Shabbat shalom and welcome to the sixth part of this New Testament Phronemic Study Series. Last week we moved onto Act 2 of the Drama which found us at the Sea of Galilee, a complete change of scene.

Remember, Mark's Gospel is a simple, succinct, unadorned, yet vivid account of Yah'shua's (Jesus') ministry, emphasising more what Yah'shua (Jesus) did than what He said. As we're already seeing, Mark moves quickly from one episode in Yah'shua's (Jesus') life and ministry to another, often using the adverb "immediately" (Mk.1:12, NKJV, NRSV, HRV, NLT, etc.), "all at once" (KNT, NIV), "quickly" or "just then". This is a distinctive characteristic of Mark's style and we find him using it 47 times altogether, 7 of which are in the first chapter alone (Mk.1:18,20,23,28-29,42-43) and you may remember last week my comparing his narration to a train that keeps on getting faster and faster as he races from one historical event to the next.

This rapid pace is no accident because he is anxious to get his listeners to the cross event and its aftermath which is the whole point of everything. And in reading Mark, remember, we are, in fact, hearing the vivacious, bubbly, and enthusiastic Peter! And yet all the 'train stations' along the way, as we have started to see, are important too, with last week our seeing the importance of radical commitment for the true talmid (disciple).

We also saw last week that Mark completely skips over the period between Yah'shua's (Jesus') baptism and His Galilean ministry but we'll find John filling in the gap left by the Synoptists (Jn.1:19-4:42). Yah'shua (Jesus) began to proclaim the 'Good News' from Elohim (God), that the long time of waiting was at an end and the long-anticipated Kingdom of Elohim (God) was at hand. And in view of its arrival, men and women everywhere were required to make teshuvah - to repent - and believe (Mk.1:15). These are the two key words of the Gospel on its human side. The Kingdom of Elohim (God) is the rule of Elohim (God) in the hearts of men and in society.

Notice that from the very start that the choosing and training of the Twelve, who were to share with Him the proclamation of the Good News and to continue it after His ascension, was a matter of vital importance in the ministry of Yah'shua (Jesus). According to John, the two pairs of brothers had all met Yah'shua (Jesus) before (Jn.1:15-42) and had already believed that He was the Messiah. With only the Gospel of Mark in our hands we don't of course know this and last week we speculated as to whether this was, or was not, the first time they had met the Master. According to the Johannine account, all this happened the day after Yah'shua (Jesus') baptism in the River Jordan. Let's take a look:

"The next day John [the Baptist] was there again with two of his talmidim (disciples). When he saw Yah'shua (Jesus) passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of Elohim (God)!' When the two talmidim (disciples) heard him say this, they followed Yah'shua (Jesus). Turning around, Yah'shua (Jesus) saw them following and asked, 'What do you want?' They said, 'Rabbi' (which means Teacher), 'where are you staying?' 'Come,' he replied, 'and you will see.' So they went and saw where He was staying, and spent that day with Him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Yah'shua (Jesus). The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon (Peter) and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Yah'shua (Jesus). Yah'shua (Jesus) looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John'. You will be called Kefa (Cephas)' (which, when translated, is Peter). The next day Yah'shua (Jesus) decided to leave for Galilee..." (John 1:35-43, NIV).

So that answers the question you were all asking yourselves last week, 'Why did the four men drop everything and follow the Master without so much as a word or the blink of an eye?' It's because they were already believers - converts. They believed He was the Messiah, or at least Peter and the others certainly did.

What's interesting is the prominent rôle Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, played. Like the Samaritan woman who would alert her whole town after meeting Yah'shua (Jesus), so too Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, Prussia, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Cyprus, Barbados and a number of towns and cities in Italy, Portugal and Greece. Traditionally Andrew is known as 'the first-called' talmid (disciple).

If Peter had believed right back then, why did he did not make his formal, public confession until much later, at Caesarea Philippi? It is one of those critical stages of discipleship. We begin our journey believing - trusting - but that is something that has to be developped or matured. Faith must be built up gradually as we put it into action. That part is up to us. In proportion to our faith, Yahweh uses us. One thing the Gospels will teach us is that faith has to be cultivated like a garden, which includes tilling, fertilising with the Davar (Word) and constantly weeding out doubt and unbelief because Satan is in the business of sowing tares and other junk into our minds through our interaction with the world. It is one of the necessary risks of being in the world but should never one we should be casual about.

