I remember very clearly
sitting on my father’s lap in
my kid’s bedroom in Hong
Kong at the age of five being
told about Jesus for the first
time in my life. My dad used
to refer to Jesus as “His
friend the Carpenter.” I am
sure that my dad believed
that Jesus was more than just
a carpenter, but his simple
faith centred on a relationship
with a very real person who
understood him and that was
very important to him.
A faith survey conducted by
the Barna group in America
revealed that 92% of the
adults interviewed accepted
that Jesus Christ was a real
person who actually lived
although only 87% of
younger people agreed.
56% of the adults interviewed
believed in the divinity of
Jesus where as 44% stated
that he was only a religious or
spiritual leader or were
unsure.
The same survey revealed
that less than 48% of
younger Americans believed
in the divinity of Jesus and
the remaining 52%
concluded that Jesus was
either a religious or spiritual
leader or weren’t sure what
he was.
We see from the gospels that
contemporaries of Jesus
thought that they had the
identity of Jesus taped
especially those who who
were aware of His family
background. In Matt 13:55,
Mark 6:3 we read, “Isn’t this
the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his
mother’s name Mary, and
aren’t his brothers James,
Joseph, Simon and Judas?
And they took offence at him”
Others, especially His
opponents in Judea who
were not appraised of Jesus’s
family background
discounted Him because of
His apparent lack of
recognisable and respected
pedigree. In John 9:28-29 we
read in the interrogation of
the man born blind who was
healed by Jesus, “We are
disciples of Moses! We know
that God spoke to Moses, but
as for this fellow, we don’t
even know where he comes
from.”
We see, however, in this
glimpse of Jesus’s ministry in
the synagogue in Capernaum
a very different attitude:
“What is this? A new teaching
—and with authority!”
I chuckle at that because one
wonders what kind of drivel
the synagogue attenders had
been listening to up to that
point?
“The term synagogue is of
Greek origin (synagein, “to
bring together”) and means
“a place of assembly.”
Scholars believe that it seems
likely that that institution of
the synagogue began during
the Exile in Persia when
Jewish worshippers were
separated from the sacrificial
life and cult of the Temple.
The reading of the whole
Torah in Hebrew was and still
is the central act of
congregational worship in the
synagogue. The Torah is
divided into 154 or 155
sections and read through in
its entirety in a three-year
cycle. After the reading from
the Torah scroll and
interpretation into local
language from Hebrew, an
extempore commentary was
delivered on the text by a
learned member of the
congregation, a visiting rabbi
or possibly a visitor from
another congregation.
It was at such a community
act of worship in the
synagogue in Capernaum
that Jesus was invited to
provide the extempore
commentary on the Torah
reading for the day.
Mark does not include detail
as to what that Torah text
was that day or what Jesus
said about it, but whatever it
was, He delivered the
teaching with a new kind of
authority which astonished
the people present.
This is in sharp contrast to
Luke 4:14-30 which records
Jesus’s attendance in the
synagogue in Nazareth. Not
only do we know the portion
of scripture which was Isaiah
61:1-2, but we know exactly
what Jesus taught in relation
to it and the fact that His
words intensely annoyed his
listeners.
In the synagogue in
Capernaum, however, it was
different and something else
happened which further
underlines Jesus’s authority.
Also present at the time was
demon possessed man. Why
he was there is unclear, but it
is unlikely that the demon
possessed man was placed
there as a stooge to trap
Jesus as was the case later in
His ministry (Matt 12:9-11).
Although admittedly this is
pure conjecture and not in
the text, one can imagine this
man heckling or sniggering as
Jesus spoke. What we do
know is that during Jesus’s
exposition of the text the man
suddenly cried out,
“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.”
What happened next was
extraordinary. Jesus didn’t
use semi-magical
incantations common to
Jewish exorcists of the time
to expel the spirit, He spoke
to it and rebuked it like an
annoying dog. The Greek
phrase recorded by Mark is
φιμόω meaning literally
“Muzzle it!” “Back off.” It is
the same word of command
which Jesus used on the
storm on the lake when He
rebuked the storm. (Mark
4:39)
With no alternative but to
cower before this ultimate
authority, the evil spirit is
silenced, but it one final act
of defiance it throws the man
into convulsions before being
banished.
