Loading...“What a teaching! And with authority! Boy howdy, that Jesus sure knows what he’s talking about. Ooooo! And now he’s putting his words into action.”
Amazing. Astounding.
Yet, at the same time, can we trust it?
How do we know that we can trust him?
After all, this is what Moses tried to help us understand in this part of his farewell sermon that is our first reading.
This was the first thing that Jesus did: go to the synagogue to teach and heal. At least, the first thing he does, as Mark tells the story.
He was baptized.
He went into the wilderness for his vision quest – fasting and testing.
He called some followers
(who knew nothing about him but his call to them).
And then he went to this synagogue.
We don’t know what Jesus taught – only that it was done so with authority.
Not just voice and confidence and stance,
but WHAT he said.
And, then he casts the unclean spirit out of this man who is also in the synagogue.
This Jesus, the one whom we follow, has integrity.
Do we see it? Do we recognize it?
He’s a leader – not elected or appointed (at least, not by humans) – to follow. He is the one who has the words of life.
He is the one who gives life.
He is the one whom we can trust.
~~~~~~~~~~
The truth is, many of us experience barriers, difficulties, struggles.
“Forces” that take over, or threaten to, our lives.
The “unclean spirit” may not be like the one
that the man in the story had.
Instead, the one in your life might be
a system that is biased, racist, or warped.
It may be a family of origin that was unhealthy and hurtful.
It could be addictions of one sort or another.
It might be illness of mind, body, or soul.
The unclean spirit in your life is anything that
keeps you from the full life for which God created you.
God is against any and all forces that keep you down,
that drain the life out of you,
that pull you away from our God.
God is opposed to anything and everything that robs you of abundant life.
This doesn’t mean that you’ll have anything and everything you want.
God is not about material “getting ahead of the Joneses”, after all.
Rather, the full and abundant life that God has given you and created for you is to know that you are claimed, and counted as valuable and worthy; for you to live fully in that knowledge with integrity, curiosity, and kindness for others;
for you to love and serve other people,
all those who have ALSO been loved, claimed,
and given full life by God our creator.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus, in the synagogue that day
taught with authority and healed with authority.
The authority that he had and drew upon was from God
whose very self is an outpouring of love and joy for the world.
Jesus cast out the unclean spirit that separated the man from health, well-being, community, connection, relationship, and his sense of self – a beloved of God.
As Jesus’ first public act of ministry tells us that this is what Jesus is all about – casting out anything that separates us from the love of God.
And, BTW, not just “you”, but y’all, and all y’all.
All people.
Including, and especially, those whom the world (or even you)
might not deem as worthy or valuable enough;
or as too different.
Nothing separates us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
This is our good news today, tomorrow, and every day. Amen
