Reflections on Mark's Gospel - Mark 1:22

Teaching in Capernaum's Synagogue

The focus of this account is not on the content of Jesus' teaching but on the character of his teaching and the people's reaction to it. Jesus taught in their synagogue and, whatever he said, they were amazed. Why? Because he spoke as an authority. And why was that amazing? Because their scribes did not. The emphasis is on contrast: the contrast between what they had been accustomed to and what Jesus did.

Amazement as Jesus' ministry was a common reaction. Mark records the people's amazement following Jesus' preaching the synagogue. Matthew uses identical words to describe their amazement at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Mat_7:29-30). It therefore seems fair to examine the Sermon on the Mount for characteristics of Jesus' teaching that might be compared to the teaching they were used to receiving.

"In post-exilic Judaism the word "scribe" came to designate an expert in the Torah... The importance and fame of scribes grew during the Hasmonean period... The scribes were, first of all, experts in the Torah who were capable of issuing binding decisions on its interpretation. Scribal knowledge of the Torah, and the means by which it was attained, were often regarded as esoteric enlightenment, and hence more authoritative. With the growth of the synagogue, scribes became, secondly, teachers of the Torah, whose reputation was honoured by the title "rabbi"... Finally, scribes were legal jurists in the broad sense of the term. "Scribe" thus combined the offices of Torah professor, teacher and moralist, and civil lawyer, in that order."
[Edwards p.54]

To differentiate Jesus' teaching from the scribes is not to denigrate the authority with which the scribes spoke. Jesus did not have a great level of authority than the scribes. He had a totally different kind of authority. The best illustration of this comes from the world of literature. The most brilliant professor of literature may present a clear and compelling case for understanding a particular work in a particular way, but the author of that writing has a totally different right for explaining what it really meant.

The scribes had worked out, as part of different ongoing schools of tradition, how to understand and apply the Torah. The Midrash provides plenty of examples of their interpretations - where they typically quote other leading scribes to support their interpretation (just as I have above), and where they typically were caught up in debating trivialities and details.

Jesus was able to teach in such a way as to focus people's attention on the real issues God wanted addressed, and to speak authoritatively, as the author of the Torah and the creator of the people, about what the Torah meant and how it applied to them.

The key for authoritative biblical teaching has to be understanding the author's original intent and applying that to the contemporary situation. Everything else in the teaching process must contribute to that end. God's Word has been preserved for us, through millenia of opposition, so that we can know what the real issues are from God's perspective, and how he expects us to respond to them. That does not mean that we cannot approach God's Word looking for answers to issues that confront us today. But real, authoritative teaching must be grounded in God's message to us. Otherwise it is simply our own opinion amidst a world full of opinions.

If we look at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), what are the key issues Jesus raises? He begins by addressing how they can be the blessed people of God, and challenges their self-perception as salt and light. He then reorients their thinking about the law. It is not an outdated, outmoded tradition only able to be kept by nit-picking legalists. It is training in righteousness that goes beyond the external to challenge our heart issues. This is true in how we relate to others - those we are in conflict with, our spouse, those we do business with, our enemies and the needy. This is also true in how we engage with God. The external performance of giving, fasting, prayer should not deceive us from examining our heart condition to see who we are really serving. Is it God or money? The sermon concludes with the exhortation to pursue God, to choose the narrow way and to watch out for false teachers.

If Jesus can interpret the Torah in a way that engages meaningfully with people's hearts, and produces amazement, should that not be our approach too? Practical teaching or teaching with an emphasis on application (which is what I like to do) can easily degenerate into a new form of legalism (where we simply spend more time telling people what to do) if it misses the challenge to the heart. For example, "should Christians tithe?" is a common question arising from an application of the Torah. There are many discussions about 10% or other percentages we should aim for. There are discussions about whether we should give to the local church, or to Christian work in general. Jesus comment in the Sermon on the Mount is clear: "Giving reveals your heart". For some, money is a means to public praise. For others it is a source of security. Choose who you will serve, Jesus says, God or money.