Sermon Sun 1 Feb: 'What do you want with us, Jesus?'

A sermon based on Mark 1:21-28

SERMON ‘What do you want with us, Jesus?’  

Sometimes, I think before you begin reading the Gospel of Mark,

a wee sign should flash up somewhere saying:

‘Warning: fasten your seatbelts!’

Because the pace of this particular gospel’s recounting of the story of Jesus is breathtakingly fast. 

Like a small child feeling a little overwhelmed by the

sheer speed of a car,

reading the Gospel of Mark can feel a bit like watching those oh-so-fast cars in Formula One racing.

Like a drum-beat,

like a heart-beat,

the Greek word ‘eutheos’,

meaning ‘immediately’, or ‘straight away’

courses through this gospel - setting the pace,

setting the rhythm within which Jesus’ life is portrayed -

a rhythm showing Jesus as a man of action.

With breakneck speed, it seems as if,

with every few sentences, we’ve moved to

another remarkable scene,

another astonishing event.

And within each speedily passing scene things change,

are transformed:

will never be the same again.

There’s the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus’ baptism;

and a split-second later, Jesus is in the Wilderness

being tempted by Satan

and being tended by angels;

then, whoosh - suddenly we find John now in prison for upsetting the apple-cart, and Jesus beginning his public ministry.

Alongside this, he’s also calling the first disciples.

No sooner has Jesus called, and collected, his disciples by the seaside,

than we find ourselves in Capernaum,

where Jesus, while teaching in the synagogue, heals a man from what’s described as an ‘evil’ or ‘impure’ spirit.

All that, and we’re still only in Chapter One.

As I said: ‘fasten your seatbelts’ -

you might also just want to catch your breath.

Our text this morning, in this action-packed first chapter,

looks like a relatively straightforward story -

Jesus moseys on in, into Capernaum,

heads to the synagogue on the Sabbath -

entirely normal behaviour for a good, Jewish boy.

Slightly less normal behaviour - he daunders up to the front and begins to teach...

but okay, a visiting new rabbi - why not let him teach?

The people go ‘oooh’ at his authoritative teaching. 

Obviously, what he’s said has gone down very well.

In the midst of it all - a chap disrupts the meeting,

challenges Jesus, and is healed.

Once more, the people go ‘oooh’ -

obviously impressed by this show of power.

The news spreads quickly.

But is this story quite so straightforward?

Well, I suspect you already know how I’m going to answer that.

No.

It’s not.

There are a few wee things bubbling away in this text,

so let’s dig a little deeper - although we won’t cover all of them.

Now, if we were to go back to verse 14,

we’d see that Jesus had begun proclaiming the good news of God -

this, almost immediately after John the Baptist is imprisoned.

The timing is interesting.

The timing is brave.

Jesus’ audience, I suspect, would have understood it as that.

It begs a question:

is it this bravery that brings him to the attention of the folk

in the synagogue at Capernaum?
Has he been invited to preach there, so that they can hear more?

Or does he just wander in -

but they already know a little about him,

because he’s been out and about preaching?

Out of curiosity, then, are happy for him to take to the pulpit? 

Maybe an impromptu invitation is offered:

‘As you’re here, perhaps you might like to say a few words, Jesus?’

However it happens, he teaches.

But the story is remarkably silent about just what it is that he teaches:

no mention of scripture used, no mention of actual content.

All we have to go on is, that whatever it is he says to them,

they are seriously impressed.

What we’re left with, what Mark’s implying,

is that it’s almost not what Jesus is saying,

it’s more about how he’s saying it:

again, for Mark, it’s Jesus’ actions more than his words, that are important.

We know that Jesus’ act of teaching leaves the congregation in the synagogue amazed - 

amazed because, as we’re told in verse 22,

he teaches ‘as one who had authority.’

...Okay, so what’s that all about?

What were the scribes, the rabbis,

the teachers of the Law doing, if not teaching with authority?

