Recognizing the Voice of Authority
Sermon
Facing the Future with Hope
Cycle B Gospel Text Sermons for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany
Object:
This story may be apocryphal, but I heard of a professor who was not only popular on campus but also was in demand in Washington DC to help out with governmental matters. Occasionally, he was called away from his academic environment to spend time consulting in Washington DC. One time when he left for two weeks he told his class that they had important work to finish so while he was away they should come to class and he would have all his lectures taped for them.
The professor went away and as it so happened during the two-week period he had to travel near the university. He thought he would stop by and see how things were going in his class. Sure enough, as he approached the classroom he could hear his own voice on tape giving the lecture. But when he opened the door no students were present. Instead, he observed at each desk was a tape recorder taking down the professor's notes.
Sometimes when we think we have everything under control, events turn out differently from what we had planned.
Jesus was a rabbi or teacher. In this first chapter in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. The people are astounded at his teaching, which is different from the teaching of the scribes. The scribes, most of whom, belong to the sect of the Pharisees, rely on the teachings of the Torah, the Law of Moses, but also rely on the teachings of the oral tradition that has accumulated through the centuries. Therefore, they buttress their arguments with a variety of interpretations, and sometimes they are a bit confusing on certain issues. They were inclined to say rabbi #1 says this, and rabbi #2 says that and as a result, the people were not always certain what was the correct interpretation. But Jesus is distinctive in that "he taught them as one having authority" (Mark 1:22). We know nothing about the details of Jesus' teaching that day except that the quality was new and refreshing. He did not quote other authorities; he spoke authoritatively himself as if he knew what he was talking about with little ambiguity. It was almost like he believed he had been "assigned" to speak on behalf of God.
Suddenly the synagogue service is interrupted by the appearance of "a man with an unclean spirit." An unclean spirit meant the man was possessed of a demon. It was commonly believed in Jesus' day that some people were overcome with the power of evil to such an extent that they could not control themselves. These people tended to live in "unclean" places in the mountains or in the desert away from the mainstream of society. From our vantage point in the twenty-first century it is difficult to understand just what this phenomenon was. But it was real to people in first-century Palestine.
According to Mark's account, the man with the unclean spirit 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" (Mark 1:24).
Jesus rebuked the evil spirit in this troubled man saying: "Be silent, and come out of him!" The result was that "the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him" (Mark 1:25-26). Some interpreters guess that the man might have been suffering from epilepsy, but we cannot be sure because the usual word for "seizure" is not used here when it speaks of "convulsing him." At any rate, the main thrust of the story is that Jesus had authority over demonic powers.
The reaction of the congregation in the synagogue to this work of exorcism was the same as their response to his earlier teaching, namely: "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' " (Mark 1:27).
Jesus had authority in his teaching showing that the scribes were shallow and stale in their teaching while his was deep and original, and he also had authority in his healing with real power to counteract the forces of evil. The people had never heard or seen anything like this in their previous experience in the synagogue.
We like to be in control but if we are realistic we know that much in our own personal lives as well as in the larger world in general is out of control. We would prefer an orderly, rational, and moral universe but that is not the way things are.
While riding in my car one day I heard the announcement on the radio of a local theater group planning to do the play, Lord of the Flies, based on William Golding's novel of the same name. I remember reading the book several years ago. The story involves a group of English boys who survive an airplane crash in the Pacific Ocean only to be stranded on an uninhabited island.
Golding eloquently describes his story with rich symbolism that applies to all humankind. At first, the boys seem to get along very well but gradually conflict develops. Ralph becomes the leader of the group representing reason and order; however, he is soon opposed by Jack and his followers called "hunters" who are obsessed with killing the pigs that roam wild throughout the island. Ostensibly Jack and his "hunters" are looking for food but in time their aim takes on a more sinister look. Ralph feels the all-important task is to build a fire so that someone seeking them would know where to find them. Jack and his followers are not concerned about this task and constantly pursue their own agenda.