And so, in Phase #2, Yah'shua (Jesus) calls these four men to the further step of leaving their fishing trade in order to follow Him wholly. Their calling as fishermen would have provided good training in the patient endurance necessary for the work of winning souls for Messiah. Nevertheless, more is needed, and if they will now follow Him, He will have them "fishing for people" (Mk.1:17, KNT) or make them "fishers of men" (NKJV). Christ calls men, not so much for what they are, as for what He is able to make them become, if they are prepared to obey Him.

As we read the next chunk of Scripture starting at verse 21, you'll be able to answer the question as to where the apostles' families were and whether they contined to have contact or interaction with them. So without further ado lets get into today's text, verses 21-34:

"They went to Capernaum. At once, on the sabbath, Yah'shua (Jesus) went into the synagogue and taught. They were astonished at His teaching. He wasn't like the legal teachers; He said things on His own authority.

"All at once, in their synagogue, there was a man with an unclean spirit.

"'What is it with us and You, Yah'shua (Jesus) of Nazareth?' he yelled. 'Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: You're Elohim's (God's) Qadosh (Holy, Set-Apart) One!'

"'Be quiet!' ordered Yah'shua (Jesus). 'And come out of him!'

"The unclean spirit convulsed the man, gave a great shout, and came out of him. Everyone was astonished.

"'What's this?' they started to say to each other. 'New teaching - with real authority! He even tells the unclean spirits what to do, and they do it!'

"Word about Yah'shua (Jesus) spread at once, all over the surrounding district of Galilee.

"They came out of the synagogue, and went at once (with James and John) into Simon and Andrew's house. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Yah'shua (Jesus) about her right away. He went in, took her by the hand, and raised her up ('helped her to her feet' - NEB). The fever left her, and she waited on them.

"When the sun went down and evening came, they brought to Yah'shua (Jesus) everyone who was ill, all who were demon-possessed. The whole town was gathered around the door. Yah'shua (Jesus) healed many people suffering from all kinds of diseases, and cast out many demons. He didn't allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him" (Mk.1:21-34, KNT).

This, brethren and sisters, is Peter telling his own story, reminiscing as an eyewitness of the events described, and is paralleled in Luke 4:31-44. If I was to describe the events here in just a couple of words they would be 'authority' and 'power'.

I want you to notice that Yah'shua (Jesus) did not enter this scene waving a visible certificate issued by anyone, saying: 'Hey, I have authority to teach and preach to you!' Nor did He claim a right to be doing what He did by naming famous religious persons or institutions: 'Gamaliel recommended me to you; the Sanhedrin has given me the green light to minister'. We'll come to whether he had any sort of 'ecclesiastical' permission to preach in a moment.

Why was Yah'shua's (Jesus') approach totally new? Why was it totally different to what people were familiar with? Because in those days, generally speaking, to be a recognised teacher in that society - like the cohenim (priests) and Torah-teachers (Scribes)- you had to be able to cite the modern equivalent of having been trained in a modern seminary or anointed by a famous preacher like Kenneth Copeland; you had to be sent by the modern equivalent of being sent out by an institution claiming apostolic authority like the Catholic Church, Mormon Church, or Eastern Orthodox Church. In those days those who issued the equivalent of 'certificates of authority' were the self-appointed guardians of ancestral traditions like the Pharisees. They, in their turn, would justify what they taught by saying such things as 'as Moses said' or 'as Rabbi so-and-so said' much as Mormons quote their leaders - 'the prophet Joseph Smith said in 'History of the Church', or the Seventh-day Adventists quote theirs - 'Ellen White said so-and-so in The Great Controversy', and so on. And we all do it to some extent because we believe it lends us legitimacy and therefore authority to quote someone more knowledgeable or more experienced than we are in a particular area.

Now I am not saying there is anything wrong in quoting great teachers or preachers. And I am obviously not saying there is anything wrong in quoting Scripture, but the point here is that Yah'shua (Jesus) possessed His own innate authority which was compelling. It grabbed people's attention. You know, you can can have two people say exactly the same thing - something that's absolutely true - but it's clear that one person possesses spiritual power and authority whereas the other doesn't. Why is that? Because real authority and power lies not in words themselves but in the spirit that carries those words.

