1 February 2015
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Unlike Luke and Matthew, the evangelist Mark does not introduce a newborn Christ to the world, nor offer any infancy stories. This Gospel hits the ground running. From the outset, his vivid, breathless style emphasizes the identity of Jesus as Son of God and powerful miracle worker.
In today’s passage, we are barely into the first chapter when Jesus already encounters a demonic power, in a synagogue no less! As Mark’s Jesus gets right down to business, he asserts his authority and astonishes the crowds. Mark clearly portrays Jesus as a "doer."
Jesus' very first miracle here demonstrates his power over an “unclean" spirit--a designation that refers to the spirit’s resistance to the holiness of God. Attempting to gain mastery over Jesus by calling out his name (Holy One of God), the unclean spirit is immediately silenced. Without so much as blinking, Jesus demonstrates here his authority as Son of God.
Throughout
Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is in conflict with the forces of evil. His
healings and exorcisms are meant to break up the hold that evil has on
human beings. Jesus’ purpose is not to captivate the crowds with his
godly powers. Rather, he seeks something more profound: to free the
human heart of its bondage to all the world’s subversive forces.In this way, Mark’s Gospel sets the stage for Jesus’ miraculous and redeeming acts to follow, moving quickly and decisively toward the final act: freeing all of humanity from bondage to sin and death, on the cross.
The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, Class of 2001, leads Bible studies at Incarnation Parish of Wethersfield, CT. She is the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.
