Jesus
Taught with Authority
Introduction: May you continue to learn
from the Lord Jesus and from those who have been entrusted with the duty to share
GOD’s Good News with you!
Do we take our roles as Christians
seriously? We must feel that the Lord Jesus has called us to use the gifts and talents
that GOD has given us in sharing our faith with others, not only in words but also
in action. When we are communicating what we believe, we must always make clear
what is essential to our faith – those doctrines and dogmas that must be believed
(e. g. the Blessed Trinity, the double nature of Jesus as true GOD and true man,
salvation from Jesus’ death and resurrection, etc.). We must also present those
aspects of our common faith passed down by the teaching authority of the Church.
When we share our own reflections, we must clearly designate them as our thoughts
which do not have the same authority as scriptural truths or magisterial teachings.
Yes, we have been given the responsibility of sharing our faith, and we need to
let people know the distinction between the Truth as has been handed down through
the Word of GOD and Church teaching, and the way we perceive it touching and affecting
our life. We must not deviate from essential beliefs, but we are able to discuss
possible ways of living out the faith while being true to what GOD has said.
Today we are given an opportunity
to focus on the power of authoritative teaching. In the First Reading, GOD, through
Moses’ mouth, promises to send another prophet (spokesperson) who will teach with
authority. The psalm is the familiar one that warns us to heed GOD’s message. In
the Second Reading, Saint Paul conveys his thoughts about marriage, mindful that
at that time in his ministry, he is convinced that Jesus will return imminently.
The Gospel presents us with Jesus’ teaching authority both by means of words and
action.
First
Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
I will raise up a prophet and put my words into his mouth
Commentary: Moses was the messenger who gave the
Law to Israel on Mount Sinai. In their difficult and lonely journey of forty
years through the desert, he was their leader. It was his legal decisions on
cases presented to him that formed Israel. His prayers gave them manna in the
desert, water from the rock, and protection from their enemies. Israel
remembered him ever afterward as the founder of their people. In the Book of
Deuteronomy, the last of the five books of the Law, God had promised that he
would raise up another leader, a Second Moses. At the time of Jesus God’s final
messenger, who would put everything to right, was thought of in these terms.
This is why Matthew especially represents Jesus in these terms: just like
Moses, he was persecuted at birth by the king, and later had to flee into exile
until his persecutor was dead. He taught his Sermon on the Mount just as Moses
gave the Law on the mountain. He gave bread in the desert just as Moses had
done. So when Jesus taught ‘with authority’ in the synagogue at Capernaum, he
was seen as acting like Moses, the teacher.
Responsorial
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
The psalm
is the familiar one that warns us to heed GOD’s message. The psalmist warns the
people (including us) to pay close attention to GOD’s messages and to put them into
action, unlike their ancestors (our ancestors in faith). Great problems have and
will continue to happen to people when they harden their hearts to GOD’s Word.
Second
Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Give your undivided attention to the Lord
Commentary: Paul’s reasons for celibacy can be
read on two levels. The first, superficial, level is that both husband and wife
may be divided in mind, may have loyalties divided between the Lord and their
spouse. They have to be preoccupied with pleasing the other partner in the
marriage. In itself this is a very important part of the marriage, a vital part
of being ‘one flesh’, one thinking, living person. At this level, such concern
is very much part of ‘the Lord’s affairs’ and cannot stand in opposition to
them. At another level, however, there may be tension, for each marriage
partner is concerned with providing a firm material basis for family life, and
so is bound for the sake of the family to get involved in worldly values,
providing a good standard of living for the family. The point of celibacy is
that the celibate must stand as a witness that these material values are of
less importance than the eternal values of the Lord’s service. As important as
the values of family life are, the celibate has the opportunity to turn wholly
away from this scale of values. Celibacy does not make sense unless the values
of the Kingdom of God fill the celibate’s whole horizon.
Gospel:
Mark 1:21-28
Unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority
Commentary: This story goes one step further in
showing the growing authority of Jesus, which is the theme of the early part of
Mark’s gospel. He has already called the disciples. He calls and they simply
follow. It seems that he is a total stranger to them, yet with such authority
they drop everything to follow him. Now in the synagogue, he teaches on his own
authority. He does not quote the interpretations of others, as rabbinic
teachers did, saying, ‘Rabbi X says this, Rabbi Y says that’. No, Jesus
teaches, ‘I say to you…’ He seems to be a master even of the Law. But it is
God’s Law. Only God has authority over it, so who does he think he is? At least
he is the teacher comparable to Moses, who is to come into the world, the
teacher prophesied by Moses in Deuteronomy 18.15, 18. Then, to confirm the
authoritative teaching he shows his authority by overcoming the dreaded unclean
spirit, wringing from it the snivelling protest, ‘Have you come to destroy us?’
and the acknowledgment that he has a special link with God.
Reflection: Do you believe that God's word
has the power to set you free and transform your life? When Jesus taught he
spoke with authority. He spoke the word of God as no one had spoken it before.
