Date: 1/29/2012                                                                                                                                        Preached by The Reverend Pam Laing

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time                                                                                                     The United Presbyterian Church, Wood River, IL

Bible texts: *Mark 1:21-28; Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 62:5-8

 

What Really Matters?

 

For centuries people believed that Aristotle was right when he said that a heavy object would fall to earth faster than a light object. Aristotle was regarded as the greatest thinker of all time, so people considered his word to be trustworthy. No one argued against Aristotle’s claim – at least enough to change traditional thinking – until nearly 2,000 years after Aristotle's death. Legend has it that in 1589 Galileo summoned learned professors to the base of a tall tower. He then went to the top of the tower and simultaneously pushed off a musket ball and a cannon ball. Both balls landed at the same time. Yet, the power of belief was so strong that the professors denied their eyesight and continued to say Aristotle was right.[1]

 

We see the same type of contradiction in the world today. For instance, statistics prove that seatbelts save lives, but some still think them unnecessary and refuse to wear them. Laboratory studies clearly prove that smoking is a cause of cancer of the lungs, but for many the attraction to smoking still outweighs those facts. The same could be said when we talk about overeating, or not exercising, or when we treat others unkindly even though we know that compassion is the better way. I’ve only scratched the surface of course; many more desires or beliefs take over our minds and deny established proof. Sometimes, even when we know and understand the facts, our actions do not follow those truths.

 

Comparatively and figuratively, someone could climb to the top of a high tower and push off one of those ten-pound fact-based arguments, thinking it would hit the ground faster than a one-pound argument of rationalization and supposedly prove once and for all that the facts outweigh our desire and excuses.  But the truth is, even with proof staring us right in the face, we will still cling to what makes sense to us, and will still live as if the speed of the truth will not impact our lives. It happened with Galileo even after he set up an elaborate experiment to prove his point. And it happens in our lives.

 

But, with Jesus things were different. Mark records that when Jesus entered the synagogue in Capernaum and taught on the Sabbath day, the crowds were astounded. Why? Because Jesus’ teaching was new and different. Unlike any other Rabbis, Jesus taught with authority. Let me explain what I mean by filling you in on some of the background. Notice that this story begins at verse 21 of Mark’s first chapter. A lot happened in those 20 verses prior to this. I talked last week about how Mark’s gospel marches along at a quick pace, using few words to tell about the events of Jesus’ ministry. To review, Jesus was baptized by John, tempted in the wilderness by Satan, and had begun his public ministry by calling Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John to become his followers. Those four men  lived in Capernaum, the setting of this story about Jesus in the synagogue.

 

        You can go to the ancient ruins of Capernaum today and see the walls of a small first century house that since the time of Constantine has been identified as Peter’s home. The remains of the local synagogue are just across the way. Standing there with the winds of the sea blowing through that scene, it is easy to picture Jesus and his newly-called disciples walking across the road from Peter’s house and into the synagogue.

 

Synagogues were places of worship that were scattered around the holy land. Wherever ten families or more were settled together, a synagogue was formed. Its primary purpose was to be a place of teaching. Most synagogues did not have appointed teachers; it was the right of any Jewish male to read and comment on a passage of scripture. This being Peter’s home synagogue, we can guess that he had something to do with Jesus being asked to teach. And when Jesus taught on that particular Sabbath, the people were amazed at what they saw and heard.

 

        They were amazed because Jesus’ teaching was different than what they were used to. He did not begin his interpretation of scripture in the same way others did. The others told people to offer a sacrifice at the temple for forgiveness of their sins, but Jesus looked them in the eye and said, “Your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5, 9). The Rabbis encouraged their followers to believe in God. Jesus came along and declared, “Believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1). All the others got their authority from scriptures and by talking about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They referenced previous Rabbis who supported their position. But Jesus did not do that. He did not have to do that.

 

Remember that at his baptism, God’s voice thundered out, “You are my Son, the Beloved” (Mark 1:11). Jesus taught through and with the direct authority of God; John’s gospel states this perhaps the clearest by quoting Jesus when he claimed: I am the bread of life (John 6:35); I am from [God] and he sent me (Jn. 7:29); I am the Light of the World (Jn. 8:12); I am the gate for the sheep (Jn. 10:7); I am the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:11); I am the Vine and you are the branches (Jn. 15:5). Jesus’ teachings echoed with something new and life-giving. God was no longer in the past, but was present in Jesus’ words and in his life.

 

That Jesus was more than an average Rabbi became evident that day in the synagogue in Capernaum. As people heard him teaching, they were sitting up and taking notice of his uniqueness. They were even more certain he carried authority when they watched his interaction with the man consumed by an unclean spirit. We do not know exactly what the man’s affliction was. Clearly it was not a disease; that sort of illness would have been identified as such. This man was overtaken by a spirit in such a way that it forced him to make a commotion. Biblical dictionaries describe such demons as possessing someone’s personality and leading them to exhibit disturbing behavior.[2] Think of someone overcome by a demon of hatred, revenge, unbridled lust for power, uncontrolled greed, extreme fear, jealousy, or negativism. We do not know for sure what evil claimed this man, but these are possibilities. Whatever it was, it took on a life of its own and shouted at Jesus. The evil spirit recognized Jesus as a spiritual being and felt threatened by his presence. Jesus’ power took over and the evil spirit obeyed. To say that the people watching, and that the man who was made whole were amazed is probably an understatement. Can you imagine?

 

The people understood they were experiencing a new and powerful authority in Jesus, but they did not fully grasp they were watching a new age unfold. We can assume that most of them there were educated in scripture. They were accepted members of their society. They understood the laws and traditions of their time. But none of that helped them deal with the demons that cause people with good morals to give in to wickedness or corruption or violence. The same is true for us. We can only help ourselves up to a point. Then we have to turn and rely on the power of the One who has the ultimate authority over evil. Jesus, God come to earth, can and does offer us deliverance from the demons that seek to destroy us. He has the power to free and transform us so we can follow the path of faith. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, he made a way for all things to be reconciled to God and he overcame evil once and for all. His authority and power were of God. And that authority has been passed on to the church. We today are called to continue Christ’s work of combatting evil wherever it has a stronghold. This is a responsibility the church takes seriously. In fact, whenever someone officially becomes a member of the church, he or she is asked to make a public and personal commitment to fighting evil in whatever way possible. As we hear this story about how Jesus confronted the evil spirit, maybe it is time for us to think more about how we carry on Jesus’ work in this world. What are we going to do about the things that distort or threaten God’s vision for creation, like racism, indifference, violence, or greed? This question has passed down through the ages and is now a question Jesus puts on each of our hearts. He challenges us to not only think and talk about our answer, but also to act out our answer. Just like he did. Amen.