4^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B); 1-31-2021

Dt 18:15-20.  Ps 95.  1 Cor 7:32-35.  Mk 1:21-28

Deacon Jim McFadden

            This Sunday’s Gospel reading (cf. Mk 1:21-28) narrates the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in which he breaks into the world of illusion and of the demonic through his powerful word and deed.  Our world, then as it is now, is one of darkness and sickness in which we are  supposed to be in communion with God, fellowship with each other, and harmony with Creation, but all of that is threatened through the Evil One.  Jesus is going to enter into this world and cast out what enslaves us.  While it looks like the world of exploitation, the objectification and vilification of human beings, and domination of the powerful over the weak is having its day, Jesus, however, teaches and lives in such a way that His Father’s way will eventually have His day, which is the day of Resurrection, which becomes the Day of Victory over darkness and possession.

            So, we hear in the Gospel that Jesus with his small community of disciples has entered Capernaum, situated in the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee.  It was the city where Peter lived and which was the largest city in Galilee at that time.  Jesus enters the synagogue of Capernaum on a Saturday and he begins teaching.  We’re not told what Jesus taught because in Mark’s Gospel, his teachings are in his deeds and actions.  But, we do know that his teachings left a profound impression because the people were astonished by his words.  They do not sound like the ones they usually heard from the scribes because Jesus taught “as one having authority” (v. 21).  Jesus taught differently because he didn’t have to back up everything with a quote and support his teachings with extrinsic authority. 

            Jesus speaks with authority because he is revealing himself as God’s Emissary and not some simple man from Nazareth who has to base his teaching solely on earlier traditions.  Rather, Jesus’ words have the power of the Word of God because he is the Word of God!  When his listeners heard his teachings, they felt God’s Word, his very Presence.  Jesus knew what he was talking about.  He was not some conveyor belt for someone else’s teachings but was teaching from what he knew.  Jesus was teaching from “soul experience”:  from his own experience of the Father which he knew before the beginning of time.  Jesus spoke and acted in the person of God.  He is Immanuel—God among us!  He is Yahweh in the Flesh!  So, Jesus’ teachings have a natural conviction to them.  It is the sort of wisdom that convicts and converts because it comes directly from God.  That’s why the people were astonished.

            At the same time, Jesus reveals himself to be powerful in deeds.  In the synagogue of Capernaum, there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit, who shouts at Jesus: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?” (v. 24a).  

            The answer to that is “yes!”  Jesus wants to deflate our dysfunction, which is fueled by our overly inflated ego, which seeks to be in charge, to be in control, to be preoccupied with privilege, comfort, and security.  If that becomes our posture before the reality of the Good News, we’re not going to be very happy because the Ego is simply too inflated and unreal to listen to the Truth which Jesus bears in his very Person. 

            But, as the Evil One gets close to Jesus, it recognizes Jesus for who he is: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” (v. 24c).  The demon recognizes that Jesus is more than a wise teacher or a powerful healer.  He is the prophet alluded to in our first reading from Deuteronomy who is the spokesperson for God—who speaks God’s words, in God’s name, and with God’s authority. 

            The Devil is telling the truth: Jesus came to destroy the devil, to ruin the demonic, to defeat his nefarious plans for humanity.  The unclean spirit recognizes the power of God and at the same time proclaims his holiness.  This is an incredibly intense scene, which culminates  when Jesus rebukes him saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” (v. 25).  That it!  These few words from Jesus are enough to obtain victory over Satan, over the forces of darkness, who comes out of the man “convulsing him and crying out in a loud voice” (v. 26). 

            This dramatic scene had to be overwhelming for those present.  Everyone is overcome by fear because they’ve witnessed something never before seen.  They ask themselves: “What is this?  A new teaching with authority.  He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him” (v. 27).  Brothers and sisters, there is something new and radically different happening here and now; but, we have to have ears that can hear and eyes that can see.  When we stand before the Word of God, we should be amazed because he has the power to astonish us and transform us at the very core of our being.

            Teaching and action—the two are intertwined.  Jesus just doesn’t speak with words, but he takes action.  In this way, he manifests God’s plan for Salvation History with words that are “of eternal life” and with the power of his deeds.  In this one episode, we see the entire Gospel displayed: we see that in his earthly mission to bring salvation to the world, Jesus reveals the love of God both through his preaching and through countless gestures of care and attention to the sick, the needy, children, and sinners. 

            Jesus is our ultimate Teacher because he is the Word of God in the Flesh.  As such, he is the perfect reflective consciousness (the Logos)  of his Father, which means that his teachings reveal the very mind and heart of God.  That’s why Jesus is able to impart the light that illuminates the sometimes dark paths that mar our lives and society.  And, since we are members of his mystical Body, the Church, he transmits to us the necessary grace and strength to overcome our darkness, weakness, difficulties, dysfunction, and temptations which can sometimes seem overwhelming. 

            Our life is hard, but it’s also good because we have been given the great gift of Faith that enables us to know God, to be in intimate relationship, to have a purpose and destiny. We worship this God who  is so powerful and so good that nothing can overcome us!  We have a teacher and friend who will never abandon us  and who shows us the way home and takes care of each and everyone one of us, especially when we are need. 

            So, during these tumultuous times when we’re dealing with our own demons at a personal and societal level, let us follow the example of our Blessed Mother Mary, who returned to the Silence to be with God.  As we immerse ourselves in the Quiet, may we hear the Word of God despite the din and cacophony of messages of the world.  Let us be attentive to the most authentic and authoritative Word that there is: that of her Son, Jesus, who teaches us the meaning of our existence and delivers us from all that oppresses us, even of the Prince of Darkness.  Amen.