Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing, be cleansed"

 

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."   And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing, be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.   However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 

- Mark 1:29-45 

 

Yesterday we read that 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.

 

Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  Simon Peter and Andrew's family home would become a de facto headquarters for Jesus' Galilean ministry.  Here, we know Peter is married and has a family because of this story about his mother-in-law.  There is great symbolic value in Christ's gesture in that he took her by the hand and lifted her up; He expresses His compassion which is personal for each, and reminds us that through His love we may all be lifted up with Him (John 3:14-15, 12:32).  Here, Peter's mother-in-law is restored to her place of service to the Lord, a place of honor in her household.

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  For the second time, Mark tells us that Jesus did not allow the demons to speak (see yesterday's reading, above, when Jesus says, "Be quiet, and come out of him!").  Jesus wants people to come to Him through faith not based solely on signs, and is wary both of the hostility He knows will come from the authorities and the popular expectation that the Messiah will be an earthly, political leader such as a powerful king who will deliver them from the Romans.

 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."   And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study Bible comments here that Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Although He is God incarnate, He prayed continually, frequently finding a solitary place, we're told, to be free of distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him.  Christ's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and flows to people in their needs.  My study Bible adds that Christ's praying in the morning teaches us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then will we be equipped to serve others.  

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing, be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.   However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.  My study Bible points out for us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13, 14; Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty entrusted to the priests.  Leprosy, it explains, was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched the leper.  My study Bible says that this shows not only Christ's compassion, but also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  To the clean, it says, nothing is unclean (see Romans 14:14).  Note also that Jesus tells the healed man to show himself to the priest, and do as Moses commanded.  This is offered as a testimony to them.  Cyril of Alexandria, commenting on this story as it appears in Luke's Gospel, suggests that the priests hold Moses to be great than Christ (the Messiah), yet Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, the sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).

It's intriguing that Jesus sent the healed leper to a priest, not only to fulfill the law as commanded by Moses, but also as a testimony to them.  Note also that this is done even when Christ has twice now rebuked demons to be quiet so as not to reveal His messianic identity, and at the same time admonished the leper to say nothing to anyone, excepting the priest.  So this is a kind of window possibly showing us a beginning attempt by Jesus to communicate in a certain way with the religious authorities regarding what He does and who He is.  He is "fulfilling all righteousness" (Matthew 3:14-15) by instructing the healed man to follow the commands of Moses, and yet at the same time He instructs him to give a testimony to the priest about the healing by Jesus.  It suggests the possibility that Christ is finding a righteous and tentative way to begin to reveal His identity, beginning with the priests who hold authority within the religious establishment.  It is in the next reading, as we begin chapter 2 of Mark's Gospel, that Jesus will begin to receive criticism from the authorities for the manner in which He heals another, as well as challenges of blasphemy.  Thus the open conflict with the religious authorities over Jesus' ministry will begin.  But here, we may observe that Jesus is at once fully assuming the familiar role of compassionate Savior whom we know, by going outside of convention in touching a woman (Peter's mother-in-law), and violating the law by touching a leper, both in order to heal -- and at the same time seeking not to publicize what He is doing, but rather offering discreet testimony to the priest through the healed leper.  What we can infer about Jesus is that His ministry is going step-by-step, doing the things He must do to express God the Father as Incarnate Son.  That is, Christ's display of compassion, and the presence of the Kingdom in His healings, are clear testimony that if we see Him, we see the Father (John 14:9).  However, He does not engage in direct challenges to the religious authorities; if those challenges arise, it is in the context of the expression of compassion, the love which is the reality of God (1 John 4:8).  This is a great lesson to us also in the context of our own times, when so much activism seems to be geared toward making a splash with open challenges and fierce confrontation.  Jesus does something quite different:  instead of making declarations and manifestos, it is love in action that declares who He is and what He is, and the rest will have to follow in whatever way that develops.  For now, we observe His fulfillment of the Law by participating in its requirements regarding the healed leper, and allowing the healing to testify for Him.  May we all learn from His example, to so fully and directly live and express our faith, without the fanfare.  For it is our own compassion that may serve as eloquence.

