4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle B
Unexpected
One morning a man came into the parish on crutches. He stopped at the Holy water font and proceeded to sprinkle holy water all over both of his legs and threw away his crutches. Bobby the alter server saw what had happened and ran into the sacristy to tell the Deacon what he'd just witnessed.
The Deacon said, "Son, you've just witnessed a miracle!". "Tell me, where is the man now?"
Bobby said, "He's flat on his back over by the Holy water font".
Kind of an unexpected end to the story, just as unexpected as the Gospel reading with the demon in the synagogue.
The Gospel reading that we shared today describes the daily life of Jesus' ministry. Early on, Jesus' ministry was centered in and around the city of Capernaum on the shore of Sea of Galilee. Jesus and His followers regularly visited the synagogue in Capernaum which was the meeting place of the Galilean Jews.
When Jesus taught in the synagogue, His authority was not from the power of holding a religious office because he was not an ordained priest. Jesus was different from the scribes and priests which simply interpreted the Old Testament Law. Jesus was not just a teacher but a spiritual leader. People sensed Jesus' authority which came from being one with God, the very truth that He proclaimed. Jesus' command of the scriptures and His presence must have been overwhelming. His teaching was not like anything that the people of the synagogue had ever heard before, it filled their hearts and minds with the wonders of God's love. When Jesus taught, people were not simply informed, they were made to think. Jesus spoke authoritatively as a person who was given the power to do so. Words so powerful they could cast out demons.
It's very interesting to find an unclean spirit, a demon, in the synagogue where Jesus was teaching and the people of the synagogue must have been shocked. The demon immediately recognized Jesus and boldly called Jesus out, "Holy One of God. have you come to destroy us?" Without a doubt, these were chilling words. But with the authority of God, Jesus ordered the demon, "come out of him". Without hesitation, the demon with a loud cry was driven out causing the man to suffer convulsions. The witnesses of the exorcism were amazed with the driving out the demon validating Jesus' supremacy. It was only natural that Jesus' reputation began to spread throughout the countryside
Often good often comes from evil as we can see in the Gospel reading. In Biblical times, common sicknesses were often referred to as demons or unclean spirits. With the analogy being that anything that separates us from God is unclean, harmful and destructive. Sickness, disease, violence and evil lead us away from what gives us life. Yet out of these struggles new life emerges. Through the demon's recognition and hostility toward Jesus, others were led to faith.
Jesus' words and deeds brings people to God's by liberating us from the effects and power of sin. Jesus wants us to exercise this same power and authority. This is what Jesus gives us in our own baptisms. By the very words of baptism, we become priest, prophet and king giving us the authority to do God's work. God has given us the power and authority to speak His truth and confront evil. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the power to confront even our own demons that try to destroy us, the demons of sin and selfishness.
People who follow Jesus are challenged to take a side, be it good or evil. The question for us is what do we choose? Do we just give in to societies pressures? Do we stand and face our own demons? We are constantly called to grow closer to Jesus every day. It can be done through prayer, reflection on scripture and celebrating the Sacraments. We are called to recognize Gods' ultimate authority and the impact to our daily lives,
