Mark 1:21-28
Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching. They were surprised at his teaching—so forthright, so confident—not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars.
Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out, “What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you’re up to! You’re the Holy One of God, and you’ve come to destroy us!”
Jesus shut him up: “Quiet! Get out of him!” The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting loudly—and got out.
Everyone there was incredulous, buzzing with curiosity. “What’s going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and sends them packing!” News of this traveled fast and was soon all over Galilee.
The topic we’re going to be discussing today is Authority - the kind of Authority Jesus displays in this reading we just heard. But first, I want to take a brief side-step to explain something I mention a lot but have maybe never really explained, and that is the use of the Lectionary.
I mentioned last week that we are now in Cycle B, and reading Mark’s Gospel account. The Lectionary is a tool put together by preachers and teachers to unable us to cover as much of the Bible as possible in a three-year rotation. The three years are based in either Matthew, Mark or Luke’s gospel, with an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, and a reading from the New Testament - generally one of Paul’s letters. These readings link, thematically, with the gospel reading. Over the course of three years’ time much of the Bible is addressed at least once. John’s gospel doesn’t have a year of it’s own, but it is read at the major holy-day times of the year.
Back in the days when no self-respecting preacher spoke for less than an hour they could manage to include and show the links among all four readings - these days I generally make do with one - choosing the gospel or the Old Testament, whichever speaks to me that week. Sometimes I leave the lectionary entirely because I want to address a particular subject or do a special series, but mostly I stick with it as a good disciplinary tool for myself, since it occasionally forces me to stretch myself by engaging parts of the Bible I might prefer to skip over.
And this, magically, brings us back around to today’s topic of Authority. I can choose to follow or skip the lectionary any week because it is a tool for me to use - and that’s all it is. It is not an object with authority over me. Some churches use it religiously (pun intended), some don’t use it at all. I have spoken with people who were quite distressed that I didn’t follow the lectionary because, for them, it was an authoritative document - and in their eyes I should follow it every week.
Authority lies exactly - and only - where we give it. Any person or institution has only as much power over me as I am willing to grant to it. As a woman, I have had self-labeled Bible experts tell me that I have no business calling myself a minister and I should knock if off immediately. They assumed the Bible gave them authority over me and so they spoke. I always assume they have no authority whatsoever over me and so I ignore them. That’s how authority works.
Now, sometimes, authority is backed up with power. Power and authority are not the same thing, but they sometimes work together. If there is enough power then a person or institution may be able to force you to act as if they do have authority. They may still not have any proper authority, but they do have the power to make you do what they want. We sometimes get these two terms confused with each other. It is important for us to remember they are NOT the same. Power can be forced. Authority cannot. Authority is granted.
While doing my reading for this message I came across Jacque Maritain – a French philosopher from the first half of the 1900's. He was Catholic and his faith deeply informed his philosophy which had mostly to do with the inherent rights and dignity of all peoples. He was one of the prime movers behind the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” which was issued in 1948 by the United Nations as their response to the horrors of WWII. It is still one of humanity’s most powerful documents.
Maritain famously said “Authority and power are two different things: power is the force by means of which you can oblige others to obey you. Authority is the right to direct and command, to be listened to or obeyed by others. Authority requests power. Power without authority is tyranny.”
What makes today’s story of Jesus so amazing to us is the immediate recognition given by the bystanders here that Jesus is speaking and acting with true authority. We’re still in chapter one, here. We’re only 21 verses into the gospel. He has only called four disciples by name, so far, as we read last week – Simon, Andrew, James and John. This is his very first public speaking appearance.
At first, the people are puzzled as to who he is and where he has come from, but within a remarkably short time they are fully accepting him as someone whose authority is authentic and genuine. This is how real authority works. It is so real, so true – what this particular voice of authority says resonates so deeply within us – that those who listen with their hearts open automatically recognize the speaker’s authenticity.
It is possible, and unfortunately it happens way too often, that people can be manipulated into believing that what they are hearing is an authoritative voice. If someone presents themselves as “an authority” and trots out a list of credentials or if they are saying what the listener is predisposed to hear, then chances are they will be accepted as such – especially by non-discriminating hearers. Every smarmy television evangelist is proof of this. If, however, we learn to listen with an open mind and an open heart, and if we can set aside our own prejudices, most of us can develop the ability to hear truth or falsehood.
Those listening to Jesus in our story today didn’t know Jesus. They probably were not predisposed against him, but neither were they predisposed for him. He spent the day teaching - and the people there listened and eventually he cast out a disruptive spirit. Now, whether you choose to read this as an actual demonic spirit or in more modern psychological terms as some sort of mental or emotional disorder, the result is equally miraculous. This “spirit” attempted to disrupt Jesus’ teaching, Jesus told it to be quiet and get out ... and it obeyed. It – whatever it was – recognized Jesus’ authority to command it.
As we move through the gospel we will find that even those who plotted against Jesus were never really able to convince even themselves that he was not speaking the truth. They had their reasons for wanting him shut down – greed, fear, genuine disagreement, political expediency, power struggles – whatever. They would accuse him...he would respond...and they would quietly slink off somewhere else to plot some more. Even they could not ultimately argue against the truth and authority they heard when Jesus spoke.
In our world today people like to pretend that anything that differs from their own belief is just someone’s “opinion.” Whatever we say long enough and loudly enough somehow becomes “truth.” And yet, I think that in our hearts, we all retain the ability to recognize true authority when we hear it – if only we can humble ourselves sufficiently to listen – and that is the hard part – being humble, when everyone wants to be their own authority.
When the voice of the Holy speaks to us – if we are honestly listening – we hear it and we recognize the voice of One who has the right to speak. May we always be found among those “with ears to hear.” May we remain as open-hearted as those long-ago listeners at a synagogue in Capernum.
Amen.
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