Truth in Jesus

Epiphany 4

January 28, 2024

Fr. Tim Nunez

May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Today’s gospel picks up right where we left off last week. Jesus has called his first disciples and now he is starting his public ministry by teaching – or we might say preaching – in the synagogue at Capernaum. Capernaum was a fishing village on the north/northwest shore of the sea of Galilee. They began excavating it in 1968 and found a synagogue from the 4th or 5th century, and underneath it the much smaller one where Jesus taught.

Mark tells us the people were “astounded at his teaching,” because “he taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” What does it mean to teach with authority and who were the scribes?

The scribes were not a particular group or position in ancient Israel. It appears to be a general term that referred to a range of officials rooted in the hierarchy of the Temple.  Galilee is a long way from the Temple. And the scribes were a long way from presenting the fullness of God’s covenant in their teaching. Partial truths are not the truth.

Many of us remember the show, “Leave it to Beaver,” mostly from reruns since it ran from 1957-1963. (Which is a very long time ago!) It was a light comedy about the Cleaver family, who had two sons; Wally and Theodore also known as, and for reasons never explained, the Beaver.

They were an idyllic family, but there was mischief and trouble always at hand. Often it came in the person of Wally’s friend, Eddie Haskell. Eddie was always overly polite to adults but when they weren’t around, he was always scheming about some sort of mischief. Many of us had a little bit of that in us. If your parents ever groaned when your friends’ parents remarked about how polite you were and asked why you were so good for them, that’s a touch of Eddie Haskell.

Eddie Haskell also had a slick way of telling partial truths. We learn in life that partial truths are just as bad and, in some cases, worse than lies. I don’t think the scribes’ teaching was intentionally misleading that way, yet they were still inadequate to the point of real trouble. The Temple was at the heart of their faith, and so the structure and hierarchy around it was important to them. A big issue was teaching the people, many of whom were illiterate, about how they were to live and why.

Do you see the problem? They were placing too much emphasis on the Temple and its hierarchy, and not nearly enough emphasis on God himself, as well as all the scripture beyond Temple worship and the piety to observe while approaching it. They omitted the parts that emphasize the care of widows, orphans, the poor, the lame and sojourners among them. They looked at what they were doing instead of what God was doing and wanted to accomplish among them.

Jesus is revealing the full picture, reminding them of God’s heart for his people, his desire to be in close relationship with them, the hope that he holds for them and his inevitable victory over all the powers and principalities that crush their lives.

People know when they are getting a lecture, even if they agree with its contents. And people know when they are being touched by God’s word such that they feel his wondrous power. It’s not just that Jesus is a gifted orator, it’s the authenticity that flows through him because of who he is. The people aren’t quite yet able to understand. His disciples are not yet quite able to understand. We are not quite yet able to understand.

But we can feel it as they felt it that day. Paul said at the end of 1 Corinthians chapter 13 that, “Now we see in a mirror dimly, then we shall see face to face.” It is often dim, hard to see our way. But we feel it and we catch glimpses that draw us toward him. We feel his presence. We feel his love. We feel his power even though there is nothing visible about him that looks powerful. He is not educated or trained in the structures and methods we expect. But what he’s saying sounds true, feels true and is clearly radiating with the power of God.

We should pause here for a moment…in case a demon wants to pop up and argue.

I have no desire or need to explain away the demon, but we all know what it means to be possessed of an idea or of an ideology, possessed of an addiction or an obsession, possessed of anxieties or depression, possessed of anything that overwhelms our better nature and wreaks havoc in our lives, in our families and in our friendships.  There are a couple of lessons to draw from that part of the story.

First, Jesus demonstrates that the very same power than enlivens his teaching has command over unclean spirits. Whatever unclean spirits claw their way into our lives and assault and even overwhelm our beings, Jesus has command authority over them. Our hope in him for inner healing is perfectly well placed. In faith, he will sort our ideas and ideologies into proper perspective.

The road to recovery from addictions begins with yielding control to his authority, (Yes, AA says “a higher power,” but Jesus is who he is. He is the higher power and there is no other!)

He holds the peace to calm our anxieties and his is the light to dispel the gloom of depression. That is not to deny medical treatment, but to receive it as a healing blessing from him.

Second, let’s note that, unlike the congregation, this demon knows exactly who Jesus is. He knows where Jesus is from. He knows Jesus is “the Holy One of God.” Yet, unlike the congregation, his is not being drawn to Jesus. He is being repelled by Jesus. The person afflicted did not ask for help. Jesus just did it. Whatever is not of Jesus can have no place with him, and Jesus will forcibly remove everything evil from our being. May he do so before we even ask.

And, knowing who Jesus is one thing, following him and loving him is quite another. It’s like chocolate cake. You can study all the ingredients, the flour, the sugar, the milk, the eggs, the chocolate. You can study the ways it interacts with your body’s chemistry. You can learn every scientific fact about chocolate cake. But until you’ve taken a bite, you don’t know anything about chocolate cake.

The same thing is true with Jesus. Find the power in his word. Receive the power in his love. These are two early steps on the road to true life.

AMEN