Following after Jesus #37

After Jesus called His first followers to join Him, Mark continues his account:

 21 And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “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.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 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.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

This memory was very clear from Peter's perspective, as Mark was recording this on his behalf. We will see soon that Peter was living there in Capernaum. People knew him, and they were about to be introduced to Jesus. They were astonished by Jesus' teaching - a common response whenever anyone heard, or still reads, His words.  But when you are astonished, you don't say much. But someone did: this demon driven man.  It's hard to imagine this man being their for synagogue worship, but still today, on any given Sunday, we find such people in church pews too.  Jesus' words are so powerful they yield a reaction. Jesus tells him, but especially the demons within him, to be silent. That is not the kind of witness He needed, nor was it yet time that anyone could handle the truth at that point. Very likely, this almost went over Peter's head at that time, but remembered this statement very clearly later: I know who you are—the Holy One of God. For many of us, we hear bits and pieces from and about Jesus that do not click right away, but some day we put it all together. That was the general consensus that day: most people knew that Jesus was unlike no other, but at the time they could not put it all together. But He would be in Capernaum again.  Like them, may we come back to Him for more.