In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
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!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
- Mark 21-28
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus driving a demon out of a man in Capernaum. Imagine what it must have been like to experience this. This man who everyone knows as a carpenter’s son from Nazareth comes to the synagogue and begins teaching. Jesus had no apparent training to teach beyond the training every Jewish boy received at that time. He was not a scribe or priest. Yet here he was teaching with authority. This would have been shocking to the people of his time.
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!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
- Mark 21-28
In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus driving a demon out of a man in Capernaum. Imagine what it must have been like to experience this. This man who everyone knows as a carpenter’s son from Nazareth comes to the synagogue and begins teaching. Jesus had no apparent training to teach beyond the training every Jewish boy received at that time. He was not a scribe or priest. Yet here he was teaching with authority. This would have been shocking to the people of his time.
This teaching is remarkable enough, but Jesus then proceeds to drive a demon out of a man who is denouncing him. This takes his authority to a whole new level and causes quite a stir among the people of his time. Here is a man not of the priestly caste who is not only teaching about God but is actually commanding demons. This inspired the people of Galilee and, it is recorded, “His fame spread throughout the whole region.”
What are the demons in our lives that possess us today? I am not talking about actual demonic possession, but a more metaphoric possession. What controls your life and prevents you from giving yourself totally over to God? Perhaps it is temptations of the things of this world. Perhaps you put too much focus on your relationships and ignore God’s plan for you. Perhaps you spend your time worrying about what will happen or how you will make ends meet rather than placing your trust in God’s ability to provide for each of us. Whatever “demon” is possessing you, talk to Jesus and ask Him to command that demon to leave you alone. For it is only by turning to Jesus that we are able to find he strength to overcome our temptations.
What are the demons in our lives that possess us today? I am not talking about actual demonic possession, but a more metaphoric possession. What controls your life and prevents you from giving yourself totally over to God? Perhaps it is temptations of the things of this world. Perhaps you put too much focus on your relationships and ignore God’s plan for you. Perhaps you spend your time worrying about what will happen or how you will make ends meet rather than placing your trust in God’s ability to provide for each of us. Whatever “demon” is possessing you, talk to Jesus and ask Him to command that demon to leave you alone. For it is only by turning to Jesus that we are able to find he strength to overcome our temptations.
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