THIS IS A NEW TEACHING!

Mark 1:21-43

Power has always been a fascination to many people. We are in the society where powerful people are respected and honored. From the physically powerful to the politically powerful, from the powerful in terms of material possession, to the powerful in terms of education. Everybody stands in awe of power. It is into this world of powerful people that our Gospel lesson calls us to enter. It is early in the ministry of Jesus in the gospel of Mark.  Mark has no birth narrative.  He begins his gospel with John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord, then comes the baptism of Jesus, and the temptation in the desert. After that, Mark jumps immediately into Jesus’ calling the disciples and the beginning of his ministry.  And that’s where we are today; the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  And how does it begin?  With teaching.  But not just any kind of teaching, it is teaching unlike that of the scribes, it is teaching with “authority.” From our gospel passage it is said that they were all amazed and said to one another: “What is there about his words? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirit.”

What’s interesting is that we don’t hear the content of Jesus’ teaching.  It’s like Mark is saying, “that the content is not the important part.”  What makes Jesus’ teaching authoritative is his person; his teaching is authoritative because of who he is — he is “the Holy One of God”, as the possessed man cried out. With that the people who hear him automatically contrast his teaching with what they know, with what they have experienced. They contrast Jesus’ teaching with the teaching of the scribes. And, unlike the scribes, the people recognize that Jesus teaches with “authority.” He speaks as no one has spoken before. We know that when the Rabbis teach or when prophets speak they supported their statements with quotes from another authority. You will hear statements like: “Thus says the Lord.”  Because it is not their power. But when Jesus speaks He needs no other authorities or does not quote any expert to support His statements. When He speaks, it is God speaking. When He commands even the demons obey.

 This shows that Jesus brings something extra, Jesus’ person has something the scribes don’t have. What is that something extra? Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit.  This means that there is no distinction between Jesus’ teaching and his action of healing.  It is all part of the same package.  So, when the people hear Jesus teaching with authority and see Jesus healing with authority, they are “amazed” because this is something new.  This is not at all like what they have experienced with the scribes. This teacher is different because his words heal.

A healing miracle such as what we hear in today’s gospel is symbolic of God’s creative power, showing that something significant is taking place. To put it plainly, a miracle points to the arrival of the kingdom in our midst.  “The Kingdom of God is at hand!” And we are agents in this kingdom. We can only be successful if we are inspired by God and by his word. What can we learn from passage?

Two important questions for us today: The first is that the gospel of today calls us to think of what amazes us in this world. What is our source of wonder and awe? Does the authority of Christ have a room in our lives, in our decision making, in our interests? Most of time we base our lives on how we feel, how we look at things, how we appreciate things looking at our own interests, looking at what pleases us. The second question is that through Jesus’ words, devils come out, storms are pacified, the sick are healed, and sinners are forgiven. What power do our words have over people? What is the impact of my word to my neighbor or my friend? Do our words heal, and forgive others? Do our words build up community or destroy it? Each one of us knows the impact of his or her own words. Let us pray that the Lord may give us a right and correct tongue and encouraging words for one another.