What is this? What new doctrine is this?

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

- Mark 1:14-28

Yesterday we read the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, according to St. Mark.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.   Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  Mark puts emphasis on John being put in prison before Jesus began preaching.  This reveals, my study bible tells us, that a key purpose of the old covenant -- to prepare the people for Christ -- had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  Once Christ has come, the time of preparation is fulfilled.  To repent is to do an "about-face," my study bible reminds us.  The word is Greek is metanoia, and it means literally to change one's mind."   Repentance is an ongoing experience, and brings with it "a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought and heart -- a complete reorientation" to a life that is centered in Christ.

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  These first disciples, we know, had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist.  Therefore they were prepared to accept Christ immediately when called.  My study bible reminds us that although illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be the wisest of all.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.  My study bible notes that the word immediately occurs nearly forty times in Mark's Gospel.  Almost all of these occur before Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.  There is a sense of urgency and purpose in this brief Gospel, as Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world.  Mark's Gospel is not only the shortest, but it is also the most direct of all four Gospels.  Here, one more "immediate" effect of Christ is the response of the spirit world, usually hidden from human beings.  His power expressed through authority is astonishing to the people, as commander of the unclean spirit it is amazing and revelatory of His divine nature. 

 In addition to urgency, the repeated use of the word immediately gives us a sense of God's manifestation in the world.  This is not a gradual, slow growth.  It is not something which we're prepared for in small doses.  It's a suddenness.  Although Israel has been prepared throughout its history by the prophets for this moment, each prophet's words have also been startling, amazing, astonishing -- and often greeted with disdain, especially in high places.  That's what prophets do, they shake up the order and the firmly-in-place assumptions and practices that need shaking up.  Christ's appearance -- and this very beginning of His ministry -- comes on suddenly and shakes everything up.  How startling and astonishing is His authority (for He has not studied with a famous rabbi, nor does He teach in anyone else's name).  How incredible is the experience of the appearance of the unclean spirit and the words that come out in the temple about the identity of Jesus, "the Holy One of Israel."  Even more explicitly amazing is Jesus' command of the spirit itself, in full force and with full expediency warning the unclean spirit to "Be quiet!"  And commanding that the spirit "come out of him!"  The manifestation of God is not something fuzzy and wishy-washy and uncertain.  It is quite certain, takes definite form, brooks no compromises in its portrayal.  There is nothing left to guess here.  God manifests in a concrete and particular way, making God's presence known in the world in ways that tell us something.  It's all the gospel, it's all the good news -- it is an announcement of something that is revealed to the world.  God announces God's presence in assertive ways and on no uncertain terms, to teach us something, to give us a message, to let us know what it is that we need to know -- and then to leave us to decide how we're going to respond.  This doesn't work the other way, where we get what we think we're prepared for and ready to hear and accept.  We don't get to wait until we're good and ready.  The announcement is one-sided, the instruments and form and shape of it all is unequivocal.  God manifests as a human being, in this particular place, from the heritage of this spiritual lineage, in order to present to us something.  That is why we read the Gospel -- because this is the story we're given, and it's not up to us to augment or change or fudge the details because somehow we don't quite understand the story or it doesn't fit our expectations.  God presents God in forms we need to accept and accommodate, that are meant to expand what we know and what we can consider and even who we think we are.  Jesus commands the spirit, but God commands our attention.  Let us be amazed and astonished as is only appropriate.  The people ask, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?"   Surely this is the only way to meet the good news of God's appearance in the world.