“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. “
When the author of the Gospel of Mark began to write, there had been, for over a quarter of a century stories told of this Jesus of Nazareth. We know because Josephus, a first century historian, living in Rome, and Philo, a first century philosopher, living in Alexandria, knew of this Jesus? We also know that Jesus’ “sayings” were written down in what modern scholars call the Gospel of “Q,” But “Q” did not survive.
Scholars cannot agree on where Mark was written—Rome, Palestine, or Syria; nor the intended audience. They cannot even agree on whether it was written before the Jewish revolt in Palestine in the year 70 or after the rebellion. They do agree that Mark is the oldest Gospel. It is most likely written by a Gentile Christian, because the author’s knowledge of Jewish custom is questionable, wrote Pheme Perkins in The New Interpreters Bible.
Mark is the shortest gospel, has fewer stories of Jesus, and, as the oldest Gospel is closest to the crucifixion. When the author began to write down the stories about Jesus, s/he needed to authenticate or validate the charismatic, radical rabbi. With the knowledge of Jesus’ shameful death on the cross, he had to begin with a miracle. Jesus was not just any rabbi. He was a rabbi who banished an evil spirit. He was a rabbi who amazed people.
Who can know what happened that day in the synagogue, in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. There are those who believe literally in demonic possession; there are those who believe it was a psychological disorder. It could be that the evil spirit represented someone who persecuted Christ-followers? Or the man who screamed at Jesus might represent someone who wanted to believe, but couldn’t? Perhaps, he was someone comfortable in his certainty and would not open himself up to possibility? Maybe, it was a person who was miserable with his life and could not believe there was hope.
How often has life presented us with opportunities or possibilities, and we have screamed, leave me alone?
There have been times when we have been miserable because, well, we are miserable at times, and we want to stay that way, no matter what anyone says or does.
I had a neighbor who lost her job; she was not fired, there was a cutback. She was, understandably upset for a few weeks. But as time went on, she remained that way. She chose to stay mad at her former boss, at the company, at the world.
No one could help her or change her attitude.
One of the worst situations I have ever seen, and you, too, have probably seen similar instances, was someone whose spouse asked them for a divorce. He was perfectly happy, and could not imagine why his spouse wanted to leave him. Afterwards, he was perfectly angry. So angry that he did everything he could to make life miserable for his former spouse.
No one could help him or change his attitude.
You know, we can become accustomed to our misery. No matter how miserable we are, we become comfortable and we unconsciously or consciously want to stay that way.
The miracle in the synagogue in Capernaum was not only about Jesus, but was also about the man who was cleansed of an evil spirit. There were many miracles in the stories of Jesus. There was changing the water in wine, just the other day, we were talking about that miracle, and how Jesus must have liked to have a good time, if they ran out of wine and he made more! There was the time he calmed the angry sea, the time he walked on water, and the time thousands were fed with just a few fish and a few loaves of bread. But most of his miracles were healing miracles. A leper or a group of lepers, the blind, the paralyzed, the deaf, one man who could not speak, one woman who had been ill for eighteen years, even restoring life to Lazarus.
Every healing of every person represents a person who had lost their capacity to live a full life. Every cleansing of every leper represents a person who has lost their ability to be in relationship with others. All who were healed had lost their sense of wholeness.
Have we lost our sense of wholeness? … our ability to be in relationship with others? … lost our capacity to live a full life? Is there something inside that will not heal? Have we lost our connection to God and others?
In this world of glitter and bling, in this world of demands and challenges, have we lost something? And do we even know what it is that we have lost? Does something fill us with misery or anger, self-doubt or inferiority?
And is it more comfortable to live with the pain than to change?
As you know, recently Rose Dennis died. And her family asked me to officiate the memorial service. I knew deacons and members of the church there who knew Rose would be there, and I wanted them to have warm memories of the service. I wanted them to think I was capable and earnest and conscientious. The truth is I wanted the service to be perfect. I couldn’t find the declaration of faith the congregation used to say, and I didn’t want to ask for help, because then someone—the deacons and the members—would know I wasn’t “perfect,” and so I found, what I thought was the old declaration, and, of course, because I didn’t ask anyone for help, it was the wrong declaration. Well, so much for perfection. So much for fear of being inadequate… so much for being overwhelmed and not having the courage to ask…
Guess what, you already know I’m not perfect, and Jesus knew those he healed were not perfect, and God knows we are not perfect.
In our opening words from Tao Te Ching, Eric read, “…I suffer most because / Of me…”
While we may scream like the evil spirit of the man in the synagogue, and fight, and resist wholeness, we know, deep within, that wholeness, relationship, and connection are the only things in life that really matter. Jesus did not gather armies, he gathered people.
Jesus did not seek to change the culture, so much as he sought to change the way each person thought about the culture. Jesus did not discard the Law, he only asked his followers to make their relationship with God and others a priority.
We can only be happy in our misery for so long. Many of us have a high tolerance for it; but sooner or later, we come to know that the other side of misery is joy, the other side of loneliness is relationship, and the other side of darkness is God.
“Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!’
‘Be quiet!’ said Jesus sternly. ‘Come out of him!’ The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.”
The author of the Gospel Mark knew that Jesus’ disgraceful death was the other side of his courageous and beautiful life. Mark knew that Jesus fought the demons we all fight and knew how to cast them out—out of himself and out of others.
So the evil spirit screams, so we scream, it is better to scream and change, than to live with an evil spirit and be miserable.
Amen and Blessed Be
Opening Words
Tao Te Ching, section 13:
"Favor, like disgrace
Brings trouble with it;
High rank, like self,
Involves acute distress." …
When favor is bestowed
On one of low degree,
Trouble will come with it.
The loss of favor too
Means trouble for that person. …
I suffer most because
Of me and selfishness.
If I were selfless, then
What suffering would I bear?
First Reading
From The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran:
Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
Second Reading
Mark 1:21-28
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.