Epiphany 4
Preaching
Preaching Mark's Gospel
A Narrative Approach
The story of the man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit fits structures in Mark which have been discussed earlier. Jack Dean Kingsbury sees this as one of the series of events in this chapter which characterize Jesus as One who comes preaching, calling disciples, teaching, and healing and exorcizing demons. Mary Ann Tolbert sees this story as one of a series of four healing stories followed by four controversy stories which inaugurate Jesus' ministry. In either way of looking at this story we are invited to see it as part of a larger pattern of stories.
This opening act of Jesus' ministry is set in a holy place on a holy day: in the synagogue on the sabbath. The One who is to bring the kingdom comes immediately into conflict with the powers that work against kingdom life. Jesus confronts these powers head-on. With authority he casts out the unclean spirit. Juel refers to Jesus' action as a "foretaste of the feast to come." In this story Jesus begins his assault on those forces arrayed against the kingdom of God. Jesus is engaged in an eschatological conflict with Satan. Later, when Jesus appoints the twelve, he appoints them into a ministry of engagement with the powers. "And he appointed twelve ƒ to be sent out to proclaim the message and to have authority to cast out demons" (Mark 3:14-15). Kingsbury refers to such remarkable deeds of Jesus' power as "ƒ naked revelations of his divine sonship and the circumstance that in him God's Rule is a present reality."1
The confession of the man with the unclean spirit that he knows who Jesus is gives this story great importance in the Gospel narrative. The only other person who seems to get it right is the centurion at the cross in 15:39. The disciples never get it right! Peter appears to have it right in 8:27-30 when he identifies Jesus as the Messiah. Only two verses later, however, Peter rebukes Jesus' talk of the cross and suffering. Jesus then rebukes Peter. "Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" (Mark 8:33). Mark's story tells so often of those who fail to see and perceive, to hear and understand. The man with the unclean spirit in the beginning and the centurion at the cross at the ending get it right. When Mark tells the story in this way he invites us to consider our response to the authoritative presence of Jesus Christ.
The reality of the silence concerning the true identity of Jesus first appears in this passage. When the unclean spirit identifies Jesus as the "Holy One of God" Jesus rebukes him and calls for silence! (1:25). Peter's confession is initially met with silence as well: "And he [Jesus] sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him" (Mark 8:30). Much has been written about this silence motif in Mark's Gospel. What is the purpose of this Messianic Secret? Perhaps it is simply a way for Mark to keep our eyes open and our ears alert in our own response to the One who teaches with authority.
This One who teaches with authority, and not as the scribes, demonstrates his authority through the power of his spoken word. Scribal authority was based on their ability to recite the opinion of many Rabbis on a given topic. Jesus' word had authority because when he spoke, it came to pass. "Come out of him," Jesus commanded of the unclean spirit. "And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him" (Mark 1:26). We will hear Jesus speak this authoritative word many times in Mark's Gospel. (See Mark 1:41; 2:5, 11, 14.) This power of the word calls to mind God's creation of the world as told in Genesis 1. God spoke, and it was so! "God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). God spoke the creation into being. That is most certainly an authoritative word!
God also spoke words of promise that came to pass. God spoke a word of promise to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12:1-3. "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). In the book of Joshua we hear that God's promises were fulfilled. "ƒ Not one thing has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed" (Joshua 23:14).
God spoke a word of promise to David that became the foundation of all Messianic hopes. "When your days [David] are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever" (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
God also spoke words of promise through the prophets. Through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah we hear the Bible's clearest teaching on the authoritative word of God:
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there until
they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:10-11)
In the New Testament we hear that "the word became flesh and lived among us" (John 1:14). This word-made-flesh speaks, and it is so! He commands the demons and they come out. He forgives sin and it is forgiven. He speaks a word of healing and healing is accomplished. "What is this? A new teaching „ with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him" (1:27).
Homiletical Directions
We remember Kingsbury's point that Jesus' ministry has four aspects in Mark's Gospel: preaching, teaching, calling disciples, and healing and exorcism. This story could, therefore, be told as one of this series of four realities in the ministry of Jesus. The problem with this approach will be that each of these four consecutive texts in Mark 1 are part of the Cycle B Lectionary. However we may choose to group them together we must also deal with each text in its particularity during the course of these weeks.
