Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Year B, sermon

Hi all,

Here is the actual sermon for this Sunday. May it open doors for someone.

I am using only the text from Mark but here is a link to all of the texts for this day: http://members.sundaysandseasons.com/planner_rcl_view.php?event_date_id=950

via con Dios,

Pr. J

2-1-2009, Epiphany 4B
Salem-Luther Memorial Parish, Parrottsville, Tennessee
Mark 1:21-28


The gospel reading pictures Jesus and his disciples in Capernaum where he taught in the synagogue when the Sabbath came. That much was to be expected of him. Earlier in Mark Jesus had been baptized by John. He has already openly begun a mission of his own, proclaiming the good news of God. He has chosen at least a few disciples, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, to follow him and to be something like apprentice rabbis, or that’s how they would have perceived it, and now, as a recognized, although still somewhat inexperienced and relatively unknown rabbi, he begins teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. It is the first time in Mark that Jesus appears in any leadership role in the synagogue. I imagine that on this occasion it would have seemed somewhat like the experience of a new, young pastor, straight out of seminary, who is preaching for the first time before the congregation that is going to decide whether or not to issue a formal call to that pastor. The congregation was curious, but probably didn’t expect much beyond what they were used to getting, especially from new, young, inexperienced rabbis.

The synagogue worship would have proceeded as usual with no hitches. A crowd of men would have stood in the main area of the synagogue, old men would stay seated on benches along the side walls. A crowd of women and young children would have been separated from them by a screen that would let them see and hear what happened, but they were not allowed to join in. And, this will come into play soon, the main doors of the synagogue were left open, a common practice, so that those who were not allowed into the synagogue, Gentiles and sinners, otherwise known as the unclean, could stand outside and listen to the rabbi teach. Jesus himself, as the teacher, probably did not even lead the liturgy or prayers. Someone else, another rabbi, was normally appointed to do that while another taught. But then there came the moment that the whole synagogue experience centered upon. The teaching moment. This was the whole purpose of the synagogue to begin with: more than worship and prayer, it was meant to be a place for the teaching of the word of God in the local community.

One of the scrolls was brought out. Mark does not say which. Maybe it was the scroll of Isaiah that Jesus read from in Nazareth. Maybe it was something else. It would have been written in Aramaic, not the same as Hebrew, and, depending on the scroll, it would not necessarily have read the same way as our familiar Old Testament. What ever it was, Jesus would have read from it. Then the scroll would have been reverently put back in its cabinet, and the whole assembly, including Jesus would have sat down to hear the new teacher teach upon the word of God. Everything would have been business as usual up to that moment.

Whatever it was that Jesus said when he was teaching, it left the listeners speechless, but in a good way. Usually when you see the New Testament say someone was astounded or amazed, the Greek text uses a word that means they were kind of knocked off their seats and couldn’t find any words to express themselves and did not know what to say. The young, new, inexperienced rabbi Jesus has knocked the listeners in the synagogue off their seats. It’s a good thing they were already sitting on the floor, or they would have fallen off their chairs onto their rumps. He has completely amazed them by going far beyond their expectations. He does not speak like a young, new, inexperienced rabbi. He doesn’t even speak like the rabbis they’re used to hearing. He speaks with authority. I just wish the Gospel of Mark told us, even briefly, what it was he said.

But there’s more!

