By Peter Oliver, Olive Branch Marriage and Family Ministry

The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. – Mark 1:22

The nobody from Nazareth does a shameful thing today – “have you heard, the carpenter’s teaching in the synagogue!?!”

But just so it’s clear that Jesus can do this, Mark depicts Jesus dealing, handily, with a demon-shrieking-man and the faithful are impressed.

“He teaches with authority!”

This authority of Jesus is “teaching = actions” authority. What he does and what he says are seamlessly united. And what he does is restore a marginalized person to the community.

That frightens us because it shatters our outsider-insider worldview and favours uncompromising actions that declare, “by God’s power you are restored to this community.”

ReStart – Building divorce and separation resilience

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[This is a weekly blog re-published from www.olivebranchministry.ca with permission from author Peter Oliver. Each post is exactly 100 words.]