 

 

 

 

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel

 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 began reading Mark's Gospel.  That is, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  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."  My study bible says that Mark's written emphasis on John being put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant -- preparation of the people for Christ -- had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  After Christ came, the time of preparation was fulfilled.  To repent is to do a total "about-face," it says.  The word in Greek means literally to "change one's mind."  It indicates a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart -- according to my study bible, a complete reorientation to a life 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.   Mark's Gospel is the first to be written, and also the most brief.  Here, we assume that Mark's early audience was familiar with the story of how these disciples came to be already familiar with Christ; they had been disciples first of John the Baptist who had proclaimed to them that Jesus was the Christ, the "Lamb of God."  In John 1:35-50, the unnamed disciple is considered to be John Zebedee, author of the Gospel of John.

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 points out the the word immediately occurs nearly forty times in Mark's Gospel.  Almost all of these uses occur before the Lord's entrance into Jerusalem.   It says that the sense of urgency and purpose as Christ journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world helps make Mark's account not only the shortest, but also the most direct of the four Gospels.

Just as Jesus' ministry began with the abrupt action of the Spirit, after His Baptism and revelation as Son in the Jordan, in which the Spirit "threw" (literally in the Greek) Jesus into the wilderness to prepare for His public ministry, so Jesus' ministry virtually explodes in "immediate" actions.  It is almost like watching a flower bloom in sped-up motion.  My study bible points out how frequently the word "immediately" is used in the full text.  In the Greek, the word for immediately indicates something that happens not only without delay, but without other unnecessary action, something that happens "straightaway," without detours on the way, a direct action.  There is no avoidance, no delay, no prevaricating.  These are strong, bold actions.  Let us note that all the things that contribute to this ministry happen thusly, as written here.  That includes not only Jesus' actions, such as calling the disciples, and going to preach in the synagogue on the Sabbath, but also the responses of the disciples who "immediately left their nets and followed Him."  These are decisive actions, signalling to us a sense in which once it is the right time for this ministry to begin, it happens with boldness.  There is no time to waste or to lose, no hesitation.  The entire ministry is one of seizing the right time, the right moment, acting on the true impulse which God the Father plants.  We get this sense about Jesus from all of the Gospels -- such as in John's Gospel, when Jesus states, "My hour has not yet come."  or "my time has not yet come" (John 2:4, 7:6-8), referring to the time of His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  The decision pattern of action at the right time is indicated when we read that Jesus "steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51).  We are reminded of Jesus' words upon receiving the disciples of the imprisoned John the Baptist in Matthew's Gospel, that "from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12).  All of these actions, these manifestations of the work of the Kingdom in the public ministry of Jesus, "break in" upon the world with direct force and bold action.  They indicate to us that there is a right and proper time, a fitting moment for the works of God to manifest, to be revealed.  The word for "time" in Greek is καιρος/kairos, and one might frequently hear this word used in English to indicate the pregnancy of an opportune time, a precise moment for the birth of something into our world.  Jesus' very first statement which begins His ministry indicates all of this sense of time, as He begins by saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  From there, immediately, disciples are chosen and respond, Jesus immediately begins preaching with authority in the synagogue, and also His authority over the unclean spirits is revealed.   At this time of the year, we also have a proper and fitting time for reflection and consideration of our faith.  Our own decisive action at this moment is to do something that seems quite the opposite of a direct action, and that is to take this forty day appropriate and opportune period as one for reflection and prayer, a time to remember God.  We do so also by practicing a regimen of fasting according to whatever tradition we hold, or a kind of rule set to the best of our ability.  This is not a contest to see how much we can pray or how well we stick to any rules.  It is an appropriate time, instead, for drawing closer to God.   It is this time in which we are meant to refine and to develop a better sense of dialogue with God, a way of "listening" to God, and most importantly to develop our own capacity for discernment in so doing.  Without proper discernment, we can never really know "what time it is" spiritually, so to speak.   Perhaps most decisively, Jesus expresses this sense when He tells the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?" (Luke 12:54-56).  There is a sort of play on language at work here, as the same word in Greek for "time" is also the word used for "weather."  It gives us a sense of time as not merely a mark of the hours, but also indicative of atmosphere, of a reality belonging to itself and proper to the time in which God acts in the world.  Let us concern ourselves at this "proper time" with learning to listen better in our prayer, even in a pregnant silence, to ask and to seek to know our own proper actions at whatever stage of life we are.  God calls us to pray, to listen in the silence ("Be still and know that I am God" - Psalm 46:10), to give of ourselves at the right time or opportunity, but always to be alert and awake as good servants following the commands with which we're left and awaiting our Master's return.  St. Peter also reminds us to be sober and vigilant to the things which seek to destroy or damage our communion with God (1 Peter 5:8).  Let us take the time to know our time as well, for the kingdom of God is at hand and awaiting our response to its presence.