Eventually, the followers of Jack descend into all kinds of evil. They begin worshiping a decaying pig's head surrounded by swarming flies, "Lord of the Flies" that could be translated "Beelzebub" -- the prince of decay. As the end draws near Simon is killed and Piggy, the most intellectual of the group, is killed too. Jack and his fanatical gang attired as painted savages, set fire to the brush where Ralph is hiding and drive him on to the beach. Just about the time they are prepared to subdue Ralph a British naval officer appears out of nowhere and rescues Ralph and the other boys who did not join Jack in his ferocious attack. The fire set to drive Ralph out into the open actually alerted the British naval officer and his men to the spot where the boys were on the island. In the end the civilized approach of reason and order represented by Ralph won the day.
This is a chilling picture of how life can spin out of control.
Even in small matters we do not have absolute control.
I once read a letter to "Dear Abby" in the newspaper that went something like this:
Dear Abby: Last week my sister-in-law had a garage sale, and right out front was displayed the gift my husband and I had given her last Christmas. It had never been used and was sold for less than half of what we paid for it. My husband said it was hers to do whatever she pleased with and that I was stupid and oversensitive to give it a second thought. What do you think? Signed. Hurt.
Abby replied, "Dear Hurt: Your husband is right when he says the gift was hers to do with whatever she pleased."
A true gift does leave the giver exposed. The giver is out of control. His or her defenses are down.
On large matters too, we regularly plan something and it backfires on us. During World War II the Manhattan Project was started to produce an atomic bomb. In places like Chicago; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the work went on at a furious pace in secrecy. Finally, near the end of the war the atomic bomb was just about ready to be deployed. The scientists learned that Germany, now weeks away from defeat, was not making the bomb. They questioned whether they should rush to complete their project. Perhaps it would not be needed to defeat the Japanese. Albert Einstein was asked to write a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on behalf of the scientists to bring him up to date on their progress. The president never read the letter. It was found in his office after he died on April 12, 1945. The letter was passed on to Harry Truman, Roosevelt's successor in office. A decision was made to drop the atomic bomb, first on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and then three days later on Nagasaki. Einstein was at his rented cottage at Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks when he heard the news. All he could say was, "Oh, my God."
A month after the bomb was dropped a group of scientists who were involved in creating the atomic bomb signed a statement urging that a council of nations be created to control atomic weaponry. Einstein wanted even greater restrictions calling for a "supranational" entity rather than an "international" one because this organization would exist above its member nations rather than be a mediator among sovereign nations. Most scientists thought his scheme was too idealistic and impractical. What all the scientists agreed upon was something had to be done to control this incredible destructive power that had been unleashed by their hands. The bomb had consequences they had not foreseen.
When the scientists first began to work on the Manhattan Project they envisioned all the possibilities of good that could come from their experiments but by the close of the war they recoiled in horror when they realized the destruction that could come to all humankind. Their discovery could be used for bad as well as good ends.1
We all appreciate the tremendous advances of science and technology that have made our lives more enjoyable and more exciting in recent years, but we also know that some of these "advances" can be used with bad intentions as well as with good ones. Ever since scientists have unlocked the mystery of the atom we have been living under the threat of "the bomb." Of course, today we exist under a more terrifying nuclear threat than the original atomic bomb.
Even our "best and brightest" minds cannot keep everything under control; therefore, we cannot expect those of us who are more ordinary people to think that we can have complete control over our lives. We have problems we cannot solve, burdens too heavy to bear, and addictions that enslave us. We have diseases we cannot heal and in the end death that we cannot escape.
We may not be able to describe and explain the demon possession mentioned in our scriptural passage today but we have seen our share of the demonic in our world today and even in our own lives. It is a rough world we live in and Mark in his gospel does not want us to forget it, but he doesn't leave us there. He also has good news to tell us. He declares that there is one who is stronger than the evil we confront. Someone more powerful than evil has entered the world and that someone stands by our side to help us battle against evil.
The King's Speech won an Academy Award as the best motion picture of the year. The film depicted the plight of King George VI who came to the throne as World War II approached. He was shy and had a stammer that made ordinary speaking so difficult let alone having to make formal speeches to thousands of people and radio addresses to millions of people. Over against this stammering king who could barely speak at all was Adolf Hitler, a mesmerizing speaker who could control and incite the largest crowds to support the Nazi regime as it sought to conquer all of Europe.
