4th Sunday - "What is this?"

He taught with authority 

Mark 1: 21-28

The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012824.cfm

It is a well-known fact that our third President, Thomas Jefferson, was a rationalist, that is centered on reason as the determiner of truth.  He was a theist believing that a benevolent God was owed the praise of humans.  Yet, those beliefs developed over time. He was a brilliant man, a kind of historian and philosopher, who also claimed to be a Christian of sorts. Yet, being a product of the Enlightenment, he was not especially fond of the supernatural, of faith or the miraculous.  In fact, he dismissed the miraculous quite openly.

Nonetheless, he had great admiration for the moral teaching of Jesus.  So, he decided to collect various English translations of the New Testament and quite literally did a cut and paste job using a sharp knife and placed the life of Jesus in a more coherent chronological order.  In addition, he eliminated all references to the miraculous from the Gospels.  So, no walking on water, feeding of the thousands, healing of the blind or leprous, no exorcisms and certainly no resurrection.

So, he constructed what has been called the Jefferson Bible entitled: “The life and morals of Jesus of Nazareth.” It was published in 1820.

Jesus was essentially reduced by Jefferson to nothing more than an inspiring moral teacher.  A kind of wise sage whose philosophy of life provided a solid guide for right moral living. According to Jefferson’s reconstruction, Jesus did nothing except teach from the mountaintop as it were, now locked in time and space.

In our Gospel this Sunday, however, we cannot deny that we see another Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth.  It is very much a teacher, yes, and an impressive one who teaches with a unique authority which deeply moved the congregation. There was evidently a particular charisma around Jesus that those who heard him were “astonished" by what seemed to be a unique authority about him.

Typical rabbinical teaching would always make reference to previous teachers: “Rabbi Gamaliel said this . . .  Rabbi Ruben said this . . . and I say such and such” for example. No rabbi would claim to be speaking on his own authority.  Yet, Jesus spoke with such authoritative certainty that it left the crowds deeply impressed and his honor spread quickly. Thomas Jefferson would likely have approved of this Jesus as well. But Jesus’ authority is claimed to be that of God himself.

Our first reading from Deuteronomy helps to support this as we hear Moses speak to the people: “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up . . . to him you shall listen.” Our Christian tradition makes a clear connection, then, between this prophecy of Moses, the greatest reference point for all Jewish authority and teaching, as being fulfilled in Jesus.

Then a surprise rises in the synagogue as the scene is quickly interrupted by a man who screeches out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”  This is no mere objection to what Jesus may have been teaching. It is a direct challenge by a darker spirit to Jesus’ authority and mission. One can only imagine the ruckus that suddenly took place.

At this moment Jesus is more than a mere brilliant and insightful commentator.  He commands the powers of evil in this man, an “unclean spirit” to come out. The man convulses and the evil spirit is leaves him. Both frightening and impressive. At his word alone even, demons flee.

Now both teacher and exorcist overcome the crowd who states: “What is this? A new teaching . . . and he commands unclean spirits and they obey him.”  The Jesus we see is one who commands our homage and our full response.  It is the full Jesus of faith which gives Christianity its legitimacy and our lives hope as we place our trust in a God who has entered our lives and taken charge to heal the broken, offer mercy to the sinner, confront the ungodly and the dark forces that desire to break us and tear us away from him. We mighty even say to the dark spirit who questioned, “have you come to destroy us?” The answer is “Yes!” Jesus whole mission was to bind up and free humankind from the forces of darkness, and particularly the hopelessness of death.  He established the power of forgiveness that we may know we need not be caught in sin but be free to become true children of light as God’s beloved sons and daughters.   

Is this the Jesus you follow and believe in?  Or is the image of Jefferson more compatible with your lifestyle?  Is the Jesus of comfort and good advice one that has become Lord of our lives or can we walk the way of true discipleship?

In his preaching today, Mark opens his Gospel with a Jesus who challenges us and calls us to deep conversion of life: “The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  We cannot divorce this proclamation from what happened next in that synagogue on that Saturday centuries ago. His preaching was nothing less than the announcement that God has come in power to rescue his people.

His power then, his presence remains here among us as well.  The coming of Christ was not just a moment in history but the beginning of God’s action to reverse and heal the effects of sin in a broken world. The message of the Gospel has a power of its own to transform lives in Christ and we are called to share that "power" as we become a light in the world.  He overcomes evil by the establishment of a new community of grace, baptized into his community, made holy by the sacraments and sent on mission to proclaim the good news.  The Church, the Body of Christ living and active in this world is a force for good in opposition to the kingdom of Satan.    

While that community is not perfect and in constant need of reform, we should not be shocked by the sin we may see in its members and leaders.  But the mercy of God is available to us in prayer and sacrament which calls us to always look to ourselves before we cast judgement on others.  At our gathering before the Lord’s table, we are both in the presence of this authoritative teacher in his word and fed by the food of Christ himself as the miraculous enters our lives in quiet but transforming ways.  Jesus is no mere Jeffersonian philosopher he is God among us who enters our lives and calls us each to a higher holiness in our self-less service to one another after his own example.

 

 

Grant us, Lord our God,

that we may honor you with all our mind,

and love everyone in truth of heart.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.