Mark 1:21-28

Gospel according to Mark 1:21-28

The disciples went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught the as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 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.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing he man and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once, Jesus’ fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Reflections

After encountering the disciples for the first time by the Sea of Galilee, and calling them to follow Him, Jesus went to Capernaum, a city located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. All the disciples--with the exception if Judas Iscariot, who came from Kerioth, south of Jerusalem in Judea--came from the northern Galilee region of Isael. Five of the disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew, came directly from Capernaum.

Capernaum in Jesus’ time was a small town with about 1,500 inhabitants. (1) Most of the people who lived there were fishermen. The most significant building in the middle of it was the synagogue, where during the Sabbath the Jewish inhabitants went to pray and to meditate the Sacred Scriptures.

The town was destroyed in a great earthquake in 749 AD. A synagogue was discovered in 1838 by Heinrich Kohl and Carl Watzinger, two German archeologists. (1) It dated back to the fourth or fifth century AD.

The location of the city itself was re-discovered in 1866, by a British archeologist, Charles Wilson. (1) In 1894, the Franciscans bought the site. They excavated north of the synagogue and located the neighborhood where St. Peter’s house was thought to be located. (1) The darker, simple basalt houses, with no sewage or drainage system, were in sharp contrast to the lighter limestone building of the synagogue, built on the ruins of the original building, dating back to Jesus’ time. (1)

Today, Capernaum is an archeological site. It is overseen by the Franciscan order, and the Greek Orthodox Church, who built the Church of the Holy Apostles close to the location of the synagogue. (1)

At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus went to the synagogue on the Sabbath to teach there. He was known to the disciples as a Rabbi, a teacher, an educated man, who could read and interpret the Scriptures. However, Jesus had a different style of teaching than the Pharisees, who obeyed strict religious principles and condemned those who feel short of following those rules, or the Sadduceees, who were the wealthiest religious leaders and compromised with Rome, or the Scribes who were familiar with details of the Law. Jesus did not question or argue about the interpretation of the lines of the Torah, nor did he analyze the Law to the smallest details, as it was and is customary for rabbis. Instead, he read the lines and proclaimed the message that came directly from God the Father, with the Holy Spirit, through Him. He spoke with authority on matters of faith as applicable to everyday life in a way that his contemporaries were not accustomed to.

They remarked that his teaching was different because instead of questioning and pondering to arrive at answers, Jesus advised and commanded, all in the name of the Father. And they were astounded because his style of teaching was direct, challenging what they were familiar with, and to the point.

The novelty was overwhelming for one man, who was afflicted with some form of a mental illness. Described as “…a man with an unclean spirit,” as it was denoted at the time, the man cried out: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?” --In other words, “Why did you come here from Nazareth?” “Have you come to destroy us?” --In other words, “You are causing commotion, and people are confused.” “This can be dangerous for us.” “It upsets our ways of living and being.” “Your ways are very different.” “I know who you are, the Holy One of God”—“In other words, “I recognize you, you are the Son of God.”

Probably, there was a great silence in the synagogue when the man started to yell in aloud voice directly at Jesus. All the eyes would have been on him. The man was clearly talking something out of ordinary, and “insane.” Afterall, he was “…a man with an unclean spirit.” A man who was confused and bewildered. – Could there be any truth in his words?

Jesus rebuked the source of the illness, the source of the confusion and the bewilderment. He ordered the “unclean spirit”—in other words, the mental torment caused by anxiety, and the harsh words caused by the stirring of anger--to cease. Jesus ordered the “unclean spirit” –anything that closed the natural beauty of the spirit of this man—to leave him at once. After convulsions, and loud crying, the man was instantly cured. Thoughts of evil that may have beset him, fright and bewilderment, illness, and vulnerability of his mind to evil thoughts and influence, were instantly removed. The man was healed in body and mind. His spirit was healthy with nothing blocking it, veiling it, or hindering it.

Jesus’s audience was great amazed, for none of the Pharisees, the Scribes, or the Sadducees have been able to heal mental or physical illness by commanding and curing through one authoritative order: “Be silent and come out of him!”

See, Jesus understood that it was not the will of the man who was to fault. In today’s terms, by reason of insanity, he was not responsible for his words. It was the evil spirit who took advantage of the mental condition of this man, to publicly scandalize Jesus. In a grotesque twist, it was the evil spirit that declared Jesus “The Holy One of God.” Coming from an ill man, this would have been dismissed and ridiculed.

But here was Jesus, who understood right away what was going on. The soul of this man had to be set free from torment, so that his spirit could shine forth. Jesus, indeed, the “Holy One of God” was the only one who could instantly command the evil spirit to leave, thereby restoring the physical, and mental state of this man to complete sanity.

Nowadays, we do not use the words “unclean spirit” to denote mental illness. However, we know that evil exists, and that evil can affect the minds and hearts of both mentally ill and mentally healthy individuals. Freedom of will in the spirit exists to be able to distance ourselves from what wrong actions or words may come as a result of evil. Mental illness can be treated with medication which allows the spirit to work and to exert its own freedom against the powers of evil. Prayer and the sacraments strengthen the ability to say “No” to temptations and snares of evil.

Today’s reading tells us that, in front of God, evil has no power. God holds ultimate victory. Jesus, who by his death and resurrection has won over evil and death, grants our bodies, minds, and souls a safe space. In this safety, our spirit can commune with Him, and He can restore our souls.

From the time of this miracle, Jesus’ fame began to spread. For, indeed, he was the “Holy One of God” who had authority over all evil, all illness, and insanity.

Jesus is the beginning and the end. We can confide in him when we are scared, tormented, or tortured, because he holds each person of us in his hand, and close to his heart.

There is no healer like Jesus, and the there is no counsellor, or doctor like him. For all the healing powers in this world come from the healing powers of God.

Human knowledge and wisdom are required to know how to make healing powers available through pastoral care, medical ministry, psychotherapy, and/or the other healing professions.

Through prayer and the sacraments, Jesus comes to us to heal our souls.

[Source utilized: (1) Cahanovich, O. (2023). Capernaum—The town of Jesus. Traveling Israel. Travelingisrael.com]