The heart of the film centers in George's wife Elizabeth who seeks to help her husband. In desperation she goes to visit Lionel Logue, a little-known, self-trained speech therapist, who agrees to help her husband, not knowing at the time that he is the King of England. Elizabeth ultimately convinces her reluctant husband to see this odd character.
Over a period of time Logue in his unorthodox way encourages, or threatens might be a better word, the king to learn to speak clearly. He teaches the king to do endless calisthenics. He even has the king singing and cursing. He does a bit of probing into the king's early life and discovers a bad relation with his father and his older brother who can do no wrong in the eyes of the father. Logue tells the king that he is determined "to help you find your voice." In the end of the story, King George VI does find his voice and rallies the people in a radio broadcast that prepares them to stand against Nazi tyranny.
William H. Willimon in a penetrating article in the Christian Century magazine used The King's Speech movie as a basis for speaking about the authority of preaching the gospel. He argues that it is extremely difficult to teach seminarians how to preach. He explains:
King George, head of the British Empire, was terrified by the prospect of being put in front of a microphone. That's nothing compared to going head to head with the average North American congregation with nothing to aid you but three points and a poem. To say something important to a crowd of listeners, to dare to intrude into other people's souls with words, to tell them the truth that they have been assiduously avoiding -- that is not a vocation for the faint of heart. Who would undertake it without external compulsion?2
Willimon goes on to say that preaching can't be done "without being summoned." He then cites a personal example:
Sometimes I'm invited to "just share what's on your heart." Alas, as an ordained spokesperson for the gospel, I'm not free to engage in such self-indulgence. Left to my own devices, I might say what I'm really thinking -- but the church could care less about what I'm thinking, The pressing question: "Is there any word from the Lord?" That is the pressing question!3
Recognizing the voice of authority is the key to overcoming the chaos, "the out of control" aspect of so much of our lives. There is only one who speaks with an authoritative voice straight from God, namely Jesus who astounded the synagogue congregation in Capernaum that day and who continues to astound today as he subdues the unruly powers that torment us. Amen.
__________
1. Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), 480-488.
2. William H. Willimon, "Voice Lessons," Christian Century (Chicago: February 8, 2011), 10-13.
3. Ibid.
The professor went away and as it so happened during the two-week period he had to travel near the university. He thought he would stop by and see how things were going in his class. Sure enough, as he approached the classroom he could hear his own voice on tape giving the lecture. But when he opened the door no students were present. Instead, he observed at each desk was a tape recorder taking down the professor's notes.
Sometimes when we think we have everything under control, events turn out differently from what we had planned.
Jesus was a rabbi or teacher. In this first chapter in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. The people are astounded at his teaching, which is different from the teaching of the scribes. The scribes, most of whom, belong to the sect of the Pharisees, rely on the teachings of the Torah, the Law of Moses, but also rely on the teachings of the oral tradition that has accumulated through the centuries. Therefore, they buttress their arguments with a variety of interpretations, and sometimes they are a bit confusing on certain issues. They were inclined to say rabbi #1 says this, and rabbi #2 says that and as a result, the people were not always certain what was the correct interpretation. But Jesus is distinctive in that "he taught them as one having authority" (Mark 1:22). We know nothing about the details of Jesus' teaching that day except that the quality was new and refreshing. He did not quote other authorities; he spoke authoritatively himself as if he knew what he was talking about with little ambiguity. It was almost like he believed he had been "assigned" to speak on behalf of God.
Suddenly the synagogue service is interrupted by the appearance of "a man with an unclean spirit." An unclean spirit meant the man was possessed of a demon. It was commonly believed in Jesus' day that some people were overcome with the power of evil to such an extent that they could not control themselves. These people tended to live in "unclean" places in the mountains or in the desert away from the mainstream of society. From our vantage point in the twenty-first century it is difficult to understand just what this phenomenon was. But it was real to people in first-century Palestine.
According to Mark's account, the man with the unclean spirit 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" (Mark 1:24).
