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Mark 1:22
ESV And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
NIV The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
NASB And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
CSB They were astonished at his teaching because he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes.
NLT The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority — quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
KJV And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

What does Mark 1:22 mean?

Mark does not actually mention Jesus' miraculous incident with fish and nets (Luke 5:1–7). Even if he had, skeptical eyewitnesses could have assumed Jesus' knowledge of where to fish was coincidental. This makes the upcoming verses the first time Mark records a bona fide miracle (Mark 1:23–28). Although Mark's gospel focuses on the actions of Jesus, he begins the account as Jesus would have intended: with Jesus teaching. Despite the attention Jesus' miracles garnered, those signs were always in service to His teaching. In the Bible, God occasionally used miracles to serve the needs of His people, but primarily meant them to authenticate the message of the prophet or teacher who performed them (John 20:30–31).

Before the people present could be amazed at Jesus' impending miracle, they are "astonished" with His teaching. The Greek root translated as "astonished" is ekplesso, which means to be struck with amazement; almost as someone who is physically thrown back. Even today, Jewish rabbis bolster their interpretation of Scripture by citing the opinions of teachers who came before them. Even the Old Testament prophets began with, "Thus says the Lord…" Jesus, however, does not rely on confirmation from other sources. He teaches as if He is the authority on the passage at hand—because He is. This is quite a shock to the Pharisees. As the Jewish scholars, they are insulted by a rabbi who doesn't defer to their authorized interpretations.

Jesus is in the business of teaching, first and foremost. Mark mentions "teaching" twenty times (ESV). In addition to the synagogue, Jesus taught by the sea (Mark 2:13), among the villages (Mark 6:6), privately with His disciples (Mark 9:31), to the chief priests and scribes (Mark 11:18), and in the temple (Mark 14:49). Mark often notes the remarkable ability of Jesus to teach in diverse places with great authority and influence among all types of people.
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