Now I know that some teachers and speakers can possess a false charismatic spirit that draws people like magnets that is mesmerising - empowered by demonic powers. They can have an hypnotic effect, like Hitler, for instance, who knew how to exploit legitimate grievances and persuade people to turn to evil to redress those grievances. There are plenty of ministers, particularly in the charismatic movement, who have a 'presence' about them that I can only describe as a form of 'magic' or 'white witchcraft'. And not just them. The Russian Orthodox monk, Rasputin, who had such a disastrous influence on the Romanov royal family, is another example, and may have contributed to the success of Bolshevism. The hate-filled invective of the preachers of the infamous Calvinist Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) in Topeka, Kansas, is another good example. So false spirits cut across all denominations. They're real and they're dangerous.

Yah'shua (Jesus) was not a recognised teacher at this point because He was a newcomer. He wasn't sent out by the religious authorities of His day. Having said that, though, you should not get the idea that He was not, at least in the beginning, well regarded by the religious authorities at Jerusalem. As I mentioned in a previous lesson, at first everyone was enthralled by Him. He was extremely popular before He started making demands and challenging sin.

The founder of the Methodist Church, Charles Wesley, was an ordained minister in the state-authorised Anglican Church, as his father had been before him. Indeed, Wesley never wished there to be a breach with the Church of England. He did not set out to disrupt the Church that ordained him but wished it to be reformed, just as Luther had wanted to reform the Catholic Church in which he had been a monk. Now I am not saying that either the Anglican or Catholic Churches were, or are, doctrinally 'correct'; I'm simply saying that throughout history Yahweh's servants typically work within the institutional bodies in which they began their service to Elohim (God). The Catholic Church excommunicated Luther and the Lutheran Church was born in his lifetime. The Anglican Church never excommunicated Wesley and it wasn't until after his death that the Methodist Church formally organised as what Anglicans would call a 'non-conformist' body.

Now I am making this point for an important reason. Yahweh uses what is 'there', sends those with new or more light to bring about reformation (like John the Baptist and Martin Luther) and revival (like Charles Wesley) within their parent religious bodies until those bodies reject them want nothing more to with them, compounding their sinfulness and rebellion by either excommunicating, exiling, imprisoning, or killing them. Yah'shua (Jesus) never went around preaching, 'Quit Judaism and join My Church' even though Judaism was, by then, well and truly corrupt (as Catholicism would become in Luther's day) and even though there is no such thing as a 'church' which is a later invention by religionists in spite of what translations may tell you.

Let's re-read the first verse in today's passage but this time using the New King James Version (NKJV):

"Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught" (Mark 1:21, NKJV; Evidencce Bible/EB, p.1388)).

We'll talk about Capernaum later if we have time but for now let's understand what a "synagogue", the modern equivalent of which would be a 'church' or a 'place of assembly', as in a building, is. However, the original sense of the Greek synagógé was either 'a group of people' or simply 'a collection of things'. It's not a word you find in the Tanakh (Old Testament) at all so it has appeared in Judaism in that 450 year gap between Malachi and the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament). It almost certainly arose in the Helenistic period of that gap. It's not mentioned by either Ezra or Nehemiah so it almost certainly did not arise during the Babylonian exile as Judaism claims. The earliest mention of a 'synagogue' comes from Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes (247-221 BC). They didn't start appearing in the Holy Land until the Maccabean period.

The reason I mention this is that it's not a Torah concept. The early Messianic Community ('Church') met in each others homes in what were called ekklesíá meaning a 'gathering place'. The Hebrew word used was a kehilah which meant an assembly of people, resembling another Greek word - koinônia - meaning 'a fellowship'. In other words, it's a living entitity rather than a building. Thus Paul would tell the Roman qodeshim (saints, set-apart ones):

"Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Messiah Yah'shua (Jesus), who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches (ekklesia) of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church (ekklesia) that is in their house" (Rom.16:3-5, NKJV).

Only later, as the Messianic Community became institutionalised, did the emergent Christianity start imitating the idea of a synagogue and call them 'churches', from the Latin circe meaning a 'circus', itself derived from the name of a pagan Roman god. But the fact that synagogues are mentioned in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament), or what they did in them, doesn't necessarily mean that is what we, as believers are supposed to uncritically imitate.

