Thoughts for the Day

Jesus went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘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.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

In the seven years I was the Children's and RE Adviser for the Diocese of Worcester, I spent a lot of time driving up and down the M5 to Sandwell or Dudley, or to Evesham and Tewkesbury. I worked in schools and churches on anything to do with the under 18s. Much of my time was spent in teaching adults how to work with all-ages, a new concept at the time. I was heavily involved writing books on the subject, and was often asked to preach at special services. I would be booked months ahead, and sometimes turn up to find the bible readings that I had based my work on had changed. On one awful occasion they moved the harvest celebrations to the day without telling me. I had to think on my feet!.

Well Jesus didn't get booked months ahead, he did what was natural and turned up on the sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset end Saturday) at his local Synagogue. Nazareth where he had lived was about 30 km from Capernaum which lay near the Sea of Galilee, and this is where he had made his base and from where Peter and the other first disciples were recruited. The Synagogue then was a place of teaching, and visiting Rabbi were often asked to teach. The scribes who taught about God's Law (the Torah) from the first five books (the Pentateuch) of the Hebrew scriptures (our New Testament) would always quote other authorities and precedence. It's like the British Law, this too quotes precedence for its authority.

But Jesus amazed the people by quoting no experts and no such authority. He spoke as one "with authority". He spoke as one who knew God's truth intimately! In the middle of this teaching he cures a man of an evil spirit (or possibly epilepsy?) but it is his teaching that astounds the people.

Lord Jesus Christ,
may we desire to learn more about You.
We thank You for all who wrote
the Hebrew scriptures,
and also the accounts of Your life on earth
in our New Testament.
Guide us as we study the scriptures,
and inspire us to learn more.
Also enable us to apply what we find out
to our everyday life.
Amen.