2. Amazed with Jesus and His Authority
2. Amazed with Jesus and His Authority.
“Life without wonder – radical amazement – is not worth living. It is the beginning of our happiness. Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement… get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible. Never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed.” (Abraham Joshua Heschel).
I Stand Amazed | Celtic Worship ft. Steph Macleod
Jesus Christ engaged in a ministry of amazement, astonishment, wonder. Everywhere He traveled, He left people astounded and in awe. He caused a big stir wherever he went, and people left in His wake were amazed at who He was and what He was able to do, whether from His unusually wise teaching, His authoritative exorcisms, His unprecedented healings, His clever and insightful conversations, His dramatic miracles. It seemed everyone marveled at Jesus, despite His best efforts sometimes to be off the radar. There are three Greek synonyms that mean complete astonishment or radical amazement: ekplesso, thaumazo, and existemi. The differences between these three words, though, are fascinating. Are those of us who follow Jesus now, are we also amazed and astonished with Jesus?
“And the people were astonished (“ekplesso”) beyond measure, saying, ‘Everything He does is beautiful (“kalos”), and is done with excellence!” (Mark 7:37).
(1.) ASTONISHED: “ekplesso”; a strong Greek word for astonished; amazed; dumfounded; awestruck; overwhelmed at something extraordinary; struck out of one’s senses; takes your breath away, even to the point of panic. There were at least fifteen gospel events in which the Greek superlative “ekplesso” was used to communicate a radical amazement, astonishment, wonder at Jesus. Jesus was met with overwhelming astonishment after His Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:28); by His hometown friends as they rejected Him (Matt. 13:54); after His teaching on the inadequacy of wealth (Matt. 19:25); after His conversation with the Sadducees about heaven and the resurrection (Matt. 22:33); at His synagogue exorcism (Mark 1:22, 27); after His healing of the deaf and mute man (Mark 7:37); after He whipped the moneychangers in the Temple (Mark 11:18); at His brilliant level of understanding with the rabbis at just 12 years of age (Luke 2:48); after casting out a demon with just a word (Luke 4:32, 36); at the exorcism of a demon-possessed boy (Luke 9:43).
“And behold, a man from the crowd shouted out, ‘Master, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child! A spirit seizes him and suddenly he screams out and it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth! It mauls him and will scarcely leave him!’ Jesus answered, ‘Bring your son here to me.’ And even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him down to the ground and completely convulsed him. But Jesus severely rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the child, and then restored the boy to his father. And all were completely astounded (“ekplesso”) at the evidence of God’s mighty power, His majesty and His magnificence. While they were all marveling (“thaumazo”) at everything Jesus was doing…” (Luke 9:38-43).
(2.) MARVELED: “thaumazo”; another strong Greek word that means… marveled at, astonished by; amazed at; filled with wonder to the point of being bewildered; being awestruck in admiration. There were forty-four passages in the gospels in which people were greatly amazed by Jesus, astonished to the point of awed by Him. Included in the group of people who were completely amazed, “thaumazo’d” by Christ: the shepherds, Mary and Joesph, the disciples, the Pharisees, various crowds during His ministry, and even Pilate himself was astonished by Jesus and marveled at Him. People were amazed by everything from the angelic baby announcement, to various prophecies in Jesus’ young life, to the calming of the storm and the withering of the fig tree; from His miraculous exorcisms and healings to His teachings that always were on point and what were needed at the time.
“Then a blind and mute man under the power of a demon was brought to Jesus and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the crowds of people were overwhelmed with astonishment, stunned with amazement and practically out of their minds with wonder (“existemi”), and said, ‘This cannot be the Son of David, the Messiah, can it?” (Matt. 12:22-23).
(3.) FLABBERGASTED: “existemi”; an extreme word that means to be out of one’s mind with amazement; crazy with wonderment; a stunned astonishment so strong that one is beside oneself; to be overwhelmed so as to be bowled over; literally, to remove from a standing position. This word is used seventeen times in the gospels, including when Jesus healed and forgave the paralyzed man dropped through the ceiling of Peter’s house; when Jesus raised a young girl from the dead; when Jesus calmed the storm and casually climbed into the boat with His disciples; on the road to Emmaus when the disciples heard about the empty tomb from the women. Existemi is also used when the family of Jesus thought He was crazy, going out of His mind.
I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)
‘Jesus and His newly named disciples entered into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. And the people were completely astonished (“ekplesso”) at His teaching, for He was teaching as one who possessed authority, and not as the scribes. Just at that time there was in their synagogue a man who was in the power of an unclean spirit; and now immediately this man raised a deep and terrible cry from the depths of his throat, saying, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!’ And Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Hush up and be muzzled, and come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit, throwing the man into convulsions and screeching with a loud voice, came out of him. And all the people were so amazed (“ekplesso”) and almost terrified that they kept questioning and demanding of one another, saying, ‘What is this? What new, fresh teaching! With authority He gives orders even to the unclean spirits and they obey Him!” (Mark 1:21-27).
With Authority. Everywhere Jesus went, right from the beginning of His ministry, the crowds were “amazed, astonished, because He spoke as one who had authority.” What with the surplus of authority figures around them those days (Roman occupation, religious elite, Temple scholars, local rabbis, tax collectors), one wonders what made Jesus so different. Perhaps they responded to the fact that He didn’t base everything He said on rabbinic precedent, on what has already been said earlier by other scholars and rabbis. Jesus didn’t need to defer to someone else’s authority, only the Father’s. Odds are people also responded to His authenticity, and the fact that He walked His talk. No doubt Jesus was noted for His ability to speak the truth from his mind, heart and life experience. The people sensed He was not acting out some well-worn script, and instead was genuine in everything He did and said. Jesus was a breath of fresh air for those who were looking for words and actions that had spiritual weight, the ring of truth, that somehow were outside of the usual, well-worn, empty tradition and the status quo. Jesus had the right to speak his words, because his life was consistent with his teaching. Jesus spoke with authority because it was clear He depended on His Father as the true Co-Author of His words.
Spiritual Authority. But the people were also astonished at His spiritual authority over the demonic spirits. This was unprecedented, that someone could with just a word claim authority in the spirit world and act on that authority. There was no known exorcism of this type in the Torah, and the people were fearfully amazed at the spiritual power of Jesus. The people were not aware of Christ’s triumph over Satan on the Mount of Temptation, and that He had “bound the strong man” (Mark 3:27) and placed the devil in subjection under Him.
Exorcisms. Jesus powerfully and effectively cast out demons with grace and kindness, so that each exorcism resulted in a person transformed, spiritually whole, and changed for the better. Many scholars have noted that Jesus conducted more exorcisms than any historical figure on record. Casting out demons seemed to take up just as much of His time as physical healings, and in fact, His ministry usually included both forms of healings together. “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons…” (Mark 1:32-34). Jesus beautifully revealed His authority over physical ailments and over spiritual possession. In the spiritual realm, not one demon ever successfully resisted the commands of Jesus. As soon as the demons saw it was Jesus, they knew their days were numbered. It is a beautiful sight, to see that Jesus was just as concerned with the spiritual world as He was the physical world.
How Marvelous (LIVE) | Austin Stone Worship – YouTube
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.” (Proverbs 29:2).