Deuteronomy 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 8:1-3; Mark 1:21-28
Once again, the lectionary presents us with a common theme in all the scriptures. That theme is authority. The first reading, from the book of Deuteronomy, speaks of a prophet God will send. Because the word “prophet” is in singular most of the scholars believe that Moses is referring to the Messiah. Moses says that this Messiah will have authority from God, because God will put His words in His mouth, and He will tell Israel everything God commands. Therefore, we can say that the authority this prophet will have does not come from an office or a title, it comes directly from God.
In verse 20, concerning the prophet’s authority Moses says that it must be taken with responsibility, “But any prophet who fakes it, who claims to speak in my name something I haven’t commanded him to say, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.”
1 Corinthians also speaks about authority. According to Paul this authority is manifested in rights and responsibilities. According to 1 Corinthians Paul authorized the members of the church to eat meat sacrificed to gods; gods with small g, since these gods are not real gods. Be careful, -Paul says– however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So, this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. Paul is in the same line of thinking with Moses, that authority comes with responsibilities, and must be exercised thinking in others, especially the weak brother and sister.
The gospel reading is also about authority. Jesus enters in a synagogue and teaches with authority; Mark says that His teaching was not like the teachers of the law, who used to teach with knowledge of the law, but without any conviction. They recited the law and had it on their foreheads, and arms but their hearts were empty. Mark says that, “Jesus went into the synagogue and began teaching.22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority” “The people were all so amazedthat they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”
If we want to know where Jesus authority came from, we must read a few verses back. After John finished baptizing Jesus, a voice was heard saying “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Here we see that his authority was the result of the relationship between God and Him -Jesus. A relationship that pleased God. Later in His ministry, in the gospel of John, Jesus expressed this relationship, this unity he had with God. He said, “I and the Father are one.” And later praying to the Father He said, “just as you are in me and I am in you.” Jesus and His Father had a close relationship.
We read in Deuteronomy 18:15, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” Now, we might ask, how is Moses like the Messiah? Well, we know Jesus is greater than Moses, Hebrews 3:3 makes it clear, “3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.” Then, what did Moses mean when he said, the prophet will be like me? what I think he meant was, He will be a liberator like me. This prophet will have a ministry like mine, a ministry of liberation. Moses liberated Israel from the yoke of slavery, and Jesus came to liberate us from the yoke of sin; from the forces that control our sinful life.
The first miracle in the gospel of Mark is a miracle of liberation. The impure spirit kept this man under control until Jesus casted him out. Mark says that the impure spirit says to Jesus, “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!” The spirit was controlling what this man said and did. The impure spirit shook the man violently. He was exercising control of his body.
At Jesus’ command the spirit left, and this man was free; free to live a full life; free to say what he wanted; free to go wherever he wanted. What can all this teach us? A few things I believe. First, Jesus’ freedom begins with Jesus coming into our lives; begins by making us free of the internal forces that control our minds and will. Mark does not say anything about what happened after this man was healed. However, in Mark 5 verses 18 and 19, we find another liberation of a possessed man and what happened after he was healed, “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Maybe something similar happened with the man in our story; Jesus sent him to live a normal life. To go and enjoy his family, to go, and tell others what the Lord had done for him, and how the Lord has had mercy on him. In other words, take control of your life. This is important to consider because after Jesus has come into our life, we cannot allow the same forces to control us. We must be able to say, “I can do everything in Christ,” because we are a new person.
This means that a whole world of possibilities is open for those men and women who Jesus has made free. Our past does not control our future; our limits does not control our goals. Even our resources cannot determine how far we can go because Jesus set us free. Free to do his will and he works in us to will and to act to fulfill his good purpose.
Second, God can set us free where we are. The man we read about this morning was freed in the synagogue, or in a church we can say. However, God made Israel free when they were serving in Egypt. Paul was made free on the road to Damascus; his chains were broken when he was persecuting Christians. The prodigal son was in a pig pen when God made him free. Peter was in a fishing boat. The Samaritan woman was drawing water from a well. Another woman found freedom when caught in adultery. A thief was on a cross ready to be executed and even there Jesus set his soul free! It does not matter where we are, God can and will come to us to set you free.
The Gospel of John describes Jesus’ freedom as the result of abiding in His truth. “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The freedom Jesus gives us is not something that just allows us to fulfill our selfish desires. His freedom takes place when we abide in His divine truth. As we abide in Christ, we are released to be all that God created us to be.
What is that God created us to be? 1 Peter 2:9 reminds us who we are and what our mission is, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
Remember what Jesus told the demon-possessed man who wanted to follow in Mark 5:18 and 19, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Now, remember what this man did, he did not see his past and remain where he was, he followed Jesus’ orders, “the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” Mark 5:20. We, you, and I have been set free to tell others what Jesus has done in us. Let us go and do it.