The Gospel of Mark
The Sabbath: Mk 1,21-31
Jesus and the Demon: 1,21-28
It is the authority of Jesus (verses 22 & 27) which stands out in this first incident. Jesus having begun his public ministry makes an immediate impact with his authority, first with his teaching and then with what he does. The casting out of the demon is a practical application of Jesus' teaching, both make the same point: here is a man with authority beyond that of the official teachers of Judaism, the scribes (1,22.27).
The ministry of Jesus begins in verse 21. Jesus goes to Capernaum, which the three Synoptic Gospels agree was the base for his ministry.
Mark then adds that immediately Jesus goes to the synagogue on the sabbath. Mark stresses this more than Luke (Lk 4,31-33), especially with his characteristic "immediately". It must be important that Mark chooses that day for the beginning of his story. The sabbath was the day God rested after creation (Gen 2,2-23) and the day Israelites were to keep as holy (Exodus 20,10-11). It is a sign of of the covenant between God and Israel (Ex 31,17). It is on this most holy day that Jesus begins his work of re-creation, the renewal of the covenant. In due course, Jesus will complete his work of re-creation by rising from the dead the day after the sabbath (16,2).
The man with the unclean spirit does nothing in this story - we are not even told that he is healed. The story is entirely a confrontation between Jesus and the unclean spirit. Everyone else, disciples, synagogue congregation, are witnesses.
The scribes get a mention in verse 22 where their teaching is contrasted to that of Jesus. Our first impression of them therefore is negative. They are first present in 2,6
It is the unclean spirit who takes the initiative in the confrontation. By naming Jesus he both recognises the authority of Jesus but also seeks to bring that authority under his control. I refered you to Adam naming the animals in the book of Genesis but even today we know that naming a child or a pet means we have some control or authority over them.
In this instance, the unclean spirit calls Jesus by both his public name (Jesus of Nazareth) and by his true identity (Holy One of God). We as readers are already aware that both are true. The bystanders in the story know only of Jesus' public identity.
By all the rules of the game, the demon has won the confrontation by being able to name Jesus. It is now that Jesus is able to show his superior power by forcing the demon to leave the man. As I've mentioned. nothing is said about the man, unlike the man from whom the legion was driven out (5,15).
The command to silence begins a theme common in this Gospel. Jesus does not want the crowd to draw an incorrect understanding of "Holy One of God". The true understanding will only be made clear on the cross (15,39).
The conclusion of this story is that Jesus has made an initial impact at the beginning of his ministry. His fame spreads all through Galilee with people wondering just who is this Jesus.
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The healing of Peter's Mother in Law: 1,29-31
The healing of the mother in law which now follows is linked with the preceeding scene by the reference to the synagogue. Both healings are also taking place on the same day, the sabbath (verse 21). As is quite common in the Gospels, we have the healing of a man followed by the healing of a woman. Furthermore, both the man and the woman are quite passive until after they have been healed; they do not ask Jesus for healing themselves.
If we look at this story in Matthew's Gospel (Mt 8,14-15), we see there that the disciples are no longer present and that the plural pronouns in Mark have become singular in Matthew. In Matthew, the whole story just concentrates on the encounter between Jesus and the woman. She gets up and serves him only. This brings out the higher status given to Jesus by Matthew.
The place of this healing is a house, the scene is domestic, not public. Further, Mark stresses the presence of the disciples by naming them. Unlike Matthew's version, this is a community event. (We can note that Mark is clear it is the house of both brothers, Peter and Andrew.)
"At once" or "immediately" is the typical Markan word in verse 30. We see how the disciples take the initiative and tell Jesus about her
If the conflict in the previous scene was verbal, this time Jesus takes the women by the hand. Jesus is breaking taboos by touching her, as we will see again with the leper in 1,41.
Jesus then "lifts her up" or "helps her up" depending on the translation. Yet the Greek word means "raised her up". This is the word which is due course used for the resurrection of Jesus (16,6). It is certainly possible to read this as the woman now sharing in the risen life of Jesus. We will see "rise up" being used in other healings as well (3,6 or 10,49, for example).
Because the woman then began to serve them. This includes the disciples as well as Jesus (whereas Matthew has just "him" as we have noted). It is the disciples who served the woman by telling Jesus about her in verse 30, now she serves them. Possibly we have here an illustration, a vignette, of the way of life expected of the early Christian community, the life of service to each other (see Acts 2,44-47).
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The Sunday Gospel: 4th Sunday OT
In the Deuteronomy passage, Dt 18,15-20, Moses is looking forward to a prophet greater than himself. This is fulfilled in Jesus, and reminds us that Jesus in the Gospels is portrayed as a prophet. He is similar to the prophets of the OT. However, Jesus speaks on his own authority, he is more than a spokesman for his Father (Dt 18,18).
Psalm 95 has a special place in the liturgy of the Church because it is known as the invitatory psalm. It is the first psalm of everyday with its call to worship. In the verses used this Sunday, we are reminded that God is our God and we are his people. We are called to listen to his voice, the voice of the Son. It is as well to take heed of the warning in the Psalm which is not in this Sunday's psalm.
We can now return to the main page and continue with events after the sabbath.