4th Sunday of Ordinary Time

In the first reading, Moses, the great teacher and leader of his people, the one who spoke with God, promises his people that the Lord will send other prophets to speak God’s word.  And God is faithful to that promise for years with faithful prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and John the Baptist.

Yet, God had an even better plan and it begins to be revealed in today’s gospel from the first chapter of Mark.   Jesus is at home in Capernaum and joins the community in the synagogue on the Sabbath.  When He teaches, the people are amazed.  Here is one who teaches with authority, with energy, with a power that has never been seen before.  This young rabbi is unlike anyone else the people have seen or heard.

For Mark, Jesus is the Teacher who has come to reveal who God is, how much God loves us, and what God has in store for those who will believe in the One whom God has sent.  What is first seen today will all develop over time.  For now, the people are left to marvel at this man who is in their midst.

Immediately, however, it is clear that the demons recognize who Jesus is.  They know that He is the Holy One of God who has come to destroy them.  The demons can sense that the battle, which began in the Garden long ago, is about to get serious.  Jesus silences their shouting and sends them out of the man whom they had been tormenting.  Jesus does eventually want all to come to know Him, but it will not be from demons, but rather from the power of His own words and the witness of His works.

Jesus has begun His work.  He has called His first disciples.  He has shown Himself to be a Teacher who is to be listened to and He has power over demons and wills to set people free.  What needs to be done has begun.

Mark the evangelist sees life as a battle between good and evil.  He knows that we need to be saved from our sin and from all evil that seeks to destroy us.  More importantly, Mark knows that this battle will be won through the Passion and Death of Jesus.  That is the main story Mark is about to tell. 

As Mark’s story of the good news continues, what we need to do is to remember that Jesus is always at the center, teaching and setting people free.  We trust Him to do the same for us.