“He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes,” so was the reaction to Jesus once his public ministry began. The people were astonished. That is an interesting term the evangelist Mark chose. In googling the word ‘astonished’ the matches came back as: surprised, amazed, astounded, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, overwhelmed, dazed, shocked. He clearly spoke in his own name with clarity of conviction, with an authority that overwhelmed. The word translated as “authority” is “dynamis” from which is a derivative of dynamite. He spoke with power. He also acted with power. He continues to do so today if we truly listen to him through His Church.
He was different from the scribes who scholars tell us would speak by couching their words with “the Law says”, “in the law there is the provision”. They spoke indirectly. Jesus spoke directly unto himself that others instinctively recognized as authentic and true, and also astonishing.
We as a result of our baptism and strengthened by our confirmation are called to be Christ-like. To the extent we join ourselves to him, thinking and speaking and acting according to his teachings and his example, we can speak with authority especially by how we live our lives. There is the old saying, “I’d rather see a sermon that hear one any day.” Do we live moral and social authority? Do we practice what we preach? That is an examination of conscience I have every once in a while: do I practice what I preach? More than once I recognize that what is preach moved by the Holy Spirit is directed at me as well as others.
Each of us carries a hesitancy of witness which is taken advantage of by the evil one and shaped by a culture that urges us to avoid the authority of the teachings of Christ and put our self-preferences first. As followers of Christ we ought not to expect others to do what we say, do what is right unless we say and do what is right. However we know from experience that ‘unclean spirits’ get in the way.
Jesus in the Gospel expelled an unclean spirit which is a strange concept for most of us. An unclean spirit though can be whatever comes between us and our call to live as Christ asks us to do. There are plenty of unclean spirits in the world today that keep us from building a personal relationship with Jesus and therefore make it difficult for us to speak and live with authority that astonishes others.
St. Paul in the 2nd reading wrote: “I should like you to be without anxieties.” The unclean spirits of our day create anxiety, division and stress. They can result in compromising the faith or being silent about what we believe. St. Paul offers the answer to ending such inner division: “adherence to the Lord without distraction.” A personal relationship with Jesus can strengthen us to overcome the distractions that lure us to turn in on ourselves or to return to our old ways.
The story is told of a wealthy farmer who was miserly, hesitant to share his blessings with others. He recognized this weakness and became determined to overcome this bad trait. One day a poor neighbor came to him and reported that his house had burned down and he needed food for his family. The farmer decided to give the man a ham from his smoke-house. On his way there the devil whispered to him, “give him the smallest ham you have.” It was an appealing notion, the farmer was tempted but overcame it and picked out the largest ham he had. “You are a fool,” sneered the devil. The farmer silenced and chased the devil away by saying, “If you don’t keep quiet I will give him every ham I have.” We need resolve to turn away from the evil one and the distractions he and the culture put in our way and do what Christ calls us to do, love God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength reflected by loving our neighbor. The Church and the sacraments offer us the grace to do so.
There are people we know who speak with authority, who have developed a relationship with God through Christ so that what they say and do we instinctively know is real, is true and is genuine. Their examples can encourage and teach us.
I was praying Mass in a nursing home some years ago. An elderly resident was there lost in her own world. Her daughter was also there with her arm tenderly wrapped around her ailing mother. She would whisper into her mother’s ear all that was being said, each prayer, and each response. When we shared the sign of peace there was no recognition by the elderly mother; the daughter looked at me sadly. When I brought Holy Communion to her I held up our Lord and said “The Body of Christ.” There was a stirring and the clear response, “Amen”. The daughter, who had shown such love for her mother and faith in the Holy Eucharist, said with great joy, “O, she knows, she knows.” A mother and daughter with authority.
Another mother was in her last days before having her first child. She was anxious about the delivery, about the health of her baby, about her ability to be a good mother. In their parish there was the tradition once a year to invite every woman who gave birth during the previous year to come forward and received a rose, a sign of new life. As it happened that day one of the new mothers walking back to her pew saw the pregnant woman. She stopped, leaned over and said, “It’s when you are most uncomfortable and nervous that you can use a rose,” and handed the anxious mother-to-be her rose. A woman of authority.
Someone recalled a friend who lived the faith well. She was a good listener, a troubleshooter, an organizer, a great mother, generous with her time yet never seemed out of sorts. She wondered how her friend could do it all with such tranquility and peace. Then she noticed a sign over her friend’s kitchen sink that read: “Yes, Lord.”
Our psalm response today was “if today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts. “ If today you hear his voice, answer, “yes Lord.” Then the distractions and unclean spirits will be manageable because we will be protected by the one who speaks and acts with an astonishing authority, Jesus Christ our dynamite Savior and friend who with love and mercy always walks with us.