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.

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men

 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Ten He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went through all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

- Matthew 4:18-25

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, / By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, / Galilee of the Gentiles:  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, / And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death / Light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Ten He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.   We note the details:  James and John Zebedee are sitting in the boat with their father, mending their nets, at the family business of fishing.  Simon and Andrew are also brothers and fishermen; as Jesus walks by the Sea of Galilee, He sees them casting a net into the sea.  My study bible says that these first disciples follow Jesus immediately because they'd already heard the preaching of John the Baptist and were prepared to accept Christ in such a fashion.  We note the metaphors from daily life that Jesus uses so well and strikingly, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  My study bible says that although illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be wisest of all.

 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went through all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.   My study bible points out here that the crowds don't swarm Jesus when He commands repentance, but only after He begins to heal and to work miracles.  This shows that people do not really understand the true nature of His Kingdom.  It also shows His concession to "give credibility to what He teaches" among the fickle multitudes (according to Theopylact of Bulgaria).  Although it is a few brief verses, this is a summing up of His ministry.

We note the details:  the men are casting a net into the sea (brothers Peter and Andrew), the family of Zebedee (John, James, and their father) are mending their nets.  This is a day by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where fishermen are working.  And Jesus passes by.  We're told what Jesus sees.  His brilliant use of metaphor immediately grabs us 2,000 years later, and in particular these fishermen.  "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  This is Jesus, with an eye for the details of the world, and a personality that knows how to use language more effectively than anyone we can recall.  He is, after all, the Word, Logos.  He knows these men, knows they've followed John the Baptist, and knows probably much more about them than we can say.  But this most effective speaker doesn't start with long-winded philosophies.  He doesn't even preach to them at all.  His language is drawn from every day life -- and even more importantly, their every day life.  They skillfully use their nets; some are casting their nets, others mending.  And they understand then what it is to be fishers of men, casting a net.  We can think of all kinds of metaphors for a net.  The Spirit is like a net, the messages of heaven working as a great net-work through the angels (whose name means messenger).  This Kingdom will be made up of a communion of saints, another great kind of net of prayer in all of Creation, the God of the living a God of those who are eternally present in this great communion or network of those who live to Him.  But Jesus knows how to reach into us, and gives us language and metaphor to use even thousands of years later, meaningful and immediate, a word used so often to describe the response to Jesus throughout the Gospels.  The slightest details are given here in the briefest of passages, and yet they are so much for us, so vivid and suggestive of so many things.  Most of all today we note the mind of Jesus; it's the beginning of ministry which will take Him and these apostles everywhere.  We read His story, we hear the message, and we let His words take us as well.  We hear He's looking for "a few good men," to quote a modern phrase.  But that's not really it; in the Greek this word for men doesn't mean "men only."  The word is "anthropos," and it means human being (like the word "men" as it is traditionally used in English to mean people, or persons, as in "mankind").  They are to be fishers of people, of those who are able to respond to His message.  Where do we fall in that crowd?  Do we have ears to hear His word?   What is our immediate response to His vivid language?

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel

 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 began reading the Gospel according to Mark:  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  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."   My study bible emphasizes here that Mark's written statement that John is put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant -- to prepare the people for Christ - had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  Once Christ came, the time of preparation was fulfilled.  To repent, as my study bible puts it, is to do a total "about-face."  It says, "The word in Greek literally means to 'change one's mind.'  Repentance is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart -- a complete reorientation to a life 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.  We note the use of the word "immediately," which will be commented on in the next verses following.  These disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist and so were prepared to accept Christ "immediately."  My study bible suggests that although they are illiterate and unlearned in religion, these "people of the land" whom Jesus calls will be revealed at Pentecost to be wisest of all.  We note that they are pairs of brothers; the relationship that already is here is transformed into that if brothers in the work of God.  Each one as dynamic individual will make his distinctive mark as saint.  The important thing here is that they are ready for the work of the kingdom.

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 points out here that the word immediately (which we have read several times in today's reading) occurs almost forty times in Mark's Gospel, nearly all of them before our Lord's entrance into Jerusalem.  It says, "The sense of urgency and purpose as Christ journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world helps make Mark's account not only the shortest but also the most direct of the four Gospels."

