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The Rev. Carol S. Wedell
February 1, 2009
How many of you remember the pins and bumper stickers that read, "Question Authority?" They were common during the upheaval of the 1960's and into the 70's when every institution of power was called into question by a generation unwilling to simply take things as they were. It was a declaration of the youth of that era that challenged people or institutions they perceived to be oppressive or repressive - basically anyone in charge. (If you can't remember you are just showing how youthful you are!)
Today if we were to create a bumper sticker or button to pin on a shirt or backpack, preacher Barbara Lundblad suggests that it probably would read, "Whatever happened to authority?" With shifts in the authority of families, politics, classrooms and churches it would be a legitimate question. If the traditional institutions of authority are not viewed with the same degree of unquestioning consent as they were in the middle of the 20th century, what has authority in our lives? To what do we give the most allegiance and attention?
It's not a new question. Our gospel reading for this morning speaks directly it. The text from Mark this morning takes us through the first day of Jesus' ministry. He's rounded up four disciples, and now he heads for Capernaum - to the synagogue. And it is there, not in the Temple where rich and important Jews would worship, but at the local synagogue with every day folks that Jesus is presented in the way this gospel writer most likes to show him: as a teacher.
Listen to what Mark says. "They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority, not as the scribes." Did you notice that we aren't told what Jesus said? As the gospel most interested in showing Jesus as a teacher of the people, Mark gives us far less words spoken by Jesus than the other three gospels. (If you have one of those "red letter" Bibles where Jesus' words are in red, you would quickly notice how little red there is in Mark's gospel!).
It's almost as if Mark is saying the words aren't the important part. In Mark, Jesus himself is the content of the teaching.
Mark also tells us Jesus spoke with authority unlike the scribes. It has been terribly easy for Christians in the 20 and 21st centuries to demonize the Scribes and Pharisees. It might be helpful to remember who the Scribes were and what they did. In the New Testament, the Scribes were the experts in Jewish law, who drew out from the Torah and the Pentateuch rules and regulations for every possible situation. It was never written down and had to be memorized - so you can imagine that the training was long.
A Scribe would also have held key positions in the secular government. They were not necessarily paid for their service to the people, so they had to find a trade in order to make a living. The difference between the Scribes teaching and Jesus' teaching is that the Scribes always quoted legal precedent as the authority for their decision and teaching - much as we expect our court system to do.
Jesus, on the other hand, taught from his own authority, quoting no one. Although Mark doesn't give it to us in this passage, we know that Jesus took what was familiar - the law and the prophets - and transformed their meaning, getting down to the core of what was of utmost importance. Obviously, this was shocking to the people and unacceptable in the eyes of Jewish religious leaders. The gospel of Mark is a story of conflict, and we see it immediately in the first day of Jesus' ministry!
While the people are still murmuring, a man possessed by demons, apparently already present in the synagogue, jumps up and the demons speak to Jesus - the demons being the first to recognize who Jesus is: the Holy One of God. With a word Jesus sends the demons away - and again the people are amazed. Jesus' teaching is completed by his action. The spoken word and the accompanying behavior authenticate Jesus' teaching. Jesus speaks positively and the power of God is evident as his words help rather than hurt. For Jesus, as for us, if we are to be helpful, our words must come from the quality of our lives, and must be joined together with out actions.
What impresses Jesus' audience seems not to be the exorcism itself, which was not that unusual in Jesus' day or the content of his teaching. Rather it is the authority of Jesus that is astonishing. That astonishment was focused on Jesus himself, rather than the theological substance of his teaching (since Mark doesn't even tell us what he said!) Who Jesus was and the manor in which he taught were in this case more important than what he taught. The authority wasn't in particular speech, but in this particular life. It's similar to good teachers that you and I have known. We may not remember the details of what they taught, as much as we remember the power of their person.
In college you will often hear students say, "Take the professor, not the class." In other words, the content of the class is often less important than the person teaching it. Our son Justin followed that guidance this semester. Tom Moore, considered one of the best professors at Grinnell College is retiring at the end of this year. Wanting to take a class with him prior to his departure, Justin is now taking Statistics from him. Justin's primary interests are in the humanities!
Think back to the teachers that have made the most impact on your life. I can think of several, particularly in high school, college and seminary. In fact, I am still in touch with teachers from each of those institutions. Why? Because of the material they covered? No. Because of who they were - and are. Because they taught from the heart, with authenticity and great respect for their students. Good teachers, like Jesus, move us beyond facts to a strikingly new insight. Our understanding of the world is changed because of them. They cared about me as a person, not just how well I was doing in their class. What they said and how they lived went together. They touched and changed my life.
