Two weeks ago I preached on the subject of vocation: on our response to the person of Jesus. Jesus who said to those first disciples “Follow me” continues to call each of us to follow in his way, to be his disciples. But the issue at the heart of today’s gospel is that of the identity of the one we are called to follow. Who is this Jesus? Why follow him and not someone else? It is a matter of fact that almost daily we are being invited, pressured, cajoled, bombarded, even seduced by advertising, by the media, by political and religious figures to act in a particular way, even to follow their way. Sometimes the effect is overwhelming. We feel confused and unsettled by such a smorgasbord of possibilities and prospects. Do I really need all these things? Will reading that particular guru’s book really make me successful? Will that formula offered by the television evangelist give me peace of mind? In fact last weekend in Mexico I was riding on a local bus when on got a man selling some pills which he said cured practically every disease he could name. I noticed he did not sell any but at least he gave the driver a free sample. But that salesman is only indicative of the world we live in where everyone is competing for our attention and our commitment. So why Jesus? For by our baptism he is the one to whom we have committed ourselves.

Mark’s gospel responds to this question in his opening chapter. Having dealt with John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, and the calling of the first disciples, Mark then gives four examples of incidents in the ministry of Jesus which demonstrate his authority and power; that answer the question why Jesus? Following today’s gospel of the exorcism in the synagogue there is the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, the healings at sundown and the general reference to casting out demons and finally the healing of the leper. Like an artist with a blank canvas Mark quickly and with a few broad strokes of his brush lets us know what will be the content of the final painting. Chapter one of Mark has a breathless quality in its rapid movement, in its economic use of language, to convey some basic points about the identity of Jesus.

The synagogue at Capernaum is still there although the present construction is probably 2nd century. Certainly Peter’s house is there. Visiting these places by the Sea of Galilee gives one a sense of place, of real people in real time, of events which happened in history. Jesus born into a particular culture and in a particular time went to synagogue on the Sabbath. Now the synagogue then and now is basically a place of teaching, a place where the scriptures are read and taught. And it was not unusual for laymen like Jesus to read and to speak. Jesus was acting like the good Jewish man that he was. What was so noteworthy was the way that he taught. “For he taught them as one having authority”. It is worth noting that Mark does not give us the content of what he taught. Matthew does by placing this incident after the Sermon on the Mount. But for Mark is the way Jesus taught rather than what he said. His presence, his bearing, the tone of his voice, the attractiveness of his person all had an effect on his audience. Those who heard him that day recognized his authority. They perceived perhaps without being able to name it God’s presence in him. As faithful Jews they would have known the scriptures and the promises of God like that heard in the first reading today. Moses tells of God’s words to him: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet who shall speak to them everything that I command.” Whether those who heard Jesus made that connection we do not know but there was within the religious tradition the promises of God and the associated expectation that God would provide new leadership for his people. Of course we the readers of Mark already know this. Mark says Jesus is the Son of God in the opening sentence of the Gospel. But in the synagogue scene while the others present recognize Jesus’ authoritative teaching it is only the man with the unclean spirit who calls Jesus the “Holy One of God”. And Jesus silences him and exorcizes him. In those times of course all illness was seen to be of the devil. The man with the unclean spirit was in today’s understanding probably suffering some form of psychiatric illness. So in this context it is the devil, that creature from the netherworld, who cries out insightfully about Jesus’ identity. In casting him out Jesus makes it clear who is in charge. In other words here in the synagogue is the first challenge to Jesus’ authority and Jesus wins the first round. The battle between the forces of good and evil played out in the ministry of Jesus reaches its denouement on the Cross when the forces of evil are finally defeated. It is interesting in the iconography of the Resurrection as depicted in the Christian East as the Descent into Hell, Satan is shown as trussed and bound with the locks of hell broken and scattered around him.

While all this talk of demons and exorcism is strange to our ears and makes our scientifically oriented selves somewhat nervous we need to look at what is being said in and through this incident. The man with the unclean spirit is in a state which separates him from community and from God. He sees Jesus as the enemy. “Have you come to destroy us”, he cries. In exorcizing the man Jesus restores him to his right mind, thus restoring him both to regular human community and to a right relationship with God. This incident indicates the very purpose of the ministry of Jesus which is to heal, to restore, to reconcile and to make whole that which is sick, broken, alienated and partial.

The other thing to notice in this passage from Mark’s gospel is the association between word and action. As I said earlier what seems to fascinate Mark is not so much what Jesus says, that is the content of his teaching as in Matthew, but rather that the word spoken with authority brings about results. By what he says Jesus changes lives; people are healed; demons are cast out; the marginalized are included; reconciliation and peace are brought about. Jesus is surely the Word made flesh as John’s gospel puts it: God’s word present and effective among us. This is what Mark means by Jesus teaching with authority.

So back to us who are the recipients of Jesus the Word made flesh; those who have committed ourselves in baptism to follow the way of Christ. How do we respond to Jesus the one who taught with authority, cast out demons, healed the sick and preached good news? The second reading from 1 Corinthians does not seem very helpful at first hearing. After all eating meat which has been sacrificed to idols is hardly our issue today. But the principle which Paul uses is just as relevant today as then. And that is not to let secondary or less important issues become a barrier preventing others from seeing the gospel. It is so easy, and the history of the church is full of examples, to let a particular view of the way things are done, the liturgy for example; or a particular style of music; or a particular interpretation of the scriptures; or one form of church organization or government; or one way of behaving to become normative and to lose sight of the fundamental issues which were evidenced in the authoritative teaching and actions of Jesus. And those are to do with the proclamation of God’s love and God’s will for peace and reconciliation and wholeness for his creation. That is what should be at the heart of our Christian faith and life. For that is what we see in the person and work of Jesus.   Amen

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