Almost as if it were an after thought, Mark has someone with an unclean spirit come into in the synagogue. It didn’t take much to have an unclean spirit back then. Those people in the synagogue believed anything could make a person unclean and they believed much of that was caused by unseen and unclean spirits, and unclean spirits were a dime a dozen and lurking behind every corner and hiding under every rock. Much of the fall and winter, as you have learned, I go about my business with a stuffy nose. They would have said I had an unclean spirit that was causing my stuffy nose. And if it turned into a cold or the flu, then watch out! The unclean spirit is raging! And worse yet, people would believe that the unclean spirit would make me unclean. And since they believed this uncleanness was contagious I would be barred from the congregation, ruthlessly judged for allowing myself to have an unclean spirit to begin with, banned from contact with certain people, forbidden to go to certain places and gatherings, and pronounced unacceptable to God. And this condition of being unclean would persist long after my cold and stuffy nose went away on its own. It would last indefinitely. Perhaps my entire life. The only way to rid oneself of this impossible burden was to throw oneself on the mercy of the system and sacrifice whatever was demanded by Law and Tradition in terms of time, money, property, self-respect, and dignity. Many of the people could not have complied with Law and Tradition back then even if they had wanted to. They were condemned by circumstances to bear the label “sinner” their whole life and all of the stigma that came with that title. But who in their right mind wanted to be unacceptable to God? You couldn’t win for loosing back then.
Jesus understood that. He knew that the last thing people needed when they were being weighed down by the burdens of Law and Tradition was to have more Law and Tradition heaped onto their already breaking backs. He knew that people needed the compassion of God. But the man branded as having an unclean spirit did not know that. Probably among the large crowd of people forced to stand outside the synagogue because of their uncleanness and listen as best they could through the open doors, he heard just enough to convince him that Jesus has come bearing the judgment of bitter God. He was panicking. He was hysterical with fear. His end truly is near!

If Jesus is the Holy One of God then surely he has come to destroy us who are unclean! Law and Tradition will demand that! That is the justice of God! If God is just then God will send Jesus to do this to us! There is no way out! If the time is NOW and the kingdom has come near and Jesus has authority then we - are - doomed! AAAAAUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!! In a panic he forgets all about Law and Tradition that keep him out on the street and runs into the synagogue, hysterical, and shouting, “Jesus of Nazareth - what do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!

“I sense some amount of impatience in Jesus’ voice as he speaks to the hysterical man in the synagogue because Jesus basically says to him, “SHUT UP!” And the raving man is silenced. The only thing unclean about this man is what a sick, pathological religion has done to him with it’s Law and Tradition: it has turned him into a babbling, sniveling, neurotic wreck of a human being who expects nothing but the worst punishment from God for the least offense; if anything’s demonic, that is it. Jesus puts an end to that with very few words and restores this man’s stolen humanity.

And they were all amazed. No one had ever done this before. Not even the prophets had done this! They kept asking one another: what is this? A new teaching! With authority! Even the unclean spirits obey him!

This was the first impression that Jesus left on Capernaum and one gets the sense that the people of Capernaum now believe that nothing can stand in the way of Jesus. After that word spread. Jesus gives us a new teaching. He teaches with authority! He commands, and we are made clean! Law and Tradition gives us judgment, condemnation, and contempt! Jesus has authority. Jesus gives us the compassion of God!

This is the Good News of God.

Today there are many people outside of our faith communities. Branded “unclean”, they bear the stigma of judgment, shame, and contempt. As with the unclean spirits of Jesus’ day, it does not take much to brand someone as unclean these days. One mistake, and you’re out. One error of judgment, one disagreement, one argument with the wrong person, and too easily the stereotypes and labels and names are applied, and they can last a lifetime. I think there are many people who are waiting to hear what really comes out of our faith communities. Will they hear Law and Tradition, judgment and condemnation for the least offense? Many do. Or will they hear about Jesus who gives us the compassion of God?

We confess Jesus as the Holy One of God and his word in response to us is one that liberates us, frees us from judgment, lifts the burdens of guilt and shame off our breaking backs, and restores to us our humanity, dignity, and self-respect. He speaks a single command, and we find that we are no longer sinners before God, but are now acceptable to God for his sake. The stigma, the shame, the stereotypes, the names, the labels are removed once and for all and forevermore, and we are given a new name: Child of God, and we are made heirs of God’s eternal kingdom.
No wonder his fame spread in Galilee. How much you want to bet his fame can spread in Parrottsville also?

Peace be with you.