In Sunday’s Gospel (Mark 1, 21-28) the people of Capernaum recognize Jesus who had come to their synagogue as a teacher, and not just any old teacher, but a teacher who was very different from the teachers they had grown used to, the scribes, the experts in the Jewish Law. Jesus’ teaching, we are told, “made a deep impression on people, because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.” The people in the synagogue exclaimed, “Here is a teaching that is new and with authority behind it.”
This moment in that synagogue is the first public act of Jesus in St. Mark’s Gospel. This is important because, according to St. Mark, Jesus first appeared “on the scene” as an authoritative teacher, as someone whose Word could deliver people from their “demons,” from the forces that were oppressing them and leaving them diminished as human beings.
For all of us who follow Jesus, He remains the “ultimate authority.” Like the people of Capernaum, we recognize His authority, the authority of His teaching and His deeds, and the authority of His life, death and Resurrection. Two thousand years down the path of Christianity, we profess Jesus not just as our teacher, but as our Lord and Master. We are happy to submit to His authority because we recognize that in doing so we will have a chance to live life to the full, and, like the man in the Gospel, we will be freed of all that prevents us from becoming the people God intends us to be.
There can be great reluctance today to submit to anyone. The value of personal autonomy is so highly prized and sought after. Yet, it is not possible to live without submitting to some authority even if it is the authority of the self. What matters is that we submit to the right authority and this weekend’s Gospel suggests that such authority is to be found exclusively in the person of Jesus. Be sure to come to Mass this weekend ready to offer Him your whole heart, mind, and soul.
