn from your sins and turn to Him. It is Jesus who forgives your sins. It is the Lord who promises to be with you always to the very end of the age. He is the one who gives you the assurance that He is preparing a place for you in heaven. He tells you that you are loved by the heavenly Father. He is the one who moves you to love and forgive others. It is Jesus who strengthens your faith. It is the Lord who wants you to be with Him for all eternity.
There was a great conflict between Jesus and Satan. The question being addresses is who has final authority. Jesus told Satan to be silent and he obeyed. It is the Lord Jesus who has final authority. It is the Lord Jesus who is the holy one of God. Amen.