Meditation 216
Mark 1:21-28
In Mark’s gospel the first act of power that Jesus performs is the casting out of an evil spirit. Jesus has gone to the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath. He gets the attention of the congregation because he teaches with authority. After he has taught the people in the synagogue, one of those in attendance, who has an unclean spirit starts to heckle Jesus. He asks if Jesus has come to destroy and then he calls him the holy one of God. In response to this identification Jesus tells the unclean spirit to be silent and come out of the man. There is no surprise in Jesus telling the unclean spirit to be silent, he does not want this spirit to name him, because the one doing the naming has more authority than the one being named. For example, when Adam was invited to name the animals, he was given authority over them. (Genesis 2: 19-20. i.e., in giving people dominion over the earth God gave us the responsibility to care for the earth, not the right to dominate it and pollute it, but that is another mediation for another day)
Jesus has made it clear that he is not under the authority of the unclean spirit. He is the one who is bringing the kingdom of God near and his ministry will be unlike the ministries of those who came before him. When the unclean spirit calls Jesus the holy one of god, he is likening him to Elisha who was called the same name in 2 Kings 4:9. This name is not capitalized in the Greek, although many translators capitalize it in English. The holy one of God is one who belongs to God, and who is pure and separated out from the world. In this case it is not a Messianic title. This title identifies Jesus as both holy, and unlike the unclean spirit who identifies him. When Jesus casts out the unclean spirt Jesus is showing his authority.
In an article I read today by Osvaldo Vena I was reminded that there are many kinds of things we need to cast out of our lives, and many things that can control us in a bad way. We can be motivated by prejudice, greed, addiction, terrorism, or war, to name a few. The process by which was cast out these influences will probably be longer than the process Jesus used to cast out the unclean spirit on that day in Capernaum. Our main weapon in reclaiming identity as those who are led by God is prayer. Prayer is “that “intensely personal struggle within each disciple, and among us collectively, to resist the despair and distractions that cause us to practice unbelief, to abandon or avoid the way of Jesus.”3 In other words, it is the struggle to believe that change can really happen. A better world is possible.” (Osvaldo Vena. Working Preacher)
Maybe one of the spirits that threatens us the most these days is despair. We can worry about the future, about the fate of loved ones, about the way that our churches will continue to witness to Jesus, about our health, and about the economy. And if we should happen to have an optimistic thought, there are words from politicians broadcast on the news to balance hopeful thoughts. In the face of the pessimism that we hear daily, the greater truth is that Jesus is the holy one of God, who is pure and separated out from the world. We also know the greatest truth, that Jesus is The Holy One of God, the Messiah, who has brought the Kingdom of God near, and who has authority over all. When we come to Jesus in prayer, we will be strengthened to be rid of the unholy elements that want to control our lives.