Nearly all towns and villages in Israel had a synagogue. The service on the sabbath consisted of praisings and blessings, with prayers, and the reading of the Torah (Law) and the Nevi'im (Prophets). This was accompanied by an exposition of a Scriptural text, as we're doing today, or the giving or a sermon (which we also do). The early Messianic Community (Church) did much the same though they would read from Gospels and apostolic letters once they were in circulation, like the Gospel of Mark which we're studying now.

There was no residential ordained minister - no 'Rabbi' or 'Pastor' such as we are familiar with today - but arrangements for servives were made by the synagogue elders or a leading elder (sometimes called a "ruler", as we'll see in Mark 5:36.38 later - also Ac.18:8,17), and certain duties were performed by the hazzan, who was a paid local official. Any adult male Israelite, especially if he enjoyed a reputation of being skilled in interpretation of the Torah (Law) and scribal tradition, could be invited to preach. Things changed somewhat in the Messianic Community (Church) as we'll see when we come to the Book of Acts. Though the tradition of Elders continued, the apostles directed the ordination of pastors as spiritual fathers of congregations, teachers, and others. Indeed, all the members had some sort of ministerial function according to their spiritual giftings.

As as we are now seeing, and will see later as we work our way through all four Gospels, Yah'shua (Jesus) had free access to the synagogue. More than that though - and this is important - the texts suggest that he was recognised as a Rabbi (Teacher) (Mk.9:9:5; 10:51; 11:21; 14:45; cp. Mk.12:14-14,32). This strongly suggests that He may have been officially trained (as Charles Wesley and his father were in the Church of England) and ordained:

To be recognised as a Rabbi, however, a talmudic student has to be ordained. The custom of ordination is very old. Joshua was ordained by Moses...The practice of ordination in its Mosaic form ceased in Palestine in the second half of the 4th century (A.D.) when the Judaean academies were closed. In the 16th century an attempt was made in Palestine to revive the ancient ordination, as well as the Sanhedrin, with all the power and authority that it possessed, but this attempt resulted in failure (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol.18, p.978).

The point I am making is this: there seems to be, to a degree (and I want to stress that), divine recognition of those placed in religious authority at any particular time provided they are teaching truth and provided they reform when Yahweh sends new servants (like Charles Wesley or Martin Luther) with a mandate to reform. How can we know whether they have such a mandate? By the fruit they bring. This authority is always conditional upon righteousness based on what men know and understand at any particular point in time. That is not to say that that extant authorities are necessarily pure or teaching uncorrupted doctrine - it simply means that Yahweh wishes to preserve order in both religious and secular communities (hence our requirement to obey civil authorities), giving opportunity for repentance, sending nevi'im (prophets), like John the Baptist (and here Yah'shua/Jesus Himself), and reformation. In the case of the Pharisees, as history attests to us, they not only excommunicated righteous souls (like the blind man Yah'shua/Jesus would later heal) but also murdered the nevi'im (prophets) like John the Baptist and Yah'shua (Jesus). And once they did that, their spiritual authority was gone, being transferred on the authority of Messiah to the apostles.

I wanted to bring up the thorny issue of authority early on because it is so abused, and always has been. The Mormon founder at least correctly observed:

"It is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion."

The Pharisees certainly did, not to mention the Mormon leaders themselves. Christianity is riddled with unrighteous dominion. Look at the prosperity teachers and how they have raked in millions from the poor. To understand the proper use of authority we have to look at Yah'shua (Jesus) and see how He operated within the Rabbinic system until the system cast Him out by murdering Him. Today we have the extraordinary situation where, in England at least, we see that the Methodist Church has been all but destroyed by liberalism, and whereas the Anglican Church has gone down a similar path, Yahweh has nevertheless raised up some extraordinary men like N.T.Wright and J.John in its contemporary ranks. Do not make the mistake of exclusivists like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, who think that all other churches are 'corrupt and teaching the doctrines of men'. Corruption is everywhere and Mormonism, as we know, is exceedingly corrupt itself, not because of liberalism but because is is riddled with the occult. I do believe that all church organisations will eventually be wholly swallowed up in the Beast System, leaving only the Remnant, but for now Yahweh is still at work in numerous denominations, large and small. There are light-bearers everywhere, at least for now.

