Dt 18:15-20; 1 Cor 7:32-35; Mk 1:21-28
The central point of today’s gospel is Jesus’ authority: “The people were astonished at the way He taught, for He spoke as one having authority and not like the teachers of the Law” (Mk 1:22). In terms of teaching, what is it that differentiates Jesus from the teachers of the Law?
The fundamental difference lies in the fact that while Jesus teaches as a prophet, the Scribes teach merely as scholars. The substance of Jesus’ teaching is a product of His profound, intimate relationship with His Father in heaven. His constant communication with the Father enables Him to deliver God’s true message to the people. He is what the first reading identifies as one who speaks on God’s behalf. On the other hand, the content of the teaching of the Scribes is a result of their intricate, elaborate study of the Mosaic Law. A scholarly endeavor to understand the Word of God is good in itself. And yet, if it is done apart from a prayerful relationship with the Word himself, it can become a futile exercise that produces no authoritative force.
The obvious effect of the manner in which the Scribes understand God’s Word is their inability to go beyond the letter of the Law. When does the Sabbath begin and end? What constitutes work and what does not? The Scribes concentrate on learning the letters of the Law and their most detailed applications, often forgetting to ask whether or not the Law serves the real good of the person. On the other hand, Jesus’ communion with God the Father enables Him to understand the will of the Lawgiver Himself. God gives humankind the Sabbath Law so that they will find time to rest, to enjoy nature and to glorify God. But the Law does not stop anyone from doing what is good during the Sabbath, like saving life of another or of oneself. As Jesus puts it, “The Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27).
The authority of Jesus is established further by the actions that support His teachings. The gospel narrates that immediately after He teaches people in the synagogue on a Sabbath, He heals a man possessed by an evil spirit. Words and deeds go together in the ministerial life of Jesus. He gladly announces the coming of the Kingdom; at the same time, He also makes the Kingdom real in the life of people by delivering them from the bondage of evil and sin. He preaches forgiveness, humility, poverty in spirit, compassion, etc., and He personally puts them into practice.
The readings challenge us to do two things. First, as prophets ourselves, we need to develop a personal, intimate relationship with God, without which, we cannot understand fully the will of God in our lives. Second, as teachers ourselves, we have to put flesh on the Word of God by practicing what we preach, without which, we cannot be credible witnesses of Jesus to others.
A famous Buddhist monk was once asked what he regarded as the most striking and most distinguishing aspect of the Christian religion. His answer was, “It is the attitude that Jesus revealed in washing his disciples’ feet. Nowhere can it be found that a God kneels in front of his creature and washes its feet. Such love is unsurpassable and breathtaking.”
(The story is told by John Fuellenback, SVD)
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