One thing we do notice in this very direct of the Gospels is how Jesus proceeds to advance into His ministry.  The very first duty, after the baptism by John in the Jordan, and the temptation in the wilderness, is the choosing of disciples.  Jesus' is not a solitary movement, but this is a mission to bring the kingdom of God into the world, and it happens through human beings.  Everything is meant to be carried through relationship, everything works through relationship in this kingdom of God who is love.  After this task is done, Jesus immediately begins the job of teaching in the synagogue.  This mission is very much a continuance of what has come before, and Jesus' works are those that "fulfill all righteousness," as He has said of His baptism in the Jordan.  But Jesus is also bringing something new, a revelation of the Kingdom, and in His "immediate" actions is an urgency that reflects a deeper, closer, more "immediate" presence of the Kingdom among us and with us.  The encounter with the unclean spirit in the synagogue is a kind of unwitting testimony to that presence.  What we understand is that where this powerful presence of the Kingdom goes, there will be a response from "the prince of this world."  There will be a response from a spiritual realm that rejects the Kingdom and fears its power and judgment.  All of this is "immediate" in its representation here, and all of it works as a kind of "immediate" revelation about Jesus and His work.  He teaches in an astonishing way, as One with authority, a complete confidence.  This is not a person who studiously quotes from learned rabbis and earlier sources of scholarship, but Jesus carries within Himself a power and authority that is also unmistakable, up close, "immediate."  And so everything becomes a revelation in Jesus' work and His ministry.   All of it is startling, not gradual.  It is a light coming into the world that brings sudden light to our eyes in many ways, and the story of the gospel, the "good news" is a story with immediacy, with power and urgency, just as in our lives there is never a time when we don't need that illumination and its presence within us and with us.  It is here, now, "God with us."  And yet so many fail to enter or understand the need for what He brings.

Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

- Matthew 4:18-25

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.  And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:  The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned."  From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.  He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.  My study bible tells us:  "These first disciples of Christ had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, which prepared them to accept the Messiah immediately. . . . As His disciples, Jesus chooses men who have not been trained in any sacred school, most of whom are unlearned and illiterate, considered by the various religious groups within Judaism as 'people of the land,' or peasants.   At Pentecost these men will be revealed to be the wisest of all, by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Some of these men, it is suggested by other Gospels, Jesus has known before; it may be the second time He has called some of them.  Peter, and James and John Zebedee, will form Jesus' inner circle of disciples, present at several notable events in the Gospels.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.  Great multitudes followed Him -- from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.  "This is a summary," says my study bible, "of Jesus' early activity:  His miracles bear witness to the presence of the Kingdom (12:28) and serve as introduction to the Sermon on the Mount." Decapolis is a region of ten Greek-speaking cities located north and east of Galilee.  The great multitudes who follow come from all over Israel and Jewish territory.

Jesus' ministry begins, and is summed up in a few short verses.  It's interesting that the Gospels do not spend a lot of time on the choosing of the disciples.  Our impression is one of an immediate calling and following.  But it seems quite probable that Jesus knew several of these men (particularly John and James Zebedee) for a longer period than indicated -- before His public ministry; it's also implicated elsewhere that several disciples were first disciples of John the Baptist, who directed his disciples to Jesus.  Nevertheless, the impression of a kind of immediate selection and acceptance is interesting and, I feel, important.  There is not a lot of time spent wrangling over choices, agonizing over various individuals and relationships, or questioning the wisdom of this choice to choose or to follow.  I think what's important here is the trust in God that is implied, the surety of desire and intention, the faith in God's plan at work for the kingdom.  We know that one of His chosen will betray Him; nevertheless, this is the way things will unfold.  The Gospel presents these events in a very quick fashion in terms of the unfolding of His ministry, and again we are given the sense of a plan unfolding.  The several times we will hear of Jesus withdrawing for prayer or for discussion with His disciples come at several points in His ministry which we could call points of expansion, or key new points of unfolding of this ministry.  We know, also, that Jesus has been "thrown by the Spirit" for forty days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness as He began His ministry -- an important indication of just what type of preparation is really necessary for Christ.  Again, the whole implication of this type of pondering or contemplation (if we could call it that) implies trust in God.  At each new turning point, it is to prayer Jesus will turn.  And I think that for today the Gospel teaches us this very important point.  In our lives it's important to proceed with all due diligence, but it's really important to keep things in perspective, in the same sense that Jesus does.  There is a trust in God, a turning to prayer as preparation before each new turning point in the ministry, a reliance on the Father for guidance and for the unfolding of a plan.  We know what that plan holds for Jesus, and we know the fruits of this ministry in the world!  Let us understand what effectiveness is through the ranking of priorities here.  We put first our trust in God, and all else follows.  We trust in prayer.  And we put things in the hands of God.  We can't control everything ourselves, but we can trust to prayer.  We don't all have the same role to fill that Christ did; we are not each of us the Messiah.  But we can live the way He did, and learn from Him.  None of us has His power, but neither did He attempt to control all that happened in the world, or even the actions of all of His disciples when He was betrayed.  Let us remember we have far less power, and less capacity for control.  Let us start our journeys with prayer, our turning points with this trust and preparation, so that we may move forward as He did.  In this way, we may "Follow Him" as well.

Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men

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 further 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

In yesterday's reading, we began the Gospel of Mark, with the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  First, Mark quotes 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.'"  We read about John the Baptist, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  All of Judea and Jerusalem went to him and were baptized, we are told.  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."   Jesus came from Nazareth in 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's gospel moves very quickly, but in this juxtaposition of the events of John's arrest and Jesus' mission, we see a kind of "handing over."  John is known as the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets.  My study bible emphasizes Jesus' mission as one of living and experiencing the Kingdom at hand.  It says, "To repent denotes an about-face in life, a necessary part of faith and the experience of the Kingdom as a present reality.  The Kingdom is yet to come, but it is also at hand, already here.  It is inaugurated but not yet fulfilled."  In the Person of Jesus, the good news or good message is revealed, through all He is and does in the world.

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 further 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.  My study bible says that "time has elapsed and many events have occurred between the temptation of Jesus and the call of the first disciples.  Jesus chooses simple fishermen as messengers of the divine gospel."  It points out that these men already have known Jesus, so when the call comes, they "immediately" drop their their nets to follow Him.  They trust Him.  We must understand that in this trust is the expression of faith:  in the Greek, the verb for believe (pistevo) and the noun for faith (pistis) contain the meaning to trust.    My study bible adds, "Called suggests discipleship is an invitation issued by Jesus, the emphasis being on His initiative -- the opposite of rabbinic discipleship, where the student took the initiative to follow the leader (rabbi).  Jesus does not hesitate to include groups of friends and relatives among His disciples.  Here are two sets of brothers, and the two families are friends, perhaps even relatives."

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.   John baptized all in Judea and Jerusalem, near the Jordan.  But here, Christ's ministry begins in Galilee, the home to Himself and these disciples, and not in the center of Jewish religious life and establishment.  And immediately the impact is of one with authority; that is, not one with authority given or vested by another human being, but a surprising authority in His Person.  My study bible notes:  "The scribes speak by virtue of their official role and scholarly education.  They quote others, usually earlier, well-known teachers; at times they must be boring.  Jesus speaks and acts by an inner, divine authority.  He needs no credentials nor the renown of others to back Him up."

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 says, "Jesus demonstrates His authority not only by His teaching, but by dealing powerfully with this unclean spirit.  Not one demon ever successfully resists His command.  Here a spirit tries to command Jesus:  Let us alone.  It does not work.  Jesus responds with two commands:  (1) be quiet, and (2) come out.  The unclean spirit has no choice but to obey Jesus because God has authority over these spirits (Matt. 8:16).  The demons recognize Jesus as God without having full understanding of what this means.  But they do rightly fear that, with the coming of the Holy One, the time of their confinement has come." 

What does it mean to bring a Kingdom into this world, invading a kingdom that has already bound and afflicted so many human beings?  As noted in yesterday's commentary, Jesus has characterized His mission as that of a "stronger man" binding up and taking the kingdom of a "strong man" (Satan).  Here we see it immediately put into action, just upon calling His disciples and immediately going to the synagogue to preach.  One of this kingdom of the "strong man," a demon, knows who He is and sets out to defy Him.  But Jesus doesn't want His identity to be revealed this way; that revelation will await the time He is ready to do so.  His power and authority are revealed not only in the ways in which He preaches the good news, the good message of His Kingdom, but also in the way in which He summarily deals with the demon.  Exorcism was already known and practiced in Judaism, so this isn't a new idea being introduced in the synagogue.  What is "new" is the authority in the Person of Jesus.  As He lives His life and expresses His ministry, we are introduced to the effects of this Kingdom coming into the world, being revealed and inaugurated with a new fullness in the Person of Christ.  Jesus will call Himself the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets and we await the expression of all that this means in His Person, in and through His ministry, in His relationship to His disciples and to those who will follow and believe, and trust in Him.  How do you experience this trust in yourself, in your heart?  What does it reveal to you in your life and in your walk of faith?  How does trust in Him reveal to you ways to become more like Him?