Again my point is that Yahweh used the synagogue system, corrupted though it had become, ensuring that the Son of Elohim (God) had legal authority to operate within it as a rabbi whilst doing something utterly revolutionary and new. For as we read in the next verse, when Yah'shua (Jesus) stepped into the synagogue in Capernaum (whose ruins are still there and which I have stood inside) and opened His mouth to teach:

"And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Torah-teachers)" (Mark 1:22, NKJV).

And, of course, as we all know, Yah'shua (Jesus) had done this before as a youth in Jerusalem in the temple precincts during Pesach (Passover) when he got separated from his anxious parents (Lk.2:41-50). We're not told by Mark what Yah'shua (Jesus) was teaching on this occasion in Capernaum, only that His listeners were "astonished". Mark wants the reader or listener to be aware that supernatural authority is the main thing. This man's credentials came straight from heaven and were visible in His deeds. He may have been a regularly ordained Yehudi (Judahite) rabbi, like the Scribes or Torah-teachers, but that was secondary even if the ruler of that particular synagogue at Capernaum may have invited Him to preach because of that ordination giving him legalistic authority.

You see, Yah'shua's (Jesus') teachings were new and radical. People were astonished by them. His radical freedom, over and against scribal tradition, would have shocked the equivalent of 'regular church goers' back then - the 'synagogue-goers' of His day - and led to mounting opposition. But the fact that Mark uses this verb five times, and other words expressing amazement very frequently indeed, shows that this wasn't simply an historical reminiscence, but one of John Mark's favourite motifs that he had heard from the excited recollections of Peter. And, of course, it isn't just the incredible teachings that are astonishing people, but all the new miracles that are happening as well - healings and exorcisms. These, then, are the two signs of authentic Christian/Messianic ministry: amazing, spirit-filled teaching and miracles. The religious teachers of the day performed no miracles, and their teachings - what has come to be known to us today as the 'oral law' or the "tradition of the elders" (Mk.7:3,5,8-9,13; cp. 1 Pet.1:18), something only Matthew mentions in addition to Mark (Mt.15:2-3,6) - were likewise bereft of authentic spiritual life.

I don't know if you have ever tried to read the Talmud, the Jewish 'oral law', or the 'tradition of the elders'. If I can borrow Mark Twain's turn of phrase, it is like reading "chloroform in print". You have to be possessed of a certain kind of spirit and mindset to be able to read that kind of material which gives instructions on how to live every facet of life in minute detail, a bit like Moslem teachings. You see, with Yah'shua (Jesus) it is the initiative and action of Elohim (God) that counts most, who isn't always visible in the letter of the Torah but to emunah (faith). And this is what Mark particularly brings out in his exorcism story.

Let's reread that:

"Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, 'Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Yah'shua (Jesus) of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Qadosh (Holy, Set-Apart) One of Elohim (God)!' But Yah'shua (Jesus) rebuked him, saying, 'Be quiet (muzzled), and come out of him!' And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 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.' And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee" (Mark 1:23-28, NKJV).

Yah'shua's (Jesus') very presence, or what He said, or both, provoked an outburst from the demon to speak through the man he possessed: "Let us alone! What have we to do with you?" (v.24, NKJV). "What is it with us and you?" (KNT). Or more accurately, "What have You to do with us?" (NRSV) "What have we in common?" "Why are you bothering us?"

Now I don't know if you've ever watched deliverance sessions in real life or on videos. There are a lot of people, mostly charismatics, who put on great shows, most of which, I have to honestly say, are just theatrical performances. There is both no nonsense in the way Yah'shua (Jesus) handles demons, it's quick, and it demonstrates real authority. He doesn't interrogate them but commands them to be silent. What He does amazes the onlookers. Demon possession is mentioned only twice in the Tanakh (Old Testament) and twice in the Messianic Scriptures (New Testament) outside the Gospels, and it is clearly distinguished from mental disorders. Demons were, and still are, real. They knew the messianic office of Yah'shua (Jesus) long before the talmidim (disciples) were aware of it, they were terrified of it, and in verse 34 they are forbidden to proclaim it, what is sometimes referred to as the 'messianic secret'. More about that another time. As the apostle James would later declare:

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -- and tremble!" (James 2:18-19, NKJV).