Another approach to preaching on this text would be to focus on the confession of the man with an unclean spirit that Jesus is the Holy One of God. This story could be coupled with the story of Peter's confession and the confession of the centurion. The reality of our own confessional status in relationship to this One with authority is brought into focus through these stories.
A third approach to this text might be to focus on the reality that Jesus brings the kingdom of God by confronting the powers of evil with an authoritative word of God. Story One can retell the text with a focus on the authoritative word: "Be silent, and come out of him!" Jesus hurls a word at all those forces which would stand in the way of the coming of God's kingdom, and his word triumphs. A little word overthrows them!
Story Two can be a journey through the Hebrew Bible as we catch the full meaning of God's creative word. One of the ways that God creates the world is through the power of an authoritative word: Genesis 1. The stories of God's promissory word to Abraham and David are further expositions of the power of God's promise. The passage from Isaiah 55 and John 1 might also be referred to as we seek to explicate for our listeners the nature of the Word of God in Scripture. These stories from Scripture help us get a clearer image of what Jesus is doing when he says: "Be silent, and come out of him!" It might be that these stories should precede rather than follow the retelling of the text for the day.
Story Three might well center in bondage stories of our time. Mark's Gospel centers in the reality that "ƒ the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15). When the kingdom of God comes near, God is at work. God's son pushes back the powers that impede life. Unclean spirits are precisely such forces. Yet these are forces which threaten our lives today. You will have your own ways of describing the ways these forces impact human lives today. It can certainly be done by telling some contemporary stories of lives in the grasp of forces that attack life.
The good news is that the Jesus, who encountered the man with an unclean spirit long ago with an authoritative word, is alive today speaking such words to today's bound people. The heart of the sermon might well be for today's hearers to hear Jesus' word as a word addressed to them as they live their lives in the midst of life-threatening forces. "Jesus' word for you today," we say, "is, 'Be silent, and come out!' " We can enumerate the kinds of bondage that people experience. We say, "Many of us today are afflicted with the unclean spirit of despair in the face of the forces that seek to overwhelm us. But there is good news! Jesus says to those forces today, 'Be silent, and come out!' " Enumerate the names of the forces. Follow each enumeration with the simple word of authority: "Be silent, and come out!" This is gospel proclamation!
____________
1. Jack Dean Kingsbury, The Christology of Mark's Gospel (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983), p. 77.
This opening act of Jesus' ministry is set in a holy place on a holy day: in the synagogue on the sabbath. The One who is to bring the kingdom comes immediately into conflict with the powers that work against kingdom life. Jesus confronts these powers head-on. With authority he casts out the unclean spirit. Juel refers to Jesus' action as a "foretaste of the feast to come." In this story Jesus begins his assault on those forces arrayed against the kingdom of God. Jesus is engaged in an eschatological conflict with Satan. Later, when Jesus appoints the twelve, he appoints them into a ministry of engagement with the powers. "And he appointed twelve ƒ to be sent out to proclaim the message and to have authority to cast out demons" (Mark 3:14-15). Kingsbury refers to such remarkable deeds of Jesus' power as "ƒ naked revelations of his divine sonship and the circumstance that in him God's Rule is a present reality."1
The confession of the man with the unclean spirit that he knows who Jesus is gives this story great importance in the Gospel narrative. The only other person who seems to get it right is the centurion at the cross in 15:39. The disciples never get it right! Peter appears to have it right in 8:27-30 when he identifies Jesus as the Messiah. Only two verses later, however, Peter rebukes Jesus' talk of the cross and suffering. Jesus then rebukes Peter. "Get behind me Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things" (Mark 8:33). Mark's story tells so often of those who fail to see and perceive, to hear and understand. The man with the unclean spirit in the beginning and the centurion at the cross at the ending get it right. When Mark tells the story in this way he invites us to consider our response to the authoritative presence of Jesus Christ.
The reality of the silence concerning the true identity of Jesus first appears in this passage. When the unclean spirit identifies Jesus as the "Holy One of God" Jesus rebukes him and calls for silence! (1:25). Peter's confession is initially met with silence as well: "And he [Jesus] sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him" (Mark 8:30). Much has been written about this silence motif in Mark's Gospel. What is the purpose of this Messianic Secret? Perhaps it is simply a way for Mark to keep our eyes open and our ears alert in our own response to the One who teaches with authority.
