I have been blessed with many wonderful teachers in my life. In grade school all the way through to graduate school (twice!!) I have had teachers that were inspiring and powerful. One teacher in particular was special in a unique way. His teaching had authority.
My senior year of high school, I signed up for a class with Mr. Statz. I had heard that he was tough, but fair, and he was always friendly in the halls, so I decided to sign up. The first semester covered economics and the second semester focused on US history after WW II. I was interested in both semesters and so I enrolled in Mr. Statz's class.
From the first day it was apparent that Mr. Statz was a different kind of teacher. He didn't just give us answers, he gave us questions. He was passionate about his subject. He challenged us to get involved with what we were learning. He forced us to read the newspaper, know what was going on in the world and apply what we were learning to form our own opinions about the news of the day. It was tough. He was tough. But, he loved what he was doing so much that I don't think that we noticed.
Mr. Statz had authority with us, not only because he was demanding, but also because he knew his subject and he cared about it. He cared about us and what kind of people we were becoming. He knew that we were teenagers, interested in boys and girls and parties, anxious to move away and go to college-just dying for our independence. He knew what was occupying our minds. But, Mr. Statz cared about our place in the world and how we would relate to it. He opened our minds and our hearts to an awareness of the world that I had not experienced previously. It was fun and it was important-to the world and to our own lives. The bottom line was that this was a teacher that we believed and we trusted. That is what gave him authority.
Today we read of Jesus' ministry expanding into the realm of teaching. He has made proclamations. He has called disciples. Now He is in the synagogue, teaching "as one having authority." The teaching of Jesus is different than that of the scribes. It astounds those who are learning-other translations say that it amazes, it surprises, it makes a deep impression on them. In other words, it is radically different. It causes them to sit up and take notice. Jesus teaching has authority. For some reason they believe what He is saying. There is truth in His words. For some reason, they trust the teaching of this man.
Just as Jesus' teaching is making this unique impression, a question comes from the crowd. A man with an unclean spirit asks what Jesus wants with them. And true to the pattern of Mark's gospel, the one with a demon inside of him claims to know who Jesus is. The evil spirits and demons always recognize Jesus for who He truly is in Mark's gospel.
Jesus commands the unclean spirit to be silent and come out of the man, and with convulsing and a loud voice, the spirit is removed. Again, the people are amazed-astounded-astonished-surprised (depending on the translation you read). And again the conclusion that this man is different, a new teaching-with authority. Even unclean spirits obey Him. And Jesus' fame spreads at once-immediately-as all things happen in Mark.
What is this authority all about? Where does it lead? What difference does it make in the lives of those who were there and what difference does it make to us?
Jesus' authority has been shown already in Mark by the words of John the Baptist, through the coming of the Spirit and the voice of God at baptism, in His first words of proclamation and by the obedience of those who left their nets and followed. Mark is very intentional about establishing the divine authority of Jesus. Now in today's passage, there is authoritative teaching and authority that is obeyed by unclean spirits. It is time for word of Jesus' authority to spread.
In Deuteronomy, the authoritative teaching of the prophet is the glue that will hold God's people together. It will help the people to survive until the Messiah comes. It will help them to look toward God and not just focus on the issues that were pressing on them at that particular moment. The prophet's authoritative preaching is truly a redemptive act-keeping them alive and focused on God and God's action in their lives.
The same is true of Jesus' authoritative teaching. Jesus is pointing the way to God, challenging those in the synagogue and us to focus not on ourselves, but on the big picture, opening our hearts and our minds to greater things-to Godly things. This is truly a redemptive act, this authoritative teaching. Jesus is trying to save God's created people.
When Jesus spoke-the people believed Him. They trusted what He said. They could tell that His teaching was inspired by God, that He was speaking eternal truth. I believe that what they saw in Jesus that was unique-that gave Him authority, was the same thing that my class saw in Mr. Statz. It was that he loved us. Jesus loved the people. He truly loved them. He wanted what was best for them. He wanted what was best for the world. He wanted to save them. That is why they believed.
In our psalm for today, we are told of God's great works and God's care for us. God's righteousness, God's grace and mercy, God's power and faithfulness, God's justice, God's trustworthiness. God has sent redemption to the people. God is ever mindful of the covenant that was made. God wants what is best for us. God is on our side.
In the psalm we find that God's nature and God's actions match. There is a consistency between words and actions. That is trust. That is authority. That same authority belongs to Jesus. His words and His actions match. That is what the disciples recognized when they dropped their nets and followed. It is what the people in the synagogue heard that day. It is what caused the unclean spirit to recognize Jesus, and obey when Jesus spoke.
The difference that the authority of Jesus makes in the lives of humanity is this: when we recognize the divine, when we trust what we hear, we are able to take action. We are able to listen and to learn. We are able to open our hearts and our minds. We are able to look toward God and see all of creation and not just our own lives.
This is not easy teaching, this teaching with authority. It is tough. It is demanding. It is challenging. God calls us to listen and learn, and then act accordingly. The Lord doesn't just want us to listen to the usual teaching-to the teaching of the scribes. We are called to respond to teaching that is authoritative.
As the psalm says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding." We need to revere the authority of God, to take it seriously, to honor it. We are to practice what we are taught. It is the beginning of understanding, of wisdom, of closeness to God. That is where Jesus is pointing us with His authoritative teaching, toward God. It is how He loves us. It is how He saves us. Amen.
Peace,
Rev. Cynthia Bacon
Minister
You may email at:
cbacon@heritagemadison.org
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