Mark 3:1-15
Monday, 23 August 2021
“He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” -Mark 3:14-15
Much crowd followed Jesus but He chose and appointed Twelve to be with Him and disciple them and equip them for further ministry. These twelve men would learn from Him and have the necessary experience to continue God’s Kingdom work.
We read in our key verse that He appointed the disciples to preach and to have authority over demons. Jesus came to earth as the Son of God with the authority given to Him by the Father. At the very outset of His ministry, we see the authority God put in Him being made manifest in His teaching, healing and ministering. Mark 1:22 says, “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority…” At the healing of the paralyzed man Jesus spoke to those teachers of the Law who couldn’t understand what He was doing: “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” (Mark 2:10).
The One who has the authority, gave authority to His disciples – the Twelve, Jesus called to be with Him. The authority He gave as He sent them out, is seen defined in Luke 9:1,2: “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Authority To Cast Out Demons
Jesus spoke in Luke 11: 20: “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” By casting out demons, Jesus asserted the dominion of the Kingdom of God over the powers of darkness. Demons acknowledged Him as God’s Son and fled when He commanded them to leave tormented people. The same authority has been given to every believer who stands in the authority given to Him by Christ: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)
Authority To Heal Sickness
A major part of Jesus’ ministry was in healing the sick. Matt. 4:23 says, “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” Matthew speaks of the fulfilment of the Scripture from Isaiah 53 when He wrote: “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.”(Matt.8:17). We have the promise of His healing as said in 1 Peter 2:24: “for by His wounds you were healed.”
Authority To Preach The Kingdom Of God
Mark 1:14,15 tells us that Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Jesus preached the good news of God’s Kingdom and we are also called to do the same. We who are His disciples, too are called to this Great Commission that Christ Jesus gave in Matthew 28:18-20 “….All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
The believer is not pride in any of those special privileges or the authority he has, but remember the words Jesus told His disciples: “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus as I submit to Your authority, help me to operate in the authority You have given me so that the Kingdom of God will grow. Amen.
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