Who are some of the teachers that have done that for you? (Get answers from the congregation). It's not difficult to understand why the title "teacher" was so important to Mark. As William Willimon notes in a sermon on this passage, "Teachers are powerful people. They change lives. They create through their teaching, new worlds...Teachers are powerful. They have the ability to liberate, to enlighten and to heal."
Unfortunately, all of us know that power may not always be used in ways that build up or support. The second grade teacher who tells a student that he can't draw, has virtually guaranteed that student won't ever enjoy art again. The teacher whose primary style is yelling may scare the more sensitive students such that they are unable to hear what he or she says. Thank goodness most of us have had teachers who did just the opposite: seeing good things in us that we were unable to see; challenging us to try just a little bit harder than we might have on our own.
It is probably very important to distinguish here between authority as it is intended in this passage, and how it is frequently used in other contexts. There is authority which comes off as "authoritarian". "I told you to do it, and that's final!" or even the occasional "bad" teacher, "If anyone in this class speaks out of turn again, you are all getting detention!" Even pre-schoolers will rail against this type of authority declaring, "you're not the boss of me!"
People whose position gives them power over others may or may not be authoritarian. Think of how often we even call those in positions of power, "the authorities." The authoritarian approach is not empowering. In fact it may be demeaning or even cruel to those over whom they have authority. Hitler had authority. But it was certainly different than the kind of authority demonstrated in the life and ministry of Jesus.
Authority such as Jesus possessed is never used to dictate. It is used to invite, to empower the other. "Let me show you a new way to live." "I know you can do it." This astonishing authority is internal - or, given that the Greek word for authority means "out of one's essence" - essential. Whatever Jesus does demonstrate his inner life and essence. What's true for the world in general is certainly true in the church. Religious powers then - and now - may move to be the kind of authority that rules over another, by position, by finances, or by social clout. But Jesus shows a different way.
Jesus continues to demonstrate authority that astonishes us even today. Here, Mark introduces us to a Jesus who disassociates himself from institutional power and privilege and instead, identifies with persons who, since day one, have been kept on the outside. Jesus doesn't care about positions of power. Without fail he cares about people, especially those who may be on the bottom of the power pile. His authority has the power to change lives forever, because to see Jesus is to see God.
You and I may not be "possessed" by the kinds of demons of which Mark wrote. But I would suggest that all of us are possessed at times. Demons like labels from childhood are "stuck" in our heads: "You're worthless." "No one likes you." "You're weird." You know the echo of those old labels hold us captive. Life experiences may appear as demons that take us down paths we never intended to follow. Hardship, disappointment, or tragedy may continue to define our lives. They take over. We might be "possessed" by our stuff - our money, or house, or car or clothes.
We can also be taken over by a mindset that seeks to exclude others - for a myriad of reasons. The need for control can run the show. Traditionalism. Domestic violence. Addictions. We may understand "demons" somewhat differently than in the 1st century, but there is no doubt that each one of us has within us things that need to be cast aside.
Yet what was true in the gospel is true for us. Jesus' authority is stronger than any "demon" that might grab hold of you and me. When we decide that our relationship to God through Jesus is more important than any "demon" that might grab our attention, we may be freed from those things that way us down.
William Willimon, a noted Methodist pastor and author tells of a time early in his ministry when he tried to find out what people actually got from his sermons. So he had a short questionnaire handed out randomly as people were leaving the sanctuary. The results were depressing. Few, if any could remember even a single idea from his sermon. Others listed ideas that he never mentioned!
He writes, "I was disheartened. I was discussing this with a wise woman in our congregation and she asked me, "Where did you get the idea that a sermon is about ideas? Everybody knows the purpose of a sermon is to meet Jesus and to be amazed that he hasn't given up on us yet." (Pulpit Resource, Vol 37, 2009, p. 23)
The wise woman understood what Mark told us. If we meet Jesus, his authority will astonish us. If we are being the church, we should be continually astounded by the food of hope and grace. Here we should meet the "Holy One of God" whose authority can cleanse, forgive and transform us. Where the word is proclaimed and we are nourished at the table we are brought together as one people.
If when we leave this place and model the kind of authority we see in Jesus, we will use our authority to build up, not tear down, to see that all people are treated with dignity and respect, to care more about people than procedure. We, as followers of Jesus are given the authority to speak and to live and heal in ways that feed a hungry world. That is astonishing authority!
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