The miracles of Jesus - Classical Christian Literature by Athleo.net

THE DEMONIAC IN
GOGUE AT CAPERNAUM
THE SYNA-
Mark i. 21-28 ; Luke iv. 31-37.
By St Matthew the cleansing of the leper is placed
first amongst our Lord's miracles, but St Mark and
St Luke agree in assigning that position to the
miracle now before us, and both describe very clearly
when and where it took place. Rejected at Nazareth,
Jesus had taken refuge in Capernaum, and on the
first Sabbath of His stay followed His usual practice
of attending the service in the synagogue.
This was,
in all probability, the synagogue provided by the
liberality of the Centurion whose servant Jesus afterwards
healed (Luke vii. 1-10), and it was doubtless
crowded by an eager multitude, anxious to see and
to hear this new Teacher for themselves.
were astonished at
" And they
His teaching," not merely at what
He said, but at " the authority " with which He spoke
(Mark i. 22). It was so different from what they had
been accustomed to. Their own scribes never put
forward an opinion of their own but supported all
they said by an appeal to some earlier or greater
authority— "Rabbi Hillel said this," or "Rabbi
Shammai that," or " So I heard from Shemaia and
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