Power and Authority

The crowds flock to Jesus. He heals people with leprosy, casts out demons, feeds the people, and teaches with authority.

After Jesus teaches in the synagogue and casts out a demon, Mark reports that his fame spread throughout Galilee. Like those crowds, we too want to be close to fame. Fame feels powerful, and those who are famous seem to be living an idealized life. We want what they have. It seems fame will somehow inoculate them from the cares of the world.

Fame seems like a golden ticket to a comfortable life. We imagine that fame or money or status or a lucky break will be the thing that gives our lives meaning. Yet often fame seems to simply exacerbate the already-existing character of the famous one. Fame often multiplies problems rather than solving them.

Jesus grows increasingly famous. Crowds gather to hear him teach, so much so that he has to regularly escape to be alone with his Father or with his disciples to pray. Yet Jesus’ fame doesn’t lead him to growing more distant from the pain of humanity. Instead, it draws him deeper into the pain. He illustrates the power and authority of God—not just in what he is able to do (miracles, healing, teaching)—but in how he does it.

He performs miracles to show the power of God, always in submission to the will of the Father. He is moved with compassion; he weeps over death and sorrow; he rebukes hypocrisy. Jesus’ fame ultimately will lead him to the Garden of Gethsemane where he will be alone and abandoned by even his closest followers.

Jesus’ fame leads to death and from death to resurrection. Through it all, fame (and its loss) show the character of Jesus: one willing to go through the heart of pain to save his people.