When the Rabbis taught they supported their statements with quotes from other
authorities. The prophets spoke with delegated authority - "Thus says the
Lord." When Jesus spoke he needed no authorities to back his statements.
He was authority incarnate - the Word of God made flesh. When he spoke, God
spoke. When he commanded even the demons obeyed.
Faith works through love and abounds in hope
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) remarked that "faith is mighty,
but without love it profits nothing. The devils confessed Christ, but lacking
charity it availed nothing. They said, 'What have we to do with you' (Mark
1:24)? They confessed a sort of faith, but without love. Hence they were
devils."
Faith is powerful, but without love, it profits nothing (1 Corinthians 13).
Scripture tells us that true faith works through love (Galatians 5:6) and
abounds in hope (Romans 15:13). Our faith is made perfect in love because love
orients us to the supreme good which is God himself as well as the good of our
neighbor who is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26,27).
Hope anchors our faith in the promises of God and purifies our desires for the
things that will last for eternity. That is why the word of Christ has the power
to set us free from all that would keep us bound up in sin, deception, and
despair. Bede the venerable abbot of an English monastery (672-735) contrasted
the power and authority of Jesus' word with the word of the devil: "The
devil, because he had deceived Eve with his tongue, is punished by the tongue,
that he might not speak" [Homilies on the Gospels 1.8].
Faith must be nourished with the Word of God
Faith is both a free gift of God and the free assent of our will to
the whole truth that God has revealed. To live, grow, and persevere in the
faith to the end, we must nourish it with the word of God. The Lord gives us
his Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds so that we may grow in his truth and in
the knowledge of his great love for each of us. If we approach God's word with
trust and submission, and with an eagerness to do what the Lord desires for us,
then we are in a much better position to learn what God wants to teach us
through his word. Are you eager to be taught by the Lord and to conform your
mind, heart, attitude, and intentions according to his word of truth, goodness,
and love?
Lord Jesus, your word is power and
life. May I never doubt your love and mercy, and the power of your word that
sets us free, and brings healing and restoration to body, mind, heart, and
spirit.
Daily Quote from the Early
Church Fathers: Knowing without
loving, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Those words show clearly that
the demons had much knowledge, but entirely lacked love. They dreaded receiving
their punishment from him. They did not love the righteousness that was in him.
He made himself known to them to the extent he willed; and he willed to be made
known to the extent that was fitting. But he was not made known to them as he
is known to the holy angels, who enjoy participation in his eternity, in that
he is the Word of God. To the demons he is known as he had to be made known, by
striking terror into them, for his purpose was to free from their tyrannical
power all who were predestined for his kingdom and glory, which is eternally
true and truly eternal. Therefore, he did not make himself known to the demons
as the life eternal, and the unchangeable light which illuminates his true
worshipers, whose hearts are purified by faith in him so that they see that
light. He was known to the demons through certain temporal effects of his
power, the signs of his hidden presence, which could be more evident to their
senses, even those of malignant spirits, than to the weak perception of human
beings. (excerpt from CITY OF GOD 9.21)
RATED “R”
“I have no desire to place
restrictions on you, but I do want to promote what is good, what will help you
to devote yourselves entirely to the Lord.” —1 Cor 7:35
We must accept certain restrictions if
we wish to totally commit our lives to the Lord. Gospel poverty, celibacy, a
large family, a faithful marriage, a demanding ministry — all restrict us
significantly. However, any decision or commitment restricts us. Any successful
athlete, business person, or celebrity has placed severe restrictions on
themselves. How much more willing should we be to restrict ourselves out of
love for the Lord! (see 1 Cor 9:27)
Consider what Jesus did for us. When
He became a man, He emptied Himself and took the form of a slave (Phil 2:7). There is no greater restriction than to be
nailed to a cross. Jesus was the most restricted person who has ever lived, but
also the most free. He broke all restrictions of space and time by rising from
the dead and ascending to heaven (1 Pt 3:22). Give your life completely to Jesus. Be
restricted and resurrected as He was.
Prayer: Jesus, give me the freedom to be committed
and self-sacrificing. “The unclean spirit convulsed the man violently and with
a loud shriek came out of him.” —Mk 1:26. Jesus is risen! In Him, we will also die and
rise again. Alleluia!
The personal action for today: How ready am I to hear the
voice of the Lord Jesus and respond (obey)? When I have a question concerning the
importance of teaching, what do I do to help me in applying it to my life? Do I
research scripture and see how GOD’s word addresses the issue? Do I seek the advice
of those who are teachers of GOD’s way? Can people see by the way I live my life
that I am a follower of the Lord Jesus, or to put it in other words, are people
aware that I live my life with authority – the authority of the Lord Jesus? Do I
strive to convey the key teachings of Jesus and the Church, and distinguish my own
views as being just my views and not necessarily the essential truths of our faith?