Apparently, backing up everything they said by quoting other learned rabbis 

down through the ages -

crossing every ‘t’,

dotting every ‘i’,

playing it very, very safe -

and, like any good lawyer, making sure that if they said anything that might be vaguely controversial,

there was some kind of precedent to back it up.

Not quite daring to trust that God might move through them,

or speak through them,

and so, trying to hem God in by their teaching style:

‘You have heard it said in Isaiah that... x,y, z.

Now, Rabbi so and so thought that this meant this and that.

And Rabbi such and such has this to say on the matter.’

...And in     comes     Jesus,

whose style we see elsewhere in scripture,

whose style sounds like this:

‘you have heard it said that...a, b, c;

but I say...this.’
Woah - wait a minute. 'I' say this?

Jesus, the Word of God, comes in and opens up

the word of God contained in Scripture.

There, in the synagogue, he takes Scripture

and transforms the way it’s taught.

Suddenly, Scripture feels fresh, comes alive -

becomes the living word in the hands of the Son of God.

It’s this transformative way of engaging with Scripture

that leaves the congregation amazed.

But wait.

There’s more.

Even as Scripture is transformed in front of them,

is released from the dead hand of countless cautious

anecdotes and comments,

another voice sounds throughout the synagogue:

‘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!’

We don’t know who this man is -

this man troubled by an impure or evil spirit.

Truth be told, we don’t know what it is that troubles him,

causes him to call out in the way he does.

We could spend time speculating about demon possession,

or talk about advances in medical science

and the beginnings of a pool of knowledge around the field of 

mental health in the last century.

But ...the point is, whatever is happening in this man’s life -

he has a troubled spirit, he’s a troubled soul.

We don’t know who this man is,

and neither do we know why he’s there, with his ‘impurity’,

in the midst of those who would consider themselves ‘pure’, ‘righteous’...

he    just    is: there.

How long had he been living with this ...thing?

And why did the folk in the synagogue seem not to notice that anything 

might be wrong before he speaks up?

Tantalising questions, which we don’t have an answer for

this side of heaven.

And, thinking of heaven -

if we were to go back to Jesus’ baptism, you might remember in verse 11 

the voice coming from heaven saying

‘You are my Son...’

a voice identifying who Jesus is.

Interestingly, the second voice in the Gospel of Mark, to identify who Jesus is, 

comes from this troubled man:

‘I know who you are, the Holy One of God’

And, immediately, another transformation:

Jesus heals the man there and then.

Done.

Dusted.

Not only has he shown his authority through the way

he engages with, and unpacks Scripture,

Jesus shows his authority through his compassionate healing.

The man’s life is suddenly transformed:

the light of Light has shone into the hidden corners of this man’s soul -

the darkness is lifted.

He’s released from that which has weighed him down

and is brought into a new way of engaging with the world,

a new way of living.

‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?’ says the man...

and Jesus responds    by setting him free.

The teaching of Scripture is transformed;

the troubled man is transformed;

but these are not the only transformations in this story:

as they witness Jesus, in word and in action, the community is transformed. 

They are left amazed.

So much so, that they spread the news of this astonishing rabbi 

with the power to breathe life into their bible,

to give new life to the troubled in spirit.

They lose no time effectively gossiping the gospel - proclaiming the good news.

 ‘What do you want with us, Jesus?’

It’s a question we need to ask ourselves.

What does Jesus want with us...?

You, me, and our community as a whole?

...Transformation.

To take away those things that trouble our souls.

To shine the light of his love into those dark, hidden corners of our lives 

that we dare not face on our own;

to bring us out of the darkness and into his marvellous light.

To set us free to be the people we were created to be;

and to love God,

and our neighbour,

and ourselves, without impediment. 

To live fully, abundantly...joyfully...

And in that transformation,

in word and in action,

to show others the power and authority that Jesus has still -

to shine light in the darkness,

to heal the troubled in spirit,

and to transform the world -

this day, and to the end of all days...

And to his name be glory and praise forever,

Amen.