Gospel Commentary – September 2, 2025

It seems as though the people of Capernaum had never seen anyone speak and act with authority. But surely that was not the case. Of course, they had seen many people exercise authority. Surely there was someone in charge of the synagogue. Surely there was someone, maybe with another title, who acted as the mayor of the town. Certainly, tax collectors had come through Capernaum. Roman soldiers must have passed through as well. And within their own families there were surely elders who exercised authority. They knew perfectly well what authority was and what people in authority looked like.

So then, what did they see that was different in Jesus? Here we can recall what Jesus Himself says elsewhere: “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and the great ones oppress them. It shall not be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:28). And with this, we can better understand how Jesus exercised His authority: not as one who dominates and oppresses, but as one who serves, cares, heals, and sets free. That is what astonished His listeners. Most likely it was the first time in their lives that they had seen someone who truly had authority and yet used it to serve, to liberate, to inspire hope, to help people grow.

The first example is the man possessed by an unclean spirit. Even he recognizes this different way of exercising authority. And he has no choice but to flee. Naturally, the news spread from mouth to mouth throughout the whole region: “There is a different kind of man. He speaks of God not to oppress but to set free.”

With Jesus’ example, we Christians already have all we need to know about how to exercise authority: not by imposing, but by serving. Even to the point of giving our life, as Jesus did.