Speaking the Truth

Or those glass cases at the zoo where they say there is a snake and you look for hours until you are convinced you should tell someone - the snake has escaped.

Mark’s Gospel

As we read Mark’s gospel - I want us to notice how early in the story we are.

Already in chapter 1:

John the Baptist

Temptation of Jesus

Calling of first disciples

With those disciples - on the Sabbath - Jesus goes to the Synagogue.

And begins to teach.

What Jesus taught

Mark doesn’t say what he was teaching - but Matthew’s gospel gives us a clue of the first message Jesus’ preached:

Matthew 4:17 (NRSV)

17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Repent - means its time to make a change.

The Kingdom of heaven has come near - means that a new set of values it about to be implemented.

Someone doesn’t like what Jesus has to say.

Mark 1:23 (NRSV)

23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an…

So it was a regular Sabbath day. And a regular congregation. And in that congregation - there was probably a regular member.

Maybe a well known one.

Had probably held up his pillar in the synagogue for many years.

Knew the Rabbis who had come and gone - would tell new Rabbis about all the Rabbis he knew -

But Jesus message was probably a bit too much for him:

Mark 1:23–24 (NRSV)

23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

Hollywood Demons

Now maybe you’ve got a bit too much of a Hollywood idea of what this might look like - maybe the guy’s got red eyes and a deep gruff gravelly voice.

Maybe your picture of him was looking a bit dishevelled when he wondered in in the first place.

But maybe.

Just maybe.

He is just like one of us.

One of us who like to sit in the same seat every Sunday.

One of us who like certain songs and certain ways of doing things.

And one of us who likes the message to stay in its place.

We like to hear about Jesus - but only if he comforts us.

Only if he quietly affirms us.

You know - we don’t want Jesus to make us uncomfortable.

The incident in Nazareth

In Luke’s gospel - when Jesus preaches in the Synagogue at Nazareth right at the beginning of his ministry — he preaches about how Elijah ministered to the widow at Zarephath - and not to the Hebrew people in Israel. How Elisha ministered to Naaman the Syrian - -

He helped people to see that they were not the ONLY people God loves - and they didn’t like it:

Luke 4:29 NRSV

29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.

How Jesus ‘CONFRONTS US’

Jesus makes people mad.

Jesus challenges our addiction to prejudice.

Our addiction to preferring one group over the other.

And whatever Jesus had to say - stoked up a deep sense of fear in the unclean spirit of the man at the synagogue:

Mark 1:24 “Have you come to destroy us?”

We can interpret that in many ways. Is it the demons - saying through the man - are you coming to destroy us?

Or is it the man - corrupted by an evil spirit - saying - are you coming to destroy us? (The synagogue).

As Jesus points out the problem of the status quo of the world at the moment.

As Jesus points out the synagogue’s awkward alliance with the Roman occupiers.

As Jesus calls the members of the synagogue back to a scriptural sense of justice and generosity.

The people of the synagogue might well say:

“Have you come to destroy us?”

The message of Jesus - shines a bright light - peels away the layers that hide the snakes and cockroaches!

And suddenly they pop out - in a burst of insecurity and adrenaline.

In a word of anger - whose root is fear.

A fear that the message Jesus brings might just shake OUR foundations and cause all that we had ever thought we knew to fall down around us.

This evil spirit - this snake or cockroach deep in the heart of this man in the synagogue speaks honestly:

1 - Have you come to destroy us?

The answer - in a sense - yes - Jesus has come to destroy all that stands between us and God’s love - and sometimes that artificial boundary is the church - and Christians themselves.

Jesus says - if you want to follow me:

Matthew 16:24 NRSV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

1 - Have you come to destroy us?

2 - You are the Holy One of God.

That rattling of anxiety that Jesus brings.

Makes our snakes and cockroaches grumpy. Causes our inner resentments to get stirred up. Raises our pulse.

Gets us breathing hot and heavy and ready to scream or shout - or punch…

Or take Jesus to the nearest cliff and throw him off.

But there is the other side - once you push through your prejudice and your ugliness.

Once you present your evil breaths to Jesus.

Jesus addresses them.

Mark 1:25–26 (NRSV)

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

Again - let go of your Hollywood idea of what this looks like. Take away your Stephen Spielberg special effects…

The Greek words for an unclean spirit are just ‘evil breath’ - something subtle that you can’t see.

We know it came out of the man in the synagogue because he convulsed and cried. But maybe the best way to know that the Spirit came out would be a suddenly changed demeanour.

A heart turned to God and listening to Jesus.

A new liberation from crippling fear.

My favourite description of an exorcism are the words used of the Gerasene Demoniac in Mark 5:15

Mark 5:15 (NRSV)

15 They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid.

In his right mind.

Anxiety overcome.

Insecurity expelled.

Resentment healed.

The spirits that stirred up his heart - dealt with - with Jesus simple authority:

Mark 1:25 (NRSV)

25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

The people were amazed:

Mark 1:27 NRSV

27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Snakes & Roaches

Now talking about these evil spirits is a little bit problematic.

Sometimes we want to blame evil spirits for all our bad behaviour.

But we can’t.

Again - Hollywood made you think that these evil spirits - these bad breaths - are hugely powerful forces at work in you and the world.

But they’re not - they’re only as powerful as we make them. As powerful as we let them be.

We need to take responsibility for the little snakes and roaches that we keep feeding.

We end up thinking we can keep them as pets - but it turns out they quickly seem to grow bigger than us.

Just one bet - won’t do me any harm… the odds are good.

Just a short visit to the pub - I’ll only drink coke - I promise.

My friends are making off colour jokes - I think I can join in.

I’m feeling a bit insecure today - let me point out how ugly that person is.

Oh - salacious little bits of gossip - so easy to begin talking about him or her…

Learn to recognise them for what they are - for where they come from - for why you entertain them.

And when you notice them just ask Jesus: “Jesus set me free.”

Tune yourself into what Jesus and the Holy Spirit want for you.

And what the evil one wants for you.

Notice when you start to go down those bad habit paths again.

And ask Jesus to set you free.

Authority

That is what this passage is about. Jesus’ authority.

Mark 1:27 (NRSV)

27 — “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

And this is our introduction to Jesus in gospel according to Matthew.

Like I said earlier - this is right at the beginning of the whole story:

Already in chapter 1:

John the Baptist

Temptation of Jesus

Calling of first disciples

And the battle begins. It turns out it is not against Romans - and not about these people or those people.

But I think - the deliberate way in which Mark says:

Mark 1:23 NRSV

23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit,

Is an invitation to realise that any of us might just be the battle ground where God is claiming his territory.

The fight begins in Mark 1 - and we see how it ends in Mark 16 - with Jesus crucified. But then in Mk 16:6 the disciples look for him in the tomb and discover…

Mark 16:6 NRSV

6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.

We see the battle unfolding.

And we see the battle won.

And we know that we are no longer subject to these demonic powers and principalities.

In fact - all they are is bad breath.

All they are is stumbling blocks on the path to our true humanity in Jesus.

When King Saul of the Old Testament was troubled by an evil spirit - all it took to sooth him was David playing his harp. Thats how weak and foolish evil Spirits are.

How much more then - will Jesus words of power still those spirits and set us free.

Mark 1:27 NRSV

27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

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