Mk 1:21-28
Today’s passage tells of Jesus casting out a demon. The people are amazed because the demon obeys Jesus.
Today’s passage tells of Jesus casting out a demon. The people are amazed because the demon obeys Jesus.
READING 1 | READING 2 | GOSPEL
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
SOURCE: Our Sunday Visitor
READING 1 | READING 2 | GOSPEL
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
In the Gospel Reading, the people were astonished at Jesus’ teaching because He “taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” Jesus taught them with a true understanding of Scripture and the need for the necessary application of God’s words in their lives. Even those possessed by demon-spirits recognized His authority. Jesus is the promised prophet greater than Moses from the First Reading, and He is the supreme prophet, lawgiver, and covenant mediator of a new and greater covenant (Heb 8:6, 13; 9:15; 12:24; CCC 1962, 1964, 1965).
OBSERVING SABBATH OBLIGATION
After His baptism by John the Baptist in Perea on the east side of the Jordan River (Mk 1:9-11; Jn 1:28) and His temptation (Mk 1:12-13), Jesus traveled north to the region of the Galilee and the fishing village of Capernaum. The covenant people worshipped, prayed, and offered their sacrifices at the liturgical worship services that took place twice daily, seven days a week, at God’s holy Jerusalem Temple. They could also observe the Sabbath obligation at their local village Synagogue when they prayed as a community and studied Scripture. As a faithful member of the covenant community, Jesus kept the Sabbath obligation in the Capernaum Synagogue. Our New Covenant worship services have elements of both the Synagogue and the Temple. We study the Word of God in the Liturgy of the Word and take part in the sacrifice by coming forward to the holy altar to offer our lives to Christ and receiving His gift of grace in the Eucharist.
TWO GROUPS CHALLENGED JESUS
In verse 22, the people compared Jesus’ teaching to the scribes. Unlike the scribes, Jesus taught with authority and a genuine understanding of Sacred Scripture. The scribes and Pharisees were part of the Old Covenant religious leadership. From the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, these two groups continually challenged Jesus’ teaching authority.
The other sects with influence in this period were the Sadducees (mostly represented by the chief priests and the Herodian aristocracy) and the ultra-conservative Essenes. The Essenes lived in cities and separate communities, dedicating themselves to asceticism, voluntary poverty, mysticism, and daily ritual immersion (baptisms of repentance and purification).
THE MAN WITH AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT
In verses 23-26, Jesus healed a man possessed by an “unclean spirit.” The “spirit” is “unclean” because it resists the holiness of God. The demon-spirit knows and fears Jesus, recognizing not only His true identity but His divine power. Demons are spiritual beings that are the fallen angels created by God to be good but who, through their own free will choice, became evil by rebelling against God to follow Satan, himself once an angel (see Rev 12:7-9 and CCC 391-95). Jesus commanded the spirit to be silent when it called out His true identity in verse 25. Jesus did not want a demon spirit to witness to His true identity. His identity had to be revealed slowly through His acts and His teachings.
THE MYSTERY OF JESUS’ TRUE IDENTITY
Many commentators see Jesus’ unfolding story in St. Mark’s Gospel as centered on the “mystery” of His true identity and the mystery of God’s divine plan that Jesus came to fulfill. The Greek word “mysterion” in the singular is used just once in Mark 4:11, and its context in that passage is the “kingdom” of Jesus Christ. “Mysterion” in the singular does not appear in the other Gospels where it only appears in the plural (Mt 13:11; Lk 8:10). The word only appears in the singular again in Romans 16:25. It is “the mystery” associated with Jesus’ true identity as the Kingdom of God incarnate and God’s reign that is breaking into the world to radically alter human life forever. Related to this revelation of the Kingdom is the sense that Jesus’ true identity must remain a secret until the climax of His mission. Concerning the mystery of Jesus’ true identity in Mark’s Gospel:
CHURCH TRADITION
Following Jesus’ example of casting out demon spirits who torment humans, the Church has always recognized the need for freeing victim souls from the power of demon spirits through the rite of exorcism (CCC 1673). The Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation offer protection from demon spirits through the filling and indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the soul of the believer.
Agape Bible Study by Michal E. Hunt; used with permission.
READING 1 | READING 2 | GOSPEL
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
Of course we have answered the call of Jesus; we even call him Son of God even if we say it by rote. Where does church come in here? How does our presence in this procession relate to our answer? Do we believe that we can answer him only if we assemble here with our brothers and sisters?
SOURCE: Paul J. Schlachter at LectorWorks.org
READING 1 | READING 2 | GOSPEL
4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
In Mark 1, Jesus performs an act of exorcism. This exorcism was actually performed on Sabbath in a synagogue (which was different than the Temple). What does this action indicate about Jesus and his mission to destroy the demonic in his ministry?