Jesus rebuked the evil spirit in this troubled man saying: "Be silent, and come out of him!" The result was that "the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him" (Mark 1:25-26). Some interpreters guess that the man might have been suffering from epilepsy, but we cannot be sure because the usual word for "seizure" is not used here when it speaks of "convulsing him." At any rate, the main thrust of the story is that Jesus had authority over demonic powers.
The reaction of the congregation in the synagogue to this work of exorcism was the same as their response to his earlier teaching, namely: "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' " (Mark 1:27).
Jesus had authority in his teaching showing that the scribes were shallow and stale in their teaching while his was deep and original, and he also had authority in his healing with real power to counteract the forces of evil. The people had never heard or seen anything like this in their previous experience in the synagogue.
We like to be in control but if we are realistic we know that much in our own personal lives as well as in the larger world in general is out of control. We would prefer an orderly, rational, and moral universe but that is not the way things are.
While riding in my car one day I heard the announcement on the radio of a local theater group planning to do the play, Lord of the Flies, based on William Golding's novel of the same name. I remember reading the book several years ago. The story involves a group of English boys who survive an airplane crash in the Pacific Ocean only to be stranded on an uninhabited island.
Golding eloquently describes his story with rich symbolism that applies to all humankind. At first, the boys seem to get along very well but gradually conflict develops. Ralph becomes the leader of the group representing reason and order; however, he is soon opposed by Jack and his followers called "hunters" who are obsessed with killing the pigs that roam wild throughout the island. Ostensibly Jack and his "hunters" are looking for food but in time their aim takes on a more sinister look. Ralph feels the all-important task is to build a fire so that someone seeking them would know where to find them. Jack and his followers are not concerned about this task and constantly pursue their own agenda.
Eventually, the followers of Jack descend into all kinds of evil. They begin worshiping a decaying pig's head surrounded by swarming flies, "Lord of the Flies" that could be translated "Beelzebub" -- the prince of decay. As the end draws near Simon is killed and Piggy, the most intellectual of the group, is killed too. Jack and his fanatical gang attired as painted savages, set fire to the brush where Ralph is hiding and drive him on to the beach. Just about the time they are prepared to subdue Ralph a British naval officer appears out of nowhere and rescues Ralph and the other boys who did not join Jack in his ferocious attack. The fire set to drive Ralph out into the open actually alerted the British naval officer and his men to the spot where the boys were on the island. In the end the civilized approach of reason and order represented by Ralph won the day.
This is a chilling picture of how life can spin out of control.
Even in small matters we do not have absolute control.
I once read a letter to "Dear Abby" in the newspaper that went something like this:
Dear Abby: Last week my sister-in-law had a garage sale, and right out front was displayed the gift my husband and I had given her last Christmas. It had never been used and was sold for less than half of what we paid for it. My husband said it was hers to do whatever she pleased with and that I was stupid and oversensitive to give it a second thought. What do you think? Signed. Hurt.
Abby replied, "Dear Hurt: Your husband is right when he says the gift was hers to do with whatever she pleased."
A true gift does leave the giver exposed. The giver is out of control. His or her defenses are down.
On large matters too, we regularly plan something and it backfires on us. During World War II the Manhattan Project was started to produce an atomic bomb. In places like Chicago; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the work went on at a furious pace in secrecy. Finally, near the end of the war the atomic bomb was just about ready to be deployed. The scientists learned that Germany, now weeks away from defeat, was not making the bomb. They questioned whether they should rush to complete their project. Perhaps it would not be needed to defeat the Japanese. Albert Einstein was asked to write a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on behalf of the scientists to bring him up to date on their progress. The president never read the letter. It was found in his office after he died on April 12, 1945. The letter was passed on to Harry Truman, Roosevelt's successor in office. A decision was made to drop the atomic bomb, first on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and then three days later on Nagasaki. Einstein was at his rented cottage at Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks when he heard the news. All he could say was, "Oh, my God."
A month after the bomb was dropped a group of scientists who were involved in creating the atomic bomb signed a statement urging that a council of nations be created to control atomic weaponry. Einstein wanted even greater restrictions calling for a "supranational" entity rather than an "international" one because this organization would exist above its member nations rather than be a mediator among sovereign nations. Most scientists thought his scheme was too idealistic and impractical. What all the scientists agreed upon was something had to be done to control this incredible destructive power that had been unleashed by their hands. The bomb had consequences they had not foreseen.
