Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Gospel lesson (Mark 1: 21-28, Jesus exorcises a demon).

What an understatement. The people in this Capernaum synagogue congregation, listening to this itinerant preacher, witness a scene that would rival anything from an Exorcist movie. Imagine if some visiting pastor came here to preach and while here a man who was obviously possessed by a demon came in to challenge him. Responding to the challenge the visiting pastor doesn't grab the man, doesn't whack him in the forehead, doesn't shout, but sternly says: "Be quiet! Come out of him!" We watch as the man shakes violently and the evil spirit comes out of him with a shriek.

What would we do? What would any congregation do? All of you were stunned enough last November when I came bounding down out of the chancel and loudly announced "Jesus is coming." Imagine how shocked you would feel if a man possessed by an evil spirit started crying out and a visiting preacher/teacher expelled him with two short sentences. I know I'd be shocked! I can imagine some people bolting for the doors, scared to death. Others might just sit for hours, dazed. Others might drop to the floor, praising God for witnessing such a powerful miracle. But what an understatement here. These people respond with amazement. They say "What is this? A new teaching-- and with authority!"

Driving out this demon was not an isolated incident. Mark records a total of four specific exorcisms, casting out evil spirits, by Jesus, from two men, a boy and a girl (Mark 5; 7; and 9). At numerous other times Mark simply records things like in 1: 39 "he (Jesus) traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons" or he gave his apostles "authority to drive out demons" (Mark 3: 15).

But Jesus didn't go looking for this evil spirit in our text. Jesus was doing his Sabbath day duties, teaching in the synagogue. Verse 22: "The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority." Mark doesn't tell us specifically what Jesus is teaching in that synagogue on that day, but the last teaching theme he left us with is from our text in last week's gospel (1: 15) "The time has come� The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Those are authoritative, engaging words, words that call for, even demand a response. Jesus wants to invite more and more disciples to follow him, to trust in Him. He summons all to believe that He alone brings the reign of God to humanity.

Jesus didn't go looking for this evil spirit, but the evil spirit comes to interrupt His teaching, to distract others from his authority. One expert on the Gospel of Mark (William Lane, NICNT, p. 73) said that the demon's response to Jesus is roughly equivalent to telling him "you have no business with us � yet!" But for Jesus the time had come. He knew He had three years here to preach and teach and heal and cast out demons until the final time came. He knew He had three years until He would give up his life on the cross, payment to ransom us, his dearly beloved, away from the power of Satan and his minions. He needed no interruptions from those He had come to destroy. So he quickly dealt with this interruption to his teaching with this stern, authoritative teaching "Be quiet! Come out of him!"

I've not been interrupted lately by any demons, at least to my knowledge. I've not had any demons visibly or audibly appear and distract me from hearing Jesus' teaching. I hope you haven't either. I sometimes wonder why demons are less directly noticeable now, at least here in this culture, than they apparently were at Jesus' time. I hear stories from missionaries in other countries of people who still appear to be "possessed." But that 'direct interrupting' strategy of Satan seems to be less frequent, less preferred. But yet the world and our sinful flesh find plenty of strong but subtle ways to interrupt, to distract us from Jesus' authority and teaching. The world looks to distract us from Jesus' authority and love and power to save by claiming that there are many ways to get to heaven. The world wants us to believe that any non-Christian religion is as good a road to God as is Jesus. They want to deny the truth that even the demon knew but feared (James 2: 19), that Jesus was (Mark 1: 24) "the Holy One of God!" Our sinful flesh, our Old Adam seeks to interrupt our following of Jesus, our listening to his authority over sin. What subtle distractions do we fall prey to? Do you consistently think "Oh, I'm too busy or too tired to read a devotion and/or a chapter from the Bible today?" Do you persistently imagine "Oh, I'm not sure I'd understand the Bible if I read it on my own" or "Oh, I'm not able to fit a Bible Study into my busy schedule?"

Four men were sitting in an outer office waiting to be interviewed for a job as a telegraph operator. Two of the men talked while they waited, and a third read a magazine. Suddenly the fourth man got up, walked through a door that said "Private" on it. A short while later he emerged with a smile on his face, because he had the job. Why did he get the job? Because he listened to the message. In the main office, the boss had tapped out a Morse code message that said "The first man to hear this message and come into my office will get the job." (from T.T. Crabtree, editor, The Zondervan Pastor's Annual 1998, p. 264).

Every week, every day our Lord taps out a message to us through His Word. On that Sabbath day, Jesus was teaching, and His words had power. In the 3rd Commandment He calls on us to "Remember the Sabbath Day, by keeping it holy." (Small Catechism) "What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and his Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it." In God's Word is power and strength. With his Word the Triune God created the heavens and the earth. With his Word he called the prophet Moses to save his people from captivity in Egypt. In his Word he promised to send a new Moses, the Messiah Jesus, who would love and save his people, conquering demons and diseases and even ultimately death itself through His cross and resurrection. He knows of our need to hear that message, that teaching over and over again. He knows of the tempting messages that would distract us from his teaching, from acknowledging our constant need for his forgiveness and strength. Hebrews 2: 1 "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away." It is, unfortunately, possible to drift away from this great salvation of Christ by ignoring it, by not hearing from God's Word regularly. But the Holy Spirit, through God's Word, does something even more amazing than creating the world or casting out demons. Through Word and Sacrament He works faith in our hearts, brings spiritually dead people to life, and keeps us spiritually resuscitated and growing until we go to be with Jesus in heaven.

Jesus' Epiphany, that is His appearing to the world, his message, did not stop when he left and ascended back into heaven. No, his words, his teachings, his authority continues here on earth, sometimes interrupted, but constantly calling. His teaching and the news of his authority spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. Then, after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, the Holy Spirit spread the news of the coming of the Son of God throughout the Mediterranean and Europe and Africa and the Americas and Asia. He continues to use us who are amazed at his authority and love to spread that news to others.

In a world of conflicting claims to authority and unsettling rejection of authority, it is a relief to hear of One who truly teaches with authority because He is the Son of God who has decisively defeated the power of Satan. It is a relief to know He has given us a "new teaching" of salvation by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ himself (Rev. Francis Rossow, Concordia Journal, October 1993, p. 410). That loving authority grabs us by his Word and holds us near to Him.

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)