January 28, 2018
Readings:
First Reading – Deuteronomy 18: 15-20
Psalm 95
Second Reading – 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35
Gospel reading according to Mark (1:
21-28)
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Homily:
Now, Jesus is spreading the good news of
God with his chosen disciples. “Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers”
(Mark 1: 21) to settle there. We learn
from the Gospels that Jesus left Nazareth and settled in Capharnaum (Mt 4:12)
which in some way became “his own town” (Mt 9:1; see also Stanislao Loffreda
OFM (2001), Capernaum the Town of Jesus,
Studium Biblicum Franciscanum).
Actually Capernaum much more than
Nazareth offered to Jesus a twofold advantage as far as his messianic activity were
concerned. Firstly, Capernaum was a crossroad of primary importance, being
along the Beth-shan -- Damascus highway; whereas Nazareth was a mountainous and
isolated hamlet. Secondly, Capernaum was
sufficiently apart from the big centers and especially from Tiberias where
Herod Antipas had set his capital. In that way Jesus was able to spread his
messianic message to many persons without running too soon into trouble with
the political and religious leaders. In contrast to Nazareth, the population of
Capernaum was highly stratified: fishermen, farmers, artisans, merchants,
publicans etc. They lived in the same village but apparently without any
strident economic inequality. Even the relations between the inhabitants of
Capernaum and the Romans were surprisingly cordial. It was a Roman centurion
who built the synagogue for the Jewish community. From the same community Jesus chose many of
his apostles either among fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, John - Mt 4:12-22)
or publicans (Matthew - Mk 2:13; cf. Loffrreda 2001).
To begin with his ministry, as a
faithful Jew, the one Moses prophesied to the Jewish people “A
prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own
kin, to him you shall listen” (Dt. 18: 15) “. . . on a Sabbath he entered the synagogue” (Mark 1; 21) and because he
was a new member of the community, he was invited to teach them something about
the scripture being read, “. . . and [he]
taught” (Mark 1: 21). It was noticeable and remarkable how Jesus
taught them. “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one
having authority and not as the scribes” (Mark 1: 22).
Jesus does not quote anybody, unlike any
rabbi, scholar, and any teacher who quotes other specialists, sages of old, and
former rabbis in their teachings. Jesus
uses his own knowledge, wisdom, and intellect in teaching people. He is the author of what he is teaching. And it shows that his teaching has authority;
and in reality and truth, that it has power every word he utters. “In
their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; 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! Jesus rebuked
him and said, ‘Quiet! Come out of him!
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with loud cry came out of him”
(Mark 1: 23-24). What this man was doing
in the synagogue since he was possessed by the unclean spirit
(devils/demons)? This man was mingling
with the worshipers of Yahweh.
Nevertheless, even the unclean (evil) spirit recognized Jesus’s word;
His word has authority and power, and the unclean spirit obeyed him. It also knew who Jesus was, where Jesus came
from, and it knew also the purpose for his coming.
The people in synagogue at Capernaum
evidently confirmed that Jesus’s words had authority and power. They were not a mere lip service only, but in
truth and in fact it can heal and change of heart, mind and body like what had
happened to a man in the synagogue possessed by an unclean spirit. He was cured by the words of Jesus
Christ. We too can be cleansed by the
word of Jesus if we will listen to him and act upon it. “All
were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they
obeyed him” (Mark 1: 27). “This was well said. I will put my words into
his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him,” (Dt. 18: 17-18) said
by the Lord God to Moses. We have to
listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ every day of our life.
“His
fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee” (Mark 1:28).
