The Urgent Need Cured by the Gospel

Mark 1:21-34

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit

21 Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 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!"

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." 28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

Peter's Mother-in-Law Healed

29 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 

30 But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset

32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Jesus the Christ went from the temptations in the desert to beginning His ministry to repent and believe the kingdom’s good news of Himself to choosing the disciples He called to immediately begin teaching of this kingdom in the synagogue with divine authority.  What a whirlwind beginning of His work on earth!  His teaching therefore shocked the hearers and the religious leaders alike because it was not with the usual human hesitancy or lack of absolute conviction of truth in their factual approach to teaching from the Torah.  He taught directly to the heart of the scriptures in ways that pierced the hearts of the listeners and brought them to face God and themselves in ways never imagined possible.  Then someone came forward in that place of worship while Jesus was teaching who was possessed by an evil spirit, a demonic inhabitation.  This one knew exactly who the Christ of God was as the Holy One of God and was about to reveal Him before the appointed time set by God, so Jesus shut it up and commanded it to leave the man at once.  It left with a scream and threw him to the ground as it left reluctantly but with absolutely no choice in the matter when commanded by its Creator (Colossians 1:15-16).  This further amazed the onlookers in the synagogue.  Not only did Jesus speak with authority over the scriptures, He also exercised that authority over the spiritual realm!  It was a new teaching and it caused the name and fame of Jesus the Christ to spread across the region quickly.  His ministry had caused immediate wonder and awe, not to mention growing opposition from the status quo of the religious community because He threatened their comfortable but limited authority inherited in the name of Moses (Matthew 23:2-3) which was the Law of God in the scriptures.  Jesus went from that place of worship to dine at the house of Simon Peter and his brother Andrew along with James and John (named the "Sons of Thunder" in Mark 3:17).  There He healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever and she served them after they told Him about her right away when they entered.  Later that night many sick and possessed people were brought to Jesus to be healed as an indication of the spiritual healing to come as promised by the prophet in Isaiah 53:5, 8, 11 of this work proving He was the Messiah.  Jesus was not ready to reveal the fact that He was the Anointed of God just yet, so He silenced the demons as He drove them out of their unwilling hosts.  We see then as we look back how Jesus made the best use of the three years of ministry to point to the spiritual healing He brought through the gospel which was closed by the people’s seemingly more pressing need for outward wellness of the body.  This desire is still seen today with the misplaced emphasis on healing of the body as the gospel instead of the more important and critical need of the healing of the soul marred by sin which is the true purpose of the gospel as Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 53:6, 12).  May we therefore emphasize the most important issue of the corruption of the spirit while not ruling out the lesser miracles of the outward wholeness of the body intended by this gospel of the heavenly kingdom, treating them as matters of secondary eternal importance.  The urgent need which is cured by the gospel is the sin-stained souls of men and women resulting from the disobedience of the Fall, our sin’s penalty of judgment and just punishment.  Any other healings must point to that end.