Homily for 4 Epiphany B: January 29, 2012

Today’s Deuteronomy reading describes how God will replace Moses as spiritual leader of the people. Leading up to this, Moses has told them that they are not to indulge in magic as the Canaanites do; God demands complete loyalty and will not permit occult practices. Now God, through Moses, promises: to help them remain loyal by raising up a prophet (like Moses) from among the people.

In our reading from 1st Corinthians Paul is dealing with a major controversy about whether it is OK to eat meat that was offered to a pagan god. Paul's view is that since no other god exists but Jesus and his Father, how can one be upset by foods offered to idols. But, one is not to let this knowledge make them arrogant, that would be sinful. They are not to let this insight become a scandal for people of weaker hearts. You gain noting by eating such food and loose noting by abstaining from it. Paul's point is that members of a Christian community need to extend support to each other; not cause one another to fall.

Today's gospel story has many layers to it. Capernaum was a prosperous town on the Sea of Galilee. The Synagogue was the place people met to worship and study the Jewish faith. Anyone with sufficient knowledge could teach so an invitation opened to a new comer (in this case Jesus) was not uncommon. Most Rabi would quote scripture and even other teachers as a support for their teaching. Jesus impressed the people with his independent teachings. Jesus speaks directly, confident of his own "authority."

The "man with an unclean spirit" brings in one of Mark's themes, which will be repeated throughout his gospel: the secret or hidden Messiah. The devil, speaking through the man he has possessed, recognizes Jesus true identity and challenges his meddling in the domain of evil. He recognizes that Jesus' coming spells the end of the devil's power. Jesus silences him before he can reveal the secret. Wonder workers of the day healed using ritual or magic spells, but Jesus exorcises simply through verbal command.

Do we recognize his power for healing in our lives? Or is that something that only happed back in the bible days. Could God intervene in the natural order today and work mysterious things on our behalf? Dare we reach out for such miracles and still trust that God will do right by us even if our prayers are not answered the way we expected or wanted.....

Personally I believe that the power of modern medicine which removed the prostate cancer from me was one of God miraculous healing gifts to humanity. Perhaps the mysterious hand of God has been behind an amazing moment of healing in your life as well.....