Not only would the testimony of a demon be inappropriate (not to mention questionable) but Yah'shua (Jesus) did not want His messiahship to be known yet, because it was not the correct time. There is a time and season for all things and this was not the time for His true identity to be made known as other things had to happen first. Prophecy in the Tanakh (Old Testament) had to be fulfilled in the correct order which Satan was as interested in sabotaging (to discredit Yahweh's Name) as He was in corrupting everything else the Saviour did.

Now remember Yah'shua (Jesus) had recently challenged Satan in the wilderness of Judea and defeated him (Mk.1:13) and I guarantee it did not take long for the news of that victory to circulate amongst the other fallen malakim (angels) or demons. So, yes, they were scared. They knew that if Satan could not defeat the Messiah, they certainly couldn't. They had met their Conqueror (v.24). That's why they reacted the way they did and with that strange barrage of demands to be left alone. "Why are you bothering us?" they cried even though the Saviour hadn't done anything yet.

Right in the very first chapter of Mark we learn something not only about Yah'shua (Jesus) but, by association, those who are His authentic servants, and it's this: the quality of Yah'shua's (Jesus') Davar (Word) is now seen not only in His doctrine but in His power to command! In Luke's account of the same event the demon not only convulses his victim but does not harm him (Lk.4:35) as he is expelled yelling. And yes, deliverance ministry can be very noisy sometimes, because no unclean spirit ever leaves his host voluntarily - he protests and struggles to the end, like a dog clutching the bone you're trying to force out of its mouth. And I want you to notice something else in the Saviour's method of deliverance: He never touched a demoniac (demonised man) in order to deliver him. The spoken word was enough. No laying-on of hands, no gesticulations, no theatrics, no screaming - just 'shut up' and 'get out'. The people watched in awe and then broke out into a buzz of conversation. They had never seen anything like this before as a result of which Yah'shua's (Jesus') fame spread rapidly because such ministry was unheard of. Yah'shua (Jesus) was to make it commonplace and to authorise His talmidim (disciples) to do the same. When acting in His authority, we are to do no differently, but additionally using His Name in faith.

Let's now take a look at the last portion of today's passage:

"Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon (Peter) and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.

"Now at evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 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" (Mark 1:29-34, NKJV; cp. Mt.8:14-17; Lk.4:38-41).

We learn from this, and parallel passages in Matthew and Luke, that Peter was a married man, that he had a house in Capernaum which he shared with his brother Andrew and his mother-in-law. Was this their home before they met Yah'shua (Jesus) or did they purchase this house once they became His talmidim (disciples)? Well, we can't tell from Mark alone but according to the apostle John, Andrew and Peter were from Bethsaida (Jn.1:44) which was about 5 km further north than Capernaum (see map) so it seems they had moved and had their families accompany them in their new labours for Yahweh, yet they were not so far away that they family members couldn't readily communicate. According to Paul, this was quite normal. Years later in Corinth he wrote in response to someone who had probably complained about the apostles bringing their wives on evangelism trips with them. He wrote back:

"Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Master and Cephas (Peter)?" (1 Cor.9:4b-5, NRSV).

Thus not only did the apostles have the right to be accompanied by their wives if they were believers to be taken care of (remember they were away from home for weeks or months at a time), and no doubt to minister to the sisters as well, but in actual fact, as we see here, most of them were accompanied by their wives! Indeed, as far as Peter was concerned, it seems his whole family had come along to Capernaum when it became the first headquarters for their Mission. If there were any children, they would have been there too. Thus the wives would have been looking after the domestic needs of their husbands while they were witnesses with the Master, including taking care of their children, parents and inlaws. The older, adult children were probably fishing. The family is semi-mobile. Though Peter and the other three men were no longer fishing, it seems that the family was somehow continuing to make a living through the trade, perhaps with the help of their adult children, relatives or servants, which we know Zebedee had. Indeed, once Pater's mother-in-law was healed, it says "she served them", meaning she waited at table. What happened when they moved south into Samaria and Judea is hard to say and it is possible the families moved back to Bethsaida

Matthew, in his Gospel, declares that this healing ministry of Yah'shua (Jesus) was in direct fulfilment of Isaiah 53:4 which reads:

"Surely He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases: yet we accounted Him stricken, struck down by Elohim (God) and afflicted" (Is.53:4, NRSV).

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed" (1 Pet.2:24, NRSV; cp. Jn.1:20).

