What kind of Man is this?

No one could have imagined what would happen when Jesus entered that synagogue in Capernaum for the first time, as described in Mark 1:21-28. In truth, we never know what might happen when we allow Him into our lives. Wherever Christ went, He turned everything upside down. No one remained the same after encountering Him. Anyone who claims to have met God but whose life stays unchanged is like someone saying they were hit by a train, and nothing happened.

When Jesus began teaching, following the pattern of a Jewish rabbi, the people soon noticed something unusual. Jesus was fascinatingly different. He preached with authority. Suddenly, a man stood up and exclaimed, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (Mark 1:23, NIV). I believe no one in that synagogue suspected that the man was possessed. But Jesus saw what no one else could see.

Jesus looked at the man and rebuked the demon speaking through him, and it convulsed the man violently as it left. “What kind of authority is this?” the people wondered. Without magic words, incense, charms, or rituals typical of exorcists in that era, Jesus simply commanded, and the demon obeyed. His words carried authority!

In the beginning, God created everything through His Word (Genesis 1). He said, "Let there be light," and light immediately came into existence. Through His Word, He created the heavens, the earth, and everything in them. Now, the Creator of the universe Himself stood within that humble synagogue by the Sea of Galilee. The people present had no idea who Jesus really was: the Word made flesh (John 1:14). His words, like Himself, would turn the world upside down, just as His disciples would later do (Acts 17:6).

The news about Jesus spread throughout Galilee (Mark 1:28). That same day, crowds brought their sick and demon-possessed to Him to heal. The crowds flocked to Jesus like ants swarming around a lump of sugar (Mark 1:45).

Encountering Jesus was like meeting the God of love, feeding on the bread of heaven, and drinking from the living water. Even before they fully realized that Jesus was God in the flesh, the multitudes were drawn to Him. They were drawn to the One who made God’s transcendent presence tangible. What kind of man was this who preached with authority and commanded spirits and diseases to obey? What kind of teacher was this who declared that sins could be forgiven through repentance and faith?

Meeting Jesus was always transformative, though not always comfortable. He called sinners to repentance, accused Pharisees of hypocrisy, and even sternly corrected His closest disciples. There was something about Jesus that made Him friendly to tax collectors and prostitutes yet threatening to Pharisees and Sadducees. He invited the weary and burdened to come to Him for rest (Matthew 11:28) but also warned that following Him required self-denial and taking up one’s cross (Luke 9:23). Walking with Jesus meant walking with both the lamb and the lion. He was loving and dangerous, gracious and ferocious.

Jesus set the example for how we ought to live, and it is only by following Him that we draw others to us. When Christ is formed in a disciple, he becomes a magnetic force, attracting some while repelling others. The world cannot remain indifferent to a genuine Christian, for where a disciple is, Jesus is present. Many people in Jesus’ time were either fearful of or offended by Him, and we should expect the same. A Christian striving to make peace with the world has yet to understand what it means to carry the cross and follow Him.

I can’t help but think that many churches today resemble that synagogue, where people gather weekly to study God’s Word, yet the spiritually possessed sit disguised as faithful disciples. They hear preaching and teaching but are never confronted, exposed, or disturbed by it. When the Word is preached without authority, it brings death because it is done in the flesh (2 Corinthians 3:6). It brings death because the law is incapable of bringing life (Romans 8:2-3; Galatians 3). If our message does not disturb darkness, it is because it originated from our fallen nature, not the Spirit. We become ministers of the flesh, preaching to the flesh. We cling so tightly to doctrine that even the essentials of the Christian faith die on our lips due to a lack of reverence and authority. The world is neither attracted to nor offended by us, and nothing is worse for a Christian than the indifference of the world.

We may be well-versed in ancient languages and skilled in theology, yet remain illiterate in the language of the Spirit. We know everything Jesus said but are deaf to what He is saying now. We preach to minds but not to hearts. We know the gospel but are no longer passionate about it. Many sermons may be filled with beautiful quotes and enriched vocabulary, yet still bring death, for the letter alone cannot save without the Spirit. God did not call His disciples to have their lives filled with religious programs but to be filled with the Spirit. Without the Spirit, there is only rhetoric, no authority.

The next day, after casting out the demon in the synagogue, Jesus’ disciples found Him in a deserted place, praying. This was the source of His ministry’s power. Jesus had intimacy with the Father, which is what we need most. If Jesus spent time daily in prayer, why are we surprised by the lack of power in our lives when we dedicate so little time to being with the Father? The Lord doesn’t want the leftovers of our time but the best part of our day. He doesn’t want a slot in our schedule; He wants our full attention. We’ll only know God intimately when it becomes our priority.

Our intellectual kindling cannot spark the divine fire that warms human hearts. It falls on men and women who offer themselves as living sacrifices on the altar of worship (Romans 12:1). Our services should inspire the same awe the people felt when they heard Jesus speak in that synagogue. Every conversation with friends or strangers should become an opportunity for the Spirit to minister (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).

When Christ is present in our gatherings, His power and authority should be more real than the air we breathe. When He enters, anything can happen. Sinners repent, the proud are humbled, the oppressed are set free, the blind see, and the dead are raised to life! We must remember that the signs often follow those who believe (Mark 16:17-18). You cannot hear the Lamb of God without being deeply moved by His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Nor can you encounter the Lion of Judah without trembling at His roar, without fearing the holy gaze of the One who is a consuming fire. It is impossible to touch His garment in faith without being healed or to meet Him walking on water without marveling at His glory.

Every encounter, meeting, retreat, or study in our churches should prioritize seeking the presence of God. We are living stones of His house, His tabernacle on earth (1 Peter 2:4-9). It is through us that Christ reveals, heals, liberates, speaks, comforts, convicts, and exhorts. If fear and awe are absent in the church, Christ is likely absent, too. The world longs for men and women who have surrendered passionately and continuously to God.

Eli Maga