21 And they went into Caper’na–um; and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus encounters unclean spirit
23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
Jesus drives out unclean spirit
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
Jesus’ fame spreads
27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
GOSPEL EXPLANATION: Mark 1: 21–28
21 And they went into Caper’na–um; and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
“And they went into Caper’na–um;” — “they” indicates that Simon, Andrew, James and John were with him, a continuation of the new relationship between these four and Jesus that took place in the previous passage of Mk. 1: 14–20.
“Capernaum” was a town or city on the north–western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was where the main routes between West and East crossed and therefore, was a flourishing business city with very many merchants. There were important toll stations there. It will be mentioned in Mk. 2: 1 as Jesus’ home and Matthew refers to it as “his own city”. The first four disciples lived in that town with Jesus. Most of Jesus’ work in Galilee was performed in Capernaum.
“and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught” — “Immediately” is a word that is used eight times in Mark Chapter 1: 10, 12, 18, 20, 21, 23, 29, 30 to give a sense of urgency that directs Jesus. Mark also uses short sentences and his episodes are very brief and not filled out. These techniques are meant to give the impression that Jesus sees his mission as pressing.
“Sabbath” — Mark paints a picture of Jesus going to the synagogue on the Sabbath, teaching, exorcising and healing and so restoring people to wholeness.
“synagogue” — This was a building where people went to study the Law and religion. On the Sabbath there were religious services but no sacrificial offerings which were reserved for the Temple in Jerusalem.
Jesus appeared in the synagogue in Mark 1: 21, 23, 39; 3: 1; 6: 2. He was rejected in this last appearance and never entered any other. From then on he taught in houses or in the open.
“and taught”. — This is the first of three references to teaching in this verse and a fourth in verse 27, an indication that teaching is being emphasised in this passage. Mark refers to Jesus’ teaching in Mk. 1: 21–22, 27; 2: 13; 4: 2; 6: 7; 8: 31; 9: 31; 10: 1 (“as his custom was”), 32–34; 11: 18; 12: 14, 34, 35, 38; 14: 49 — fifteen altogether.
However, the content of the teaching is not generally given. We may presume that the teaching was a repeat of verse 1: 15: “the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Good News”, his core message. The Kingdom of God now “at hand” after almost 1,000 years of expectation is difficult for the hearers to accept.
“And they were astonished at his teaching,” — “they” refers to the four disciples and the people gathered in the synagogue.
“astonished” translates one of at least seven Greek verbs that convey the same idea though in various degrees of surprise, fear, amazement, wonder, shock, reverence, awe. Throughout Mark’s Gospel these words occur twenty–six times for emphasis by the frequency.
“for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes”. — The scribes were ordained theologians who were rabbis. The word meant ‘master’ and designated a teacher of the Law. Later Jesus was called “rabbi” by his disciples in Mk. 9: 5, 10: 51 (emphatic: “Rabboni”), 11: 21, 14: 45, and also in Mt. and Jn.
The difference between Jesus and the scribes consisted in their methods. The scribes referred to the prophets as their authority; Jesus spoke like a prophet informing hearers of his teaching as his own.
The scribes were the prime instigators of Jesus’ death: Mk. 8: 31; 10: 33; 11: 18; 14: 1, 43, 53; 15: 1, 31.
23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
“And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out” — This is Jesus’ first miracle and it is significant that it was an exorcism. The purpose of Jesus coming into the world was to destroy the power and reign of the devil and unclean spirits and restore the reign and rule of God.
An unclean spirit or demon possessed this man and it was the spirit that spoke through him. Unclean spirits are frequent in Mark, this being the first of eleven.
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” — This spirit is terrified because he sees Jesus as a threat to his very existence and that of other spirits.
“I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” — The unclean spirits will later address Jesus as “the Son of God” (Mk. 3: 11) and as “the Son of the Most High God” (Mk. 5: 7). No sick person ever spoke to Jesus with such titles but rather as “Lord”, “Teacher”, “Son of David”, “Master”. The unclean spirit knew Jesus by his known name, namely “Jesus of Nazareth” and he used that. He recognised him also as God’s divine Son. He declares, “I know who you are”. This was not an act of faith he was making but followed the popular conviction of the day that if a person knew another’s name he could use it in magical chants and have power to control that person. The unclean spirit’s intention was to have a controlling power over Jesus by using every name he knew for him.
