One with Authority
By Rev. Julie Yarborough
January 30, 2000
Mark 1: 21-28
e Gospel of Mark is widely believed to be the first of the four
Gospels that was written ("Gospel" being an account of Jesus'
life.
The other Gospels are Matthew, Luke and John.)
Mark was probably written about 70 AD or about 35-40 years after the
death of Jesus. Mark did not write an historical account of the life
and teachings of Jesus, but rather a theological account.
In other words, Mark did not write in order to record an historical
account of Jesus' life, telling what happened and when, although there
is what we would call historical information in his gospel.
Mark tells the story of Jesus using certain literary devices in order
to record a particular
theological
understanding of Jesus as the Messiah. Mark was primarily interested in
bearing testimony to the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, and
therefore the Messiah, and his writing points to this testimony.
Readers of Mark's Gospel understand this; however, the human characters
in the Gospel of Mark never fully
A second literary device deployed by Mark is known as the
"Messianic Secret."
Throughout Mark's gospel, as Jesus heals and casts out demons, he
consistently tells the people who are present not to tell what he has
done.
Jesus commands people to be silent, as if he desires to stay hidden.
Among early post-Easter Christians, there was a belief that Jesus was
not appointed as the Messiah until after his death and resurrection.
During Mark's time, however, there was a popular view that Jesus knew
his identity as the Messiah throughout his life. Mark reconciled these
two points of view by using the Messianic Secret.
Jesus may have known who he was, but no one else -- no one, that is,
but the demons and the Holy Spirit - knew his identity until after the
resurrection.
By keeping his identity secret, Jesus would have had more time to carry
out his mission. Once the authorities knew his identity, they had no
choice but to kill him.
In Mark's day, it was also believed that only false pr
As readers of the text, we look at Jesus "post-resurrection,"
and through a 21
st
century lens.
As we look closer at the text of this morning's reading, it will be
important for us to remember that this book was written over nine
hundred years ago, and the beliefs and culture of the time were very
different.
Even so, the text still holds central truths that speak to us today.
It may be difficult for us to relate to a story about casting out of
demons when we don't really believe that demons exist, or ever
existed.
Yet, if we read Mark's account from a theological perspective instead
of thinking about historical accuracy, the story takes on new and
fascinating meaning.
When Jesus enters the synagogue with his disciples and begins to teach,
everyone there is amazed at his authority.
"He teaches as one with authority -- not like the scribes,"
the gathered crowd says.
The scribes were known experts of the law, often quoting passages from
the Torah in order to back up their arguments.
Jesus, however, did not need to quote the law.
He spoke with an inner authority, with a quiet confidence and power
that did not depend on outside knowledge.
Almost immediately, Jesus' authority is challenged by the "unclean
spirit" that speaks, calling him by name. The demon knows who
Jesus is, and where his power comes from, even if the gathered crowd
doesn't comprehend the situation.
Early readers or hearers of this text would have understood this story
in a different way than we do.
Calling someone by name was a means of gaining control over the other
person.
By saying "I know who you are," and naming Jesus as the Holy
One of God, the demon was attempting to exert control over Jesus.
But by silencing the demon and forcing it out of the man's body, Jesus
proved that he was the one in control, that he was the one with the
greater power.
In Mark's gospel, Jesus repeatedly proves to be more powerful than
demons, and even more powerful than Satan, who tries to tempt Jesus in
the wilderness earlier in the Gospel of Mark. (Mark 1:12-13)
The authority that Jesus has comes from deep within him.
It comes from knowing deep inside that he is the Beloved Child of God.
His authority doesn't come from the law, or from what others think of
him, or from money or prestige or political power.
Jesus is totally self-defined.
He knows at the center of his core who he is, and whose he is.
He doesn't need to quote the law; he embodies the power of God.
And that power has the ability to silence demons and chase them away.
When we understand that we are the beloved children of God, we too have
the power that comes from knowing deep inside who we are and whose we
are.
Defining ourselves as beloved children of God means that we no longer
allow the outside world to define us.
We do not gain our identities from how much knowledge we can acquire or
how many things we can buy.
When we claim the inner authority that comes from God, we no longer
base our identities on how much money we earn or how prestigious our
jobs are.
We are no longer impressed when we see others living in bigger houses,
or driving fancier cars, or wearing more expensive clothes.
When we claim the power that comes from knowing that we are the
beloved, we no longer care about popularity, and we no longer allow
other people to define who we are!
When we claim our belovedness, other people can no longer exert power
over us.
Just as Jesus used his authority to exorcise demons in his day, we too
can claim the inner power and authority to expel the demons in our own
lives, in whatever form they might appear.
Contemporary demons may be voices within that tell us that we're no
good and lower our self-esteem. They may appear as a sense of
restlessness or lack of purpose.
They may disguise themselves as greed or selfishness, jealousy or fear,
resentment or anxiety, bitterness or an inability to forgive.
We all have demons living within us that compete for our attention and
try to drown out the voice of God, who is calling us the beloved.
When we claim the authority that comes from knowing who we are and
whose we are, we can silence the demons within us and command them to
leave once and for all.
I'd like to close by teaching you a Taizé chant that I like to
sing when I'm being faced with various demons in my own life.
I'll sing it through the first time and when you feel comfortable, join
in.
We will sing it through many times, as a prayer.
Jesus, your light is shining within us,
Let not my doubts and my darkness speak to me.
Jesus, your light is shining within us,
Let my heart always welcome your love.
Amen.
