January 31, 2021
There is an old joke:
Lutherans don’t recognize the Pope.
Catholics don’t recognize the Bible.
Baptists don’t recognize each other in the liquor store.
Today, I want to show that Catholics do recognize the Bible and dig into this gospel from Mark.
We are in the the first chapter of Mark’s gospel. Verses 21-28
Last week Jesus called his disciples.
This week he begins his public ministry.
This morning we read –
Then they came to Capernaum,
Capernaum was on the way to the sea – it was a trading center. Jesus goes to start his teaching in a place it is going to spread far and wide.
And on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
He goes to the synagogue to teach, which is what the rabbis do. He’s not a political rabble rouser in the street, he assumes a position of religious authority.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
The way a rabbi teaches is by citing his teachers. A rabbi’s authority comes from being in a tradition of other rabbi’s who taught him. Jesus doesn’t have that. He’s an artisan, a craftsman, He’s teaching on his own authority, but it is a powerful teaching. It stirs something in his listeners.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
Now the action shifts in a way that is going to answer the question, “By whose authority.” We’ve got this crazy man with an evil spirit.
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!”
The evil spirit recognizes Jesus. Knows who he is: The Holy One of God. The evil spirit is the only one in the room who does understand Jesus’ true nature and identity.
Jesus commands the evil spirit to come out of the man showing that he has power over evil.
In Jesus’ time a lot of what we call mental illness was attributed to evil spirits. In the Jewish mind there were three levels of existence.
There was the human level below. Above was the level of God.
In between those two levels was the realm of good and evil spirits. The good and evil spirits were more powerful than humans but not as powerful as God.
Jesus rebuked him and said,
“Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out.
The fact that Jesus can drive out the demon with just a word of command shows that he is more powerful than the evil spirit and so his power must come from God.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
Jesus answers the question about where his authority comes from with this dramatic exorcism. God has given him the power to drive out the demon and so his authority to teach also comes from God.
Miracles in Mark’s gospel are not just about healing but, more importantly, to show Jesus’ authority. God gives Jesus his credentials to teach, like the state gives credentials to approve someone as a teacher.
So, what does this have to do with us?
For me, believing in Jesus is a life and death decision. It is about having the power of good to overcome evil.
It means following the path of what is right and being happy and content or being anxious, fearful and living a lie.
Believing in Jesus as the Holy One of God is not a preference like living near the mountains or the sea or being a liberal or a conservative. It is a decision that effects everything in your life. It means living in truth and happiness in this life and the next.
Jesus has power over evil and I need that power in my life to overcome evil, so that I make good choices.
Jesus not only teaches me right from wrong, but he gives me the power to choose what is right and to do it.
What was it that impressed those people in the synagogue in Capernaum? They heard the truth with power. They heard the voice of God through Jesus.
The evil spirit shrieks, “Have you come to destroy us?” The spirit knows that Jesus has power; it is the power of order over chaos and truth over lies; power over evil. The darkness of the spirit is overcome by the light of Christ.
Choosing Jesus is choosing good over evil.
We know what evil looks like. I believe in Evil, the Evil One, some force for evil in the world. The bible calls him Satan.
John 8:44 tells us that Satan is the father of lies
1 Corinthians 14:33 and author of chaos.
Matthew 12:15 Satan divides rather than unites.
By Contrast
Jesus is the prince of peace.
Jesus is the author of truth
Jesus has come to reconcile to one another and God and built a communion of followers which Catholics call The Mystical Body of Christ.
If you have someone in your life who lies, creates division and chaos; avoid them, they are not of Christ.
Rather seek out the people who tell the truth, seek to build community and reconcilers.
One of my favorite definitions of God is Good Orderly Direction. G-O-D. Good orderly direction. I find that is what God does for me. Gives my life order and direction and brings me to peace.
Our presence at this Mass today says that we seek that direction and that peace in our lives.
We want the power of Jesus in our lives to protect us from evil and lead us to the truth.
That is our prayer today for ourselves, for our church, for our country.
Paulist Fr. Frank Desiderio is the first consultor of the Paulist Fathers.