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
“But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’” — By telling the unclean spirit to be silent shows that Jesus had a greater power than the unclean spirit thought he had.
“And the unclean spirit, convulsing him” — Jesus showed that he had the power to drive out the unclean spirit. Because he was in possession and control of the man the unclean spirit convulsed him as he fled. There is a detailed description of these convulsions in Mk. 9: 17–29.
“and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.” — The meaning here is that the unclean spirit ‘shouted’, no doubt at Jesus, as he left the man. Convulsions and shouting would have been most disturbing for the witnesses.
27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
“And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this?’” — The disciples and the people were alarmed. Contemporary exorcists used formulations or spells to expel unclean spirits. Jesus exercised his power over the unclean spirit only by his brief words and his authority (“Be silent and come out of him!”) and the unclean spirits obeyed him. The people were amazed by such power.
“‘A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’” — Mark records the people as seeing Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirit as a “new teaching”. In his preaching he taught that “the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk. 1: 15). By the exorcism he also taught that the Kingdom of God is now driving out unclean spirits. This is a “new teaching” not just in word but in deed.
“And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.” — Such a new method of exorcism could not be kept silent.
APPLICATION
JESUS THE TEACHER
This week’s Sunday Gospel is connected in a special way with last Sunday’s Gospel (Mk. 1: 14–20). Then Jesus declared that “the Kingdom of God is at hand”. The Jewish people were waiting for more than 1,000 years for this moment and it gave them great alarm when Jesus made his announcement. Of course, they did not rush in and believe him immediately as they did not know him, or his claims, so we have today’s Reading.
Teaching by Jesus is the central theme of this Gospel passage. Mark tells us that Jesus could make such an announcement about the Kingdom because of the type of teacher he was, full of power and authority. These attributes are so important that Mark omits telling us what Jesus actually taught. He wants to be absolutely certain that we get the message. He informs us twice that Jesus’ teaching made a deep impression on the congregation which was not accustomed to teachers making statements in their own name but only by reference to other authorities such as the patriarchs, prophets or the Law. Jesus principle was “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony” (John 3:11).
‘Actions are greater than words’ is a well–known saying and Jesus put it into practice in today’s Gospel. He worked his first miracle, an exorcism, driving out an unclean spirit or demon. In this way he endorses that he has power and authority from God over the force of darkness and evil. Indeed that is why he has come into the world, bringing the Kingdom of God with him and his mission is to establish that Kingdom and overcome the kingdom of evil. The congregation witnessed the exorcism and was amazed at Jesus. By exorcising the unclean spirit Jesus drew their amazement again because they saw that he did this, like his teaching, with power and authority. They even link the connection between teaching and exorcism. In verse 27 they see God at work in Jesus when he teaches and exorcises.
In spite of the power and authority of Jesus’ word and deed which they acknowledged, the congregation was loath to accept Jesus or his message. Even the demon declared, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” and Jesus’ intention to destroy all demons.
We can pause here for a moment and realise that this teaching about his authority is also meant for us. With all our knowledge we can be certain that our reaction should not be that of the synagogue congregation. We should be most willing to accept Jesus’ power and authority when he teaches. That, of course, brings up the question: As we do not see or hear him, how does he teach us today?
We recall how Jesus had Simon, Andrew, James and John become his disciples. Later he will add others to this corps group and appoint them apostles with the responsibility to continue his divine mission. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen. (Mk. 16: 15–20).
Jesus passed on to his Church through the successors of the apostles, Pope and the Bishops, his power and authority to teach. The Second Vatic\an Council tells us that these officials “heralds of faith, who draw new disciples to Christ [as ‘fishers of men’, mentioned by Mark in last week’s Gospel]; they are authentic teachers of the apostolic faith ‘endowed with the authority of Christ’” (Lumen Gentium, 25). The official name for this role of the Pope and Bishops is “magisterium”, the teaching authority.
“It is this Magisterium’s task to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 890).
There is no reason why we cannot believe what Jesus and his Church teach.
