…The previous four narratives displayed the authority of Jesus by his word over nature, over the devil, over sin, and over death. Jesus established his authority by his word. Which is one of the great themes of the bible, the Word of God.
Jesus spoke to tempest, and it died down to a serene calm. Jesus spoke to Legion, who departed and left the man in his right mind. Jesus spoke to the unclean woman, who became clean. Jesus spoke to the dead girl, who rose to life. Connect this to 1 John 3:8, where John says that Jesus appeared to destroy the works of the devil. The great work of the devil is sin, and keeping people in bondage to sin, and the consequence of sin, which is death.
But Jesus demonstrates his victory. And it only takes a word. There’s no power struggle here. Paul says that when Jesus returns, he will slay the antichrist by the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing by his appearance. You can’t even call it a lopsided victory, because it’s beyond lopsided. It’s more lopsided than Michael Jordan playing basketball against ants. That’s a weird analogy but it’s the first thing that came to mind. Perhaps don’t say the first thing that comes to mind. I don’t know. But Jesus secured and displayed and established a great victory over the greatest foe that could oppose him.
That’s good news. What joy for the one who lives in that victory…
