Mark1:21-28

 

evil spirits in a postmodern age - Talk about spirits has certainly inspired movie producers but in reality, such may sound foreign to listeners. It would be useful to provide a thumbnail of the biblical notion of benign and malevolent spirits in biblical literature. (For ex. Judg. 9:23-24; 1 Sam 16:15-16; 1 Kgs. 22:19-23 and Matt. 4:1-11; Mk. 5:1-20; and Mk 1:32-35.) Though the effects of demonic activity against human beings are varied, they reveal a movement toward fractionalization and even destruction of people. Throughout his ministry Jesus sought to undo the devastating effects attributed to evil / unclean spirits.

a battle of authority - this story suggests the collision and confrontation of two powerful powers of authority-that centered in Mark’s Jesus and the authority evidenced by the control over a worshiper at Capernaum. The story thus initially raises questions: How powerful is the kingdom that Jesus introduces? What is its nature and effects? Whose word is supreme-the authority that controls this human being or the power that descends upon Jesus at his baptism? The resolution leaves no doubt as to which kingdom will reign.

demonic insight - The swift, violent reaction of the demons proves the truth that Jesus is the Holy One of God. The demons provide insight into Jesus’ identify for readers of the Gospel but not for characters within the story. [1]

 

What teacher in your life stands out as an outstanding instructor? Why? What did they do that captured your attention or allowed you to hear and learn more effectively?

If an evil spirit is a power bent on defacing human personalities and behavior, what kinds of evil spirits lurk in our own age? What other vocabulary comes close to describing the devastating effects of the evil spirit in Mark 1 and in other stories in the gospel accounts? What powers today have the potential to influence or even coerce aberrant behavior?

 

Please review the homily posted for this week.

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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible VIII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), page 541.