Astonishing Message: Why the Good News is Good to Hear

And they were astonished at his teaching --Mark 1:22

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A Turning Point

We are following the footsteps of Jesus on his first full day of ministry, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark. It is a massive day for the Lord—a turning point in his life.

He will never be able to come back to where he is now. Whatever anonymity he had going into this first day will vanish within the next hour when Jesus speaks in the synagogue.

But we must not get ahead of the action. Let’s go back.

The Setting: Capernaum’s Synagogue

It was the Sabbath that day. Jesus entered Capernaum with the intent of stopping at the local synagogue where the people had gathered for worship.

The synagogue was small, holding no more than 150 people. (The ruins of a centuries-old replica of the structure are still visible today.) On the first day of Jesus’ public ministry, he had a plan to deliver a message to the congregation.

Once inside the synagogue, Jesus took over. We don’t know how he took the teaching position that morning.

Jesus was a preacher and itinerant rabbi. He was not unknown. Was he invited to speak impromptu? Was he scheduled to speak at the local congregation? We can only imagine.

Regardless, we know that Jesus took center stage and began to expound the Scriptures.