When the scientists first began to work on the Manhattan Project they envisioned all the possibilities of good that could come from their experiments but by the close of the war they recoiled in horror when they realized the destruction that could come to all humankind. Their discovery could be used for bad as well as good ends.1
We all appreciate the tremendous advances of science and technology that have made our lives more enjoyable and more exciting in recent years, but we also know that some of these "advances" can be used with bad intentions as well as with good ones. Ever since scientists have unlocked the mystery of the atom we have been living under the threat of "the bomb." Of course, today we exist under a more terrifying nuclear threat than the original atomic bomb.
Even our "best and brightest" minds cannot keep everything under control; therefore, we cannot expect those of us who are more ordinary people to think that we can have complete control over our lives. We have problems we cannot solve, burdens too heavy to bear, and addictions that enslave us. We have diseases we cannot heal and in the end death that we cannot escape.
We may not be able to describe and explain the demon possession mentioned in our scriptural passage today but we have seen our share of the demonic in our world today and even in our own lives. It is a rough world we live in and Mark in his gospel does not want us to forget it, but he doesn't leave us there. He also has good news to tell us. He declares that there is one who is stronger than the evil we confront. Someone more powerful than evil has entered the world and that someone stands by our side to help us battle against evil.
The King's Speech won an Academy Award as the best motion picture of the year. The film depicted the plight of King George VI who came to the throne as World War II approached. He was shy and had a stammer that made ordinary speaking so difficult let alone having to make formal speeches to thousands of people and radio addresses to millions of people. Over against this stammering king who could barely speak at all was Adolf Hitler, a mesmerizing speaker who could control and incite the largest crowds to support the Nazi regime as it sought to conquer all of Europe.
The heart of the film centers in George's wife Elizabeth who seeks to help her husband. In desperation she goes to visit Lionel Logue, a little-known, self-trained speech therapist, who agrees to help her husband, not knowing at the time that he is the King of England. Elizabeth ultimately convinces her reluctant husband to see this odd character.
Over a period of time Logue in his unorthodox way encourages, or threatens might be a better word, the king to learn to speak clearly. He teaches the king to do endless calisthenics. He even has the king singing and cursing. He does a bit of probing into the king's early life and discovers a bad relation with his father and his older brother who can do no wrong in the eyes of the father. Logue tells the king that he is determined "to help you find your voice." In the end of the story, King George VI does find his voice and rallies the people in a radio broadcast that prepares them to stand against Nazi tyranny.
William H. Willimon in a penetrating article in the Christian Century magazine used The King's Speech movie as a basis for speaking about the authority of preaching the gospel. He argues that it is extremely difficult to teach seminarians how to preach. He explains:
King George, head of the British Empire, was terrified by the prospect of being put in front of a microphone. That's nothing compared to going head to head with the average North American congregation with nothing to aid you but three points and a poem. To say something important to a crowd of listeners, to dare to intrude into other people's souls with words, to tell them the truth that they have been assiduously avoiding -- that is not a vocation for the faint of heart. Who would undertake it without external compulsion?2
Willimon goes on to say that preaching can't be done "without being summoned." He then cites a personal example:
Sometimes I'm invited to "just share what's on your heart." Alas, as an ordained spokesperson for the gospel, I'm not free to engage in such self-indulgence. Left to my own devices, I might say what I'm really thinking -- but the church could care less about what I'm thinking, The pressing question: "Is there any word from the Lord?" That is the pressing question!3
Recognizing the voice of authority is the key to overcoming the chaos, "the out of control" aspect of so much of our lives. There is only one who speaks with an authoritative voice straight from God, namely Jesus who astounded the synagogue congregation in Capernaum that day and who continues to astound today as he subdues the unruly powers that torment us. Amen.
__________
1. Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), 480-488.
2. William H. Willimon, "Voice Lessons," Christian Century (Chicago: February 8, 2011), 10-13.
3. Ibid.
