Gospel Mark 1:21-28
21They went
to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were
astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not
as the scribes.
23Just then
there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried
out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus
rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the
unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
27They were all
amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with
authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
28At once his
fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
How
many know what season we are in?
[Ordinary
Time. Epiphany.]
How
many think it’s Ordinary Time?
How
many think it’s Epiphany?
Guess
what? You’re all right!
The
season following Epiphany, January 6, is part of Ordinary time, that lengthy
part of the church year that also includes the many Sundays following
Pentecost.
But
more and more, we also consider it to be the season of Epiphanytide. Which is too long a name for a season, but
whatever.
You
can tell that we are considering this the season
of Epiphany if you are paying attention to the Prayer of the Day. Each week, those prayers have included
language about Jesus being revealed, and images of light which are themes of
Epiphany, right? “Epiphany” actually comes
from the Greek word epiphaneia, which
means “manifestation” or “revealing.”
If
you look at this week’s prayer, you will see both.
And…so
what? What does it matter that Epiphany
is about revealing? Well, it matters
because that gives us a lens through which to view our lessons, especially our
gospel texts for each week. During
Epiphany, we want to focus in on what our lessons are revealing about
Jesus Christ.
That
is especially true this week, when our lesson is part of Epiphany and also part
of that exclusive club of Jesus’ First Public Actions.
Scholars
have long suggested that we pay attention to the first public thing Jesus does
in a gospel, as a way of uncovering the way that particular evangelist views
Jesus. What those same scholars refer to
as Christology.
Mark’s
Christolology, his understanding of
who Jesus was, is revealed in all of Chapter One, in which we see Jesus
engaging in multiple acts of healing and proclamation, while also being
baptized and calling disciples.
But
it is worth paying particular attention this week, when Jesus engages in his
first public acts. Two of them, really. Teaching and exorcizing a demon.
Proclamation
and healing.
We
want to pay attention to the actions themselves, and also to the reaction of
the crowd, because Mark has zeroed in on a particular response which reveals
something about Jesus and about his ministry.
What
word do they use, about both the teaching and the healing?
Authority. Jesus is a different kind of rabbi. He commands a room. He commands an audience. “He commands even the unclean spirits!”
The
fact that Jesus’ first really public act is an exorcism tells us a ton about
what we will learn about Jesus from Mark.
Mark’s
Jesus is on a mission. And that
mission involves crossing boundaries and casting out demons. There are nine exorcisms in Mark’s gospel,
and even more references to demons and the power to cast out demons.
The
way Mark reveals Jesus is timely. Mark
is writing to a people living under an oppressive Roman rule. In 66, the Jews in both the northern and
southern territories rebelled against Emperor Nero. In 70 AD, about the time that Mark finished
his writing, Roman forces under the new Emperor, Vespasian, sacked the temple—the
center of Jewish life.
The
people living in that world had some demons.
Demons that had been around for the thirty-something years since Jesus’
death and resurrection.
What
kinds of demons were plaguing the people of Jesus, and Mark?
--Separation
--Isolation --Racism
How
do you suppose a people living with those demons received the word of a Messiah
who could cast out those demons?
How
do you suppose life changed for that one young man in Capernaum, up on the
north shore of the Galilee? He was
living possessed by something unclean.
Which meant he could not be part of his community.
And
Jesus, who has the authority to
command those unclean spirits and cast them away, restored that man. Ended his
isolation.
The
people there that day knew this was a big deal.
The
people for whom Mark was writing knew that this was a big deal.
So
here’s a question for all of us: do we
know what a big deal this is?
Do
we have any demons that we’d like Jesus to help us destroy? Because disciples get this ability, remember.
What
demons are plaguing us these days?
--Include
homophobia and transphobia and talk about RIC Sunday.
Can
Jesus cast out those demons? Does he
have the authority to break down the walls that separate us from one
another, the walls of bigotry and shame and stolen opportunity?
Yeah. He does.
Because
his authority is built of love. His
authority continues to be unleashed in our world today, because it is built
into the fabric of the life we share. A
life of faith built on love for God and love for neighbor. Those aren’t just quaint phrases. That is the power of Jesus Christ. The power to overcome the demons plaguing our
society and the demons plaguing our lives.
Jesus
has that power.
Jesus
has that authority.
And
so do we.
Jesus
isn’t just revealed in our gospel texts for the season of Epiphany. He is revealed in us. He is incarnate
in us, every time we reach out to a
neighbor in love. And—hear me now—every time we let another reach out to us in
love. Every time that we admit that we
need the healing power of love in our lives.
Love
heals. The gospel is good news of a
power based in love which can tear down walls and heal pain and suffering. Jesus the Christ is a light of love for a
world in pain. Let’s share him. Let’s heal through him.
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