The combination of Jesus’s
authoritative teaching and His
command over evil spirits
astonish the congregation in
the synagogue. Up until this
point commentary on the
Torah had been delivered by
lay speakers, or even rabbis
who had followed the usual
pattern of citing the works of
other teachers and sages
rather than anything new.
A good example of this kind
of teaching is to be found in
this excerpt from the Mishnah
Eduyot 8:7
“Rabbi Joshua said: I have
received a tradition from
Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai,
who heard it from his teacher,
and his teacher [heard it] from
his teacher, as a halakhah
[given] to Moses from Sinai,
that Elijah will not come to
pronounce unclean or to
pronounce clean, to put away
or to bring near, but to put
away those brought near by
force and to bring near those
put away by force.”
When Jesus had spoken that
day however, they heard
something new. Jesus taught
with authority.
Often Jesus said, “You have
heard it said, but I tell you.”
We see a glimpse of this
authority in Matthew 7:28-29
at the conclusion of the
Sermon on the Mount where
we read, “the crowds were
amazed at his teaching,
because he taught as one
who had authority, and not as
their teachers of the law.”
In their amazement I wonder
if the people concluded that
this Jesus of Nazareth was
the long awaited Prophet
foretold by Moses in Deut
18?
You may recall from our Old
Testament reading that
Moses foretold the coming of
another Prophet after Him
who would speak the words
of God.
Even though this particular
prophecy was so very
ancient, it was fresh in the
minds of the Jewish
community at the time of
Jesus. We read in John 1:21,
that the people enquired of
John the Baptist as to
whether or not he was this
awaited Prophet and that
following the feeding of the
5000, the people gathered
concluded that Jesus was ,
“the Prophet who is to come
into the world.” (John 7:21).
Clearly both the Apostle
Peter and the first Christ
martyr and deacon Steven
believed Jesus to be this
Prophet.(Acts 3:22-23, Acts
7:37).
Not surprisingly Islam lays
claim to the prophecy in the
Torah in Deut 18 as foretelling
the coming of their Prophet
Muhammad.
To me a compelling piece of
scriptural evidence linking
Jesus with the Prophecy of
Deut 18 is found at the
Transfiguration.
Moses wrotes, “The Lord
your God will raise up for you
a prophet like me from among
you, from your fellow
Israelites. You must listen to
him.” (Deut 18:15).
On the mount of
Transfiguration in the
presence of the visions
Moses and Elijah the voice
from heaven proclaims, “This
is my Son, whom I have
chosen; listen to him.” (Luke
9:35
So where does this take us?
Firstly, Jesus has the ultimate
authority over evil. There is
nothing to fear with Christ by
our side. Jesus spoke and
banished evil as an owner to
an annoying dog, “Muzzle it”
“Back off!”
Secondly, the Jesus we love
and worship is our source of
ultimate authority as Teacher.
If indeed He is the long
awaited an expected Prophet
from Deut 18:15 is a matter
for debate, but we are
commanded to listen to Him.
Thirdly, Jesus has the
authority command our
thought, opinion and
behaviour. We must take
seriously the warning in Deu
18: 17-19, “I will put my
words in his mouth. He will
tell them everything I
command him. I myself will
call to account anyone who
does not listen to my words
that the prophet speaks in my
name.”
There is no point in just being
a listener if our hearing does
not then lead to action.
Jesus is our friend the
Carpenter, but He is so much
more. He demonstrated a
teaching authority and power
which was not of this world.
Even the evil spirits know
who He is. Why not the rest
of the world?
Is He the Prophet about
whom Moses spoke?
Maybe, maybe not, but we
can affirm the words we find
in the opening chapters of the
Book of Hebrews:
“In the past God spoke to our
ancestors through the
prophets at many times and
in various ways, but in these
last days he has spoken to us
by his Son, whom he
appointed heir of all things,
and through whom also he
made the universe. The Son
is the radiance of God’s glory
and the exact representation
of his being, sustaining all
things by his powerful word.”
(Heb 1:1-3)
What a friend, what a
Carpenter, what a Teacher
and what authority!
Amen