Reflection on the Gospel of the Tuesday Of The First Week In Ordinary Time |
Mark 1:21b-28 |
Jesus is relatively new in Capernaum. He is gathering small groups here and there and teaching them. Here scholars point out that Jesus like Lady Wisdom (Book of Wisdom) is going street to street, from house to house, trying to gather disciples. Only difference is that Jesus is God’s Wisdom incarnate.
Like is Jesus’ custom, he enters the synagogue at Capernaum one Sabbath and starts expounding of the Old Testament scriptures, but the way he is helping everyone understand the Word of God, the people have never seen and heard anyone teach like this. His words are convicting one and all to the truth. But one among them is disturbed and the unclean spirit gives voice to Jesus’ identity. But this is like Jesus’ third temptation, a shortcut to complete his mission on earth. Even we are similarly tempted many times. When difficulties come, we want to bypass them, even though God has brought them our way. Jesus sidesteps; and commands the unclean spirit to silence and commands the unclean spirit to come out of the man he is inhabiting.
Everyone is now even more amazed and they spread the story of this incident far and wide, telling everyone what Jesus did. This is exactly what the shortcut was inviting Jesus to but promised instant success. Here though Jesus becomes more known, there is still more time to completing his mission.
The question is always do we want to travel the path on the time-table God sets, or we want instant results, or we want to complete our mission asking God to meet do things how we like them and at our pace. Who then should be the driver of your life?
