Christ’s Miraculous Power

KEY VERSE: “What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.” —Mark 1:27

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Mark 1:21-27, 40-45

THE people, as they listened to Jesus, were impressed by the authoritative manner in which he spoke. The Jewish teachers always referred to tradition or to what some other teacher had said, and they do so even today. Jesus taught as one possessing divine authority, which of course he had. John the Baptist, speaking of Jesus, said, “He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the spirit by measure unto him.”—John 3:34

The miracles Jesus performed were also by the power of God. In Matthew 12:24-30 we have the account of Jesus healing one possessed with a devil, but the Pharisees heard of it and accused Jesus of performing the miracle by the power of Beelzebub (Satan). Jesus answered them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God [‘kingdom’ is a translation of the Greek word basileia which means kingly power, authority, royal dignity, as well as kingdom. The context, it is evident, is referring to Jesus. Therefore, a more accurate translation is: then his royal majesty] is come unto you.” This was true because only Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at this time and, in his case, it was without measure. It was this unlimited power of God that had been granted him that enabled him to perform miracles and speak with such authority.

All of this was, of course, by design. The first advent of Jesus came at the end of the Jewish Age. That age marked the period of time when God dealt only with the Jewish people under the terms of the Law Covenant. Because of their unfaithfulness under that covenant, the Jews, as a nation, were cast off from favor and the Law Covenant came to an end. But, in keeping with God’s plan, the advent of Jesus activated the Abrahamic Covenant. Jesus, the long-promised Messiah, was the messenger of that covenant.

According to the prophecies, the Jews were to have the first opportunity to accept Jesus and the terms of the Sarah feature of the Abrahamic Covenant (the call to the church). In Acts 3:25,26 the Apostle Peter states the matter in this way: “Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our father, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

The miracles and the wonderful words spoken by Jesus were to be signs to the Jews so that they would recognize Jesus as their long-promised Messiah. The exercise of this power was to be an illustration of the power and blessings that would be available in the kingdom.

In Matthew 12:29 Jesus indicated that this present evil world with its institutions, people, and mores comprised Satan’s house, and that for Jesus to enter into this arrangement and spoil Satan’s goods took a stronger power than Satan possessed. And this, of course, was God’s power which Jesus was privileged to use. The spoiling of Satan’s goods was being accomplished on a small scale by Jesus then, as proof of his ministry. As the illustrations were prophetic, so, we believe, the overpowering of Satan was also prophetic of the kingdom.

In Revelation 20:1,2, we read of one of the first acts of Christ and his church at the beginning of the kingdom. “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit … that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years be fulfilled.” It is during the thousand-year kingdom reign that the power of God, exercised through Christ and the church, will be unopposed in restoring man back to perfection.

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