Mark 1:22 (DRB)

Passage

And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes.

Nearby Context

Mark 1:20 And forthwith he called them. And leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with his hired men, they followed him.

Mark 1:21 And they entered into Capharnaum: and forthwith upon the sabbath days going into the synagogue, he taught them.

Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes.

Mark 1:23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,

Mark 1:24 Saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "astonished", "doctrine", "teaching", "having", "power", and "scribes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "astonished" and "doctrine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "And they entered into Capharnaum and forthwith..." into verse 23's "And there was in their synagogue a...", so "astonished" and "doctrine" belong inside that flow. In Mark context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "astonished" and "doctrine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.