January 29, 2006
Deuteronomy 18: 15-20 + 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 + Mark 1:21-28
There is grave risk here. There is already evidence of it.
An assembly that stands, sits, or kneels in silence while a few others lift their voices in song reveals the hold that this risk has in this place.
It is odd that spoken words are louder here than words sung.
These are not lullabies we sing to induce sleep.
These are victory songs of praise and shouts of thanksgiving.
It is strange that somehow many pull back in silence
leaving a few to timidly pick up the prayer we sing.
This is the risk.
If there is an attitude that promotes watching,
then it is going to be an issue with this gospel today as well.
Imagine the scene it presents, and wonder where you fit into it.
There are three positions with which to enter this Gospel:
as Jesus
as one possessed
or as a member of the crowd, the spectators, who just stood around in curiosity with little faith that would allow them to know who was in their midst.
The Church, God, and this whole world for that matter
have little need for any spectators.
We were not called into life by a creator/God to stand around and look.
This life is not a game that finds us in the stands watching, cheering, and applauding winners and losers.
Those of us who have not hardened our hearts
must hear the voice of God in this sacred text spoken to us,
not as though we overheard it said to someone else at another time.
And so, the third option of standing in this story as part of the crowd
is not an option.
Now this is the first miracle in the gospel of Mark,
and it is not about power, it is about identity and relationship.
All authority comes from one’s relationship with God, and that is what will unfold in the later verses of this Gospel,
the mystery of the relationship between Jesus and the Father.
The more Jesus asks, looks, sounds, and is identified with God,
the more authority he has.
He has given us that authority, that relationship; and so it is possible to stand in this story in the place of Jesus
and consider just how it is we respond to evil, and what we do in the face of it.
Stand and watch?
Look the other way?
Call for someone to DO something?
I would propose to you this weekend that Mark is suggesting that people of faith
who recognize who Jesus is and have entered into a relationship with him can do something about evil.
Yet, what about the other position in the story…….
If pressed, many of us could name our personal demons.
We are all possessed in some way.
Yet, it is easier to see ourselves as part of the crowd,
but again, I proposed that this is not an option.
If we can sit with this gospel and acknowledge our demons,
Jesus will say again: “Come out!”
“Come out, all those life destroying habits.
“Come out, all wishful thinking of “If I only had… or “I should have….”
“Come out, short temper and impatience.
“Come out, all you worries about the future or things you cannot change.
“Come out, the drive to keep up with those who seem to have more than me.
“Come out, everything that keeps me from being myself.”
The man in this story has no name, because he is us.
He is one of many, nothing unusual.
Pay attention to how Jesus reacts – both for the sake of courage and for the sake of instruction on how to behave in the face of evil.
He is not shocked nor frightened nor appalled.
He does not turn away in disgust nor throw up his hands in resignation.
He does not judge the man nor condemn him, no name calling here.
To those of us willing to face our demons, this is hopeful.
Jesus faces the darkest side of any human being,
knowing that this is not the true self of that person,
and that the dark side need not control.
There is good news here for us, and a lesson on how to live with authority;
but it is wasted on spectators.