Commentary on 4th Sunday of the year (B) 1st Feb 2015
GOSPEL TEXT: Mark 1:21–28
Jesus teaches with authority
21 And they went into Caper’na–um; and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus encounters unclean spirit
23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
Jesus drives out unclean spirit
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
Jesus’ fame spreads
27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
GOSPEL EXPLANATION: Mark 1: 21–28
21 And they went into Caper’na–um; and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
“And they went into Caper’na–um;” — “they” indicates that Simon, Andrew, James and John were with him, a continuation of the new relationship between these four and Jesus that took place in the previous passage of Mk. 1: 14–20.
“Capernaum” was a town or city on the north–western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was where the main routes between West and East crossed and therefore, was a flourishing business city with very many merchants. There were important toll stations there. It will be mentioned in Mk. 2: 1 as Jesus’ home and Matthew refers to it as “his own city”. The first four disciples lived in that town with Jesus. Most of Jesus’ work in Galilee was performed in Capernaum.
“and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught” — “Immediately” is a word that is used eight times in Mark Chapter 1: 10, 12, 18, 20, 21, 23, 29, 30 to give a sense of urgency that directs Jesus. Mark also uses short sentences and his episodes are very brief and not filled out. These techniques are meant to give the impression that Jesus sees his mission as pressing.
“Sabbath” — Mark paints a picture of Jesus going to the synagogue on the Sabbath, teaching, exorcising and healing and so restoring people to wholeness.
“synagogue” — This was a building where people went to study the Law and religion. On the Sabbath there were religious services but no sacrificial offerings which were reserved for the Temple in Jerusalem.
Jesus appeared in the synagogue in Mark 1: 21, 23, 39; 3: 1; 6: 2. He was rejected in this last appearance and never entered any other. From then on he taught in houses or in the open.
“and taught”. — This is the first of three references to teaching in this verse and a fourth in verse 27, an indication that teaching is being emphasised in this passage. Mark refers to Jesus’ teaching in Mk. 1: 21–22, 27; 2: 13; 4: 2; 6: 7; 8: 31; 9: 31; 10: 1 (“as his custom was”), 32–34; 11: 18; 12: 14, 34, 35, 38; 14: 49 — fifteen altogether.
However, the content of the teaching is not generally given. We may presume that the teaching was a repeat of verse 1: 15: “the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Good News”, his core message. The Kingdom of God now “at hand” after almost 1,000 years of expectation is difficult for the hearers to accept.
“And they were astonished at his teaching,” — “they” refers to the four disciples and the people gathered in the synagogue.
“astonished” translates one of at least seven Greek verbs that convey the same idea though in various degrees of surprise, fear, amazement, wonder, shock, reverence, awe. Throughout Mark’s Gospel these words occur twenty–six times for emphasis by the frequency.
“for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes”. — The scribes were ordained theologians who were rabbis. The word meant ‘master’ and designated a teacher of the Law. Later Jesus was called “rabbi” by his disciples in Mk. 9: 5, 10: 51 (emphatic: “Rabboni”), 11: 21, 14: 45, and also in Mt. and Jn.
The difference between Jesus and the scribes consisted in their methods. The scribes referred to the prophets as their authority; Jesus spoke like a prophet informing hearers of his teaching as his own.
The scribes were the prime instigators of Jesus’ death: Mk. 8: 31; 10: 33; 11: 18; 14: 1, 43, 53; 15: 1, 31.
23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
“And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out” — This is Jesus’ first miracle and it is significant that it was an exorcism. The purpose of Jesus coming into the world was to destroy the power and reign of the devil and unclean spirits and restore the reign and rule of God.
An unclean spirit or demon possessed this man and it was the spirit that spoke through him. Unclean spirits are frequent in Mark, this being the first of eleven.
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” — This spirit is terrified because he sees Jesus as a threat to his very existence and that of other spirits.
“I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” — The unclean spirits will later address Jesus as “the Son of God” (Mk. 3: 11) and as “the Son of the Most High God” (Mk. 5: 7). No sick person ever spoke to Jesus with such titles but rather as “Lord”, “Teacher”, “Son of David”, “Master”. The unclean spirit knew Jesus by his known name, namely “Jesus of Nazareth” and he used that. He recognised him also as God’s divine Son. He declares, “I know who you are”. This was not an act of faith he was making but followed the popular conviction of the day that if a person knew another’s name he could use it in magical chants and have power to control that person. The unclean spirit’s intention was to have a controlling power over Jesus by using every name he knew for him.
