Power to Do -- A Message for January 28, 2024

 

          Mark 1:21-28

 

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 

22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 

23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 

24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 

26 The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 

28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

 

The Message                         Power to Do

 

This week, our reading from the Gospel of Mark picks up right where were we left off last Sunday. Last week, we focused on Jesus calling four former-fishermen to be his disciples and come work with him in his preaching, teaching, and healing ministry. After Jesus called his disciples from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, they all apparently went to the Galilean village of Capernaum. 

          In First Century Jewish synagogues, when people gathered to worship on the Sabbath, men were invited to come forward, read from the scriptures, and then interpret and teach based on their reading. The people gathered to worship at Capernaum’s synagogue on that long ago Sabbath were impressed with Jesus’ authority as he taught about the scriptures. He was different than the others they had heard preach – but, they didn’t yet realize Jesus was the Messiah.

          A man possessed by an impure spirit recognized Jesus, or at least the Spirit recognized Jesus. The Spirit knew Jesus was the Holy One of God. And, Jesus knew the Spirit and knew that the Spirit didn’t belong in the disturbed man. So, Jesus cast the Spirit out of the man.     

          The people who witnessed the miracle of Jesus casting out the impure Spirit were amazed. And, they quickly spread the story to everyone in the whole region – Jesus was able to preach and teach with authority, and he was able to heal a man who was believed to be possessed by an impure spirit.

          Fast-forward two-thousand years – we are not so sure about Spirits these days. Some people believe in ghosts and demons and many others do not. We may have trouble believing this man who encountered Jesus was demon possessed. But, whatever the cause of his problem – be it a demon, or a spirit, or a mental illness – we have all encountered people who are struggling with hallucinations or paranoia or a chemical imbalance in their brains and need help.

          Whatever the cause of the man’s problems, Jesus was the solution. He cast out the impure spirit. He healed the man’s body and brain. He restored the man to health. And that was a miracle. The people who witnessed this miracle were amazed and inspired by Jesus.

          We each struggle with things in our lives that are impure spirits for us – we all are all carrying baggage….we are all distracted by things that keep us from Jesus.  Perhaps we are obsessed with sports or are too focused on our tv shows. Perhaps we are caught up in our friendships or relationships and can’t set time aside to focus on our faith. Maybe we are so uncomfortable with our aches and pains that we can’t think about anything other than how we feel. Perhaps we struggle with addictions or dependencies on alcohol or drugs or unsavory activities.  We all have our own impure spirits to contend with.

          Like the man in the Synagogue of Capernaum, we can turn those things over to Jesus. We can pray and ask God to help us. We can pray and ask God to free us from the things that ail us, the things that distract us, and help us become closer to God.   

          We are all made by God with unique gifts and talents. We all have parts of ourselves we are called to share with others and are called to share to help make this world a better place. If we allow the burdens we carry, our impure spirits, to distract us from our callings, we will not whole-ly become the people God has created us to be. So, we must work to let go of those burdens, to release the things within us that keep us from God and keep us from living out our God-given talents.  We need to ask God’s help to free us from those things that are keeping us from fulfilling the calling God has placed upon us. 

          Jesus had the power to free the man of his unclean spirit. With Jesus’ help, we can also become free of the things that weigh us down and keep us from God and from utilizing the gifts given to us by God. Let us turn our lives towards Jesus and become free to live out our callings to be the people God calls us to be.

Amen.