Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany February 1, 2009
Scripture	Mark 1:21-28 21 They went to Capernaum ; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth ? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He a commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee .
Devotional	This is the first miracle in the Gospel of Mark. The man enters the story only as the carrier of the unclean spirit. Jesus conversation and actions are with the spirit. After the exorcism, the man is never mentioned. Not only does the man who was afflicted receive little attention but the exorcism is quickly passed over. The main issue is Jesus’ teaching and authority. Mark’s Gospel emphasizes that unclean spirits and others who are outside the religious structure recognize who Jesus is, while those expected do not know who Jesus is. Does Mark remind those of us, who claim to be proud and faithful followers of Jesus, that we may not know as much about Jesus as we think we do? What is this? Who is this Man? What is his source of power? What do these events mean? These verses emphasize the opposite of what we normally think. A miracle would trump teaching any day. Mark’s emphasis is on the teaching with the miracle as something that happened while Jesus was teaching. Does this story challenge us to examine ideas and beliefs of what is most important as a disciple of Jesus? Is it the consistent teaching and following or the miracles that sometime interrupt the teaching and learning? The miracle is only one aspect of Jesus’ ministry not the main focus. The everyday struggle with the challenges of discipleship is the focus of Jesus’ teachings. The miracles are preformed when necessary but Jesus’ teaching about God and how to remain a faithful disciple is the main focus. There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible-until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves. But then we are perhaps too used to it and too at home in it. Let us not be too sure we know the Bible….just because we have learned not to have a problem with it. We have perhaps learned….not to really pay attention to it? Have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it? From Opening the Bible by Thomas Merton Have we become so comfortable and at home with Jesus’ teachings and the Bible that we do not have a problem with it? So comfortable that we are not challenged by Jesus’ teachings?