This One who teaches with authority, and not as the scribes, demonstrates his authority through the power of his spoken word. Scribal authority was based on their ability to recite the opinion of many Rabbis on a given topic. Jesus' word had authority because when he spoke, it came to pass. "Come out of him," Jesus commanded of the unclean spirit. "And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him" (Mark 1:26). We will hear Jesus speak this authoritative word many times in Mark's Gospel. (See Mark 1:41; 2:5, 11, 14.) This power of the word calls to mind God's creation of the world as told in Genesis 1. God spoke, and it was so! "God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). God spoke the creation into being. That is most certainly an authoritative word!
God also spoke words of promise that came to pass. God spoke a word of promise to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12:1-3. "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing" (Genesis 12:2). In the book of Joshua we hear that God's promises were fulfilled. "ƒ Not one thing has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you; all have come to pass for you, not one of them has failed" (Joshua 23:14).
God spoke a word of promise to David that became the foundation of all Messianic hopes. "When your days [David] are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever" (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
God also spoke words of promise through the prophets. Through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah we hear the Bible's clearest teaching on the authoritative word of God:
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there until
they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
(Isaiah 55:10-11)
In the New Testament we hear that "the word became flesh and lived among us" (John 1:14). This word-made-flesh speaks, and it is so! He commands the demons and they come out. He forgives sin and it is forgiven. He speaks a word of healing and healing is accomplished. "What is this? A new teaching „ with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him" (1:27).
Homiletical Directions
We remember Kingsbury's point that Jesus' ministry has four aspects in Mark's Gospel: preaching, teaching, calling disciples, and healing and exorcism. This story could, therefore, be told as one of this series of four realities in the ministry of Jesus. The problem with this approach will be that each of these four consecutive texts in Mark 1 are part of the Cycle B Lectionary. However we may choose to group them together we must also deal with each text in its particularity during the course of these weeks.
Another approach to preaching on this text would be to focus on the confession of the man with an unclean spirit that Jesus is the Holy One of God. This story could be coupled with the story of Peter's confession and the confession of the centurion. The reality of our own confessional status in relationship to this One with authority is brought into focus through these stories.
A third approach to this text might be to focus on the reality that Jesus brings the kingdom of God by confronting the powers of evil with an authoritative word of God. Story One can retell the text with a focus on the authoritative word: "Be silent, and come out of him!" Jesus hurls a word at all those forces which would stand in the way of the coming of God's kingdom, and his word triumphs. A little word overthrows them!
Story Two can be a journey through the Hebrew Bible as we catch the full meaning of God's creative word. One of the ways that God creates the world is through the power of an authoritative word: Genesis 1. The stories of God's promissory word to Abraham and David are further expositions of the power of God's promise. The passage from Isaiah 55 and John 1 might also be referred to as we seek to explicate for our listeners the nature of the Word of God in Scripture. These stories from Scripture help us get a clearer image of what Jesus is doing when he says: "Be silent, and come out of him!" It might be that these stories should precede rather than follow the retelling of the text for the day.
Story Three might well center in bondage stories of our time. Mark's Gospel centers in the reality that "ƒ the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15). When the kingdom of God comes near, God is at work. God's son pushes back the powers that impede life. Unclean spirits are precisely such forces. Yet these are forces which threaten our lives today. You will have your own ways of describing the ways these forces impact human lives today. It can certainly be done by telling some contemporary stories of lives in the grasp of forces that attack life.
The good news is that the Jesus, who encountered the man with an unclean spirit long ago with an authoritative word, is alive today speaking such words to today's bound people. The heart of the sermon might well be for today's hearers to hear Jesus' word as a word addressed to them as they live their lives in the midst of life-threatening forces. "Jesus' word for you today," we say, "is, 'Be silent, and come out!' " We can enumerate the kinds of bondage that people experience. We say, "Many of us today are afflicted with the unclean spirit of despair in the face of the forces that seek to overwhelm us. But there is good news! Jesus says to those forces today, 'Be silent, and come out!' " Enumerate the names of the forces. Follow each enumeration with the simple word of authority: "Be silent, and come out!" This is gospel proclamation!
____________
1. Jack Dean Kingsbury, The Christology of Mark's Gospel (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1983), p. 77.