From all of this it is not hard to understand how Yah'shua (Jesus) became popular so quickly. We too, with a little hindsight, can see how all of this is pointing inexorably to its dramatic conclusion. Everything is happening fast. There is no doubt that Yah'shua (Jesus) quickly attracted huge crowds and that the main reason was His healing power. Medicine was hardly developped in those days and there was no National Health Service (which was first created by the British in 1946). For the most part, people were at the mercy of their illnesses and diseases, not to mention their demon problems. Later they'll want Yah'shua (Jesus) even more for His ability to make food appear out of thin air through the multiplication of fish and bread.

Imagine such a person coming to your town and drawing large numbers of believers and unbelievers alike to himself. The people are forsaking the medical centres and churches because many of the diseases cannot be cured by the hospitals and health centres and most of the spiritual issues remain unresolved by the churches and their ministers. Most traditional churches have no clue about demons or how to deal with them. They pray vaguely and nothing much happens. Who's going to feel threatened by the arrival of such a successful person? You'd think doctors and ministers would be thrilled but you know as well as I do how human nature works because people's reputations, power bases and salaries are threatened, not forgetting the default scepticism that moderns have anyway. People want healing and deliverance but few want to follow the Saviour as talmidim (disciples). People always want something for nothing. So the popularity wouldn't last when Yah'shua (Jesus) demanded everything in exchange for their salvation and deliverance from a deserved hell.

It was no different in Yah'shua's (Jesus') day. The religious leaders couldn't heal anyone or drive demons out and doctors couldn't do much better either. Their careers were threatened by the itinerant wonder-working Rabbi from Nazareth. Neither Judaism's religious leaders nor Rome's pagan priests or physicians could do very much and it would not be long before both felt threatened. False religion is, in any case, big business, as is quack medicine and much of the medinine of those days was quackery. Babylon does not welcome the loss of its clients. It wants to maintain control and it does not appreciate rivals. Worse, from the point-of-view of Babylon, Caesar does not like having his power challenged, and Yah'shua (Jesus) was challenging Caesar's false claims to divinity, just as Yahweh challenged the gods of Egypt by means of the 10 plagues. As I mentioned in an earlier lesson, the true Besorah (Gospel) challenges the very fabric of the political establishment which is why the latter always rises up to oppose it. People who make peace with it through compromise have usually lost their way spiritually.

A final thought and really it's to point out a mystery in what we are observing so far. Everything Yah'shua (Jesus) is now doing is overwhelmingly testifying to His Messiahship and Divinity. Ordinary people don't do these sorts of things. Yes, miracle-workers did exist at that time who could duplicate some of the miracles, just as the pagan priests of Egypt were able to duplicate some of Moses' miracles (like turning rods into snakes) using occult arts and the power of Satan. But none of them could duplicate them all, none of them could forgive sin and none of them could rise from the dead as an immortal Being and bequeathe the same resurrection immortality through faith in His Name.

Yah'shua's (Jesus') greatest miracles are yet to come. We have barely begun! There's something else I want you to notice in the Master's behaviour too. All manifestation of His divine power is consistently subordinated to the lowliness and self-negation of His way to the Cross. He isn't doing this for His own glory. None of the miracles or exorcisms are the 'main thing' at all, even if that's what the people wanted. But they can't see that because they are carnal; and so much of what He says and does is, in consequence, ambiguous to those around Him, even His talmidim (disciples) are imagining a different outcome to all of this than the one He is focussed on. None of what Yah'shua (Jesus) does compels everyone's recognition and assent - people left these miraculous happenings unbelievers still, many thought they were talmidim (disciples) as a result of them but proved they weren't by later falling away when demands for self-sacrifice were made on them. Breaking the sin of self-entitlement is not a new phenomenon. The selfishness of the human condition remains the same in all ages.

This is true in our own relationships too. Things seem often to be right when they are not so we are surprised when people break faith with us. As Elohim (God) was hidden in Messiah even in the midst of all these incredible healings and deliverances recorded in the first chapter of Mark, so our true hearts remain hidden from others who think they know us when they do not. That's a daily risk we take. It therefore always requires faith to be at risk, and discipleship is a costly venture. That will become more and more apparent as our storty unfolds.

We'll end it there. Until next week, Yahweh bless you all. Amen.

Acknowledgements