25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
“But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’” — By telling the unclean spirit to be silent shows that Jesus had a greater power than the unclean spirit thought he had.
“And the unclean spirit, convulsing him” — Jesus showed that he had the power to drive out the unclean spirit. Because he was in possession and control of the man the unclean spirit convulsed him as he fled. There is a detailed description of these convulsions in Mk. 9: 17–29.
“and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.” — The meaning here is that the unclean spirit ‘shouted’, no doubt at Jesus, as he left the man. Convulsions and shouting would have been most disturbing for the witnesses.
27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
“And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this?’” — The disciples and the people were alarmed. Contemporary exorcists used formulations or spells to expel unclean spirits. Jesus exercised his power over the unclean spirit only by his brief words and his authority (“Be silent and come out of him!”) and the unclean spirits obeyed him. The people were amazed by such power.
“‘A new teaching! With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’” — Mark records the people as seeing Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirit as a “new teaching”. In his preaching he taught that “the Kingdom of God is at hand” (Mk. 1: 15). By the exorcism he also taught that the Kingdom of God is now driving out unclean spirits. This is a “new teaching” not just in word but in deed.
“And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.” — Such a new method of exorcism could not be kept silent.
APPLICATION
JESUS THE TEACHER
This week’s Sunday Gospel is connected in a special way with last Sunday’s Gospel (Mk. 1: 14–20). Then Jesus declared that “the Kingdom of God is at hand”. The Jewish people were waiting for more than 1,000 years for this moment and it gave them great alarm when Jesus made his announcement. Of course, they did not rush in and believe him immediately as they did not know him, or his claims, so we have today’s Reading.
Teaching by Jesus is the central theme of this Gospel passage. Mark tells us that Jesus could make such an announcement about the Kingdom because of the type of teacher he was, full of power and authority. These attributes are so important that Mark omits telling us what Jesus actually taught. He wants to be absolutely certain that we get the message. He informs us twice that Jesus’ teaching made a deep impression on the congregation which was not accustomed to teachers making statements in their own name but only by reference to other authorities such as the patriarchs, prophets or the Law. Jesus principle was “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony” (John 3:11).
‘Actions are greater than words’ is a well–known saying and Jesus put it into practice in today’s Gospel. He worked his first miracle, an exorcism, driving out an unclean spirit or demon. In this way he endorses that he has power and authority from God over the force of darkness and evil. Indeed that is why he has come into the world, bringing the Kingdom of God with him and his mission is to establish that Kingdom and overcome the kingdom of evil. The congregation witnessed the exorcism and was amazed at Jesus. By exorcising the unclean spirit Jesus drew their amazement again because they saw that he did this, like his teaching, with power and authority. They even link the connection between teaching and exorcism. In verse 27 they see God at work in Jesus when he teaches and exorcises.
In spite of the power and authority of Jesus’ word and deed which they acknowledged, the congregation was loath to accept Jesus or his message. Even the demon declared, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” and Jesus’ intention to destroy all demons.
We can pause here for a moment and realise that this teaching about his authority is also meant for us. With all our knowledge we can be certain that our reaction should not be that of the synagogue congregation. We should be most willing to accept Jesus’ power and authority when he teaches. That, of course, brings up the question: As we do not see or hear him, how does he teach us today?
We recall how Jesus had Simon, Andrew, James and John become his disciples. Later he will add others to this corps group and appoint them apostles with the responsibility to continue his divine mission. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen. (Mk. 16: 15–20).
Jesus passed on to his Church through the successors of the apostles, Pope and the Bishops, his power and authority to teach. The Second Vatic\an Council tells us that these officials “heralds of faith, who draw new disciples to Christ [as ‘fishers of men’, mentioned by Mark in last week’s Gospel]; they are authentic teachers of the apostolic faith ‘endowed with the authority of Christ’” (Lumen Gentium, 25). The official name for this role of the Pope and Bishops is “magisterium”, the teaching authority.
“It is this Magisterium’s task to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 890).
There is no reason why we cannot believe what Jesus and his Church teach.