Mark 1-3: The Lord of the Sabbath

There was never any doubt in Jesus' mind about what he was sent to do, and he would let nothing deter him from his mission, especially not recognition.  The religious leaders of that time may not have recognized him, but the common ordinary people did and the evil spirits did. 
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!" - Mark 1:21-24 NIV

Jesus drove out many demons and wouldn't allow them to speak because they knew who he was. He healed many of the sick, but he always admonished them to not to tell anyone.  But, something miraculous had happened,  the people could not keep quiet, like the man who was healed of leprosy.  Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. - Mark 1:45

All of this grated on the religious leaders.  They were constantly searching for a way to get rid of him, because he challenged their interpretation of the law with justice and mercy.  They were especially alert to any infraction of their Sabbath laws.  They watched in him the synagogue to see if he would heal on the Sabbath and they accused Jesus and his disciples of breaking the law when they picked some grain as they walked through a field on the Sabbath.  As usual, the Pharisees had it all wrong, as Jesus told them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." - Mark 2:27  NIV

Jesus did not let any of these stumbling blocks stand in his way:  not recognition, not adulation, not criticism.  He knew the authority he was given , he knew what he came to do, and he knew who he was.  He was Lord even of the Sabbath.