Mark’s gospel tells a wonderful story of an event that took place in the Synagogue in Capernaum (See Mark 1:21-28). To us it is a miracle story but to Jesus it’s an event in which His divine personhood is revealed.

A man with an unclean spirit was released from that spirit; or, as Mark says, “the unclean spirit…came out of him” (26). From a prison in his inner life, the man is set free. Suddenly we know that for him the future will be different from the one we would expect him to have given his situation. Jesus spoke into the man’s life, and he was set free.

Interestingly enough, the unclean spirit had engaged Jesus in a conversation that ended with the spirit saying, “I know who You are—the Holy One of God” (25). It seems the spirit knew more about Jesus than the others in the sacred place that day. Apparently, Jesus wasn’t interested in a conversation with an unclean spirit and He rebuked it abruptly by saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” (24). Just like that a man gets his life back.

Jesus’ action that day got everybody’s attention it seems. Suddenly we hear people saying of Him, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirit, and they obey him” (27).

Are you captivated by the authority that is in Jesus? The people who observed Him in action in the Synagogue that day became captivated by Him. In fact, in a spirit of amazement they started talking about Him, and the conversation went far beyond the walls of the building.

And He is among us today, with the same authority, the same power, the same influence. No wonder they started talking about Him.

I wonder how their conversations went.