Why did Jesus astonish people?
Thursday, May 15th, 2008The Gospels often describe people’s reactions to Jesus Christ as being “astonished” or “amazed” (Mark 1:22, 27). Generally, people would not have been able to distinguish Jesus from other first century Jewish men based simply on his physical appearance as he began his ministry. The initial reaction to Jesus Christ was not, therefore, based on what he looked like. Only later did people begin to recognize him and distinguish him from others as his fame spread throughout the land. 622 Mark highlights two events at the beginning of his narrative revealing the reason people reacted with amazement as they often did when encountering the Son of Man and hearing his words. When Jesus Christ taught in the synagogue in Capernaum for the first time, Mark noted, the people “were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22; emphasis added). The second event happened just after he finished teaching on that memorable day,... Read the rest of this entry »

