20210131 TEACHING WITH PERSONAL AUTHORITY
31 January, 2021, Sunday, 4th Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Deuteronomy 18:15-20 © |
I will raise up a prophet and put my words into his mouth
Moses said to the people: ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like myself, from among yourselves, from your own brothers; to him you must listen. This is what you yourselves asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the Assembly. “Do not let me hear again” you said “the voice of the Lord my God, nor look any longer on this great fire, or I shall die”; and the Lord said to me, “All they have spoken is well said. I will raise up a prophet like yourself for them from their own brothers; I will put my words into his mouth and he shall tell them all I command him. The man who does not listen to my words that he speaks in my name, shall be held answerable to me for it. But the prophet who presumes to say in my name a thing I have not commanded him to say, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 94(95):1-2,6-9 © |
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the Lord.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us:
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
O that today you would listen to his voice!
‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.’
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Second reading |
1 Corinthians 7:32-35 © |
Give your undivided attention to the Lord
I would like to see you free from all worry. An unmarried man can devote himself to the Lord’s affairs, all he need worry about is pleasing the Lord; but a married man has to bother about the world’s affairs and devote himself to pleasing his wife: he is torn two ways. In the same way an unmarried woman, like a young girl, can devote herself to the Lord’s affairs; all she need worry about is being holy in body and spirit. The married woman, on the other hand, has to worry about the world’s affairs and devote herself to pleasing her husband. I say this only to help you, not to put a halter round your necks, but simply to make sure that everything is as it should be, and that you give your undivided attention to the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:25 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt4:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The people that lived in darkness
has seen a great light;
on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
a light has dawned.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 1:21-28 © |
Unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority
Jesus and his disciples went as far as Capernaum, and as soon as the sabbath came he went to the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.
In their synagogue just then there was a man possessed by an unclean spirit and it shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus said sharply, ‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him. The people were so astonished that they started asking each other what it all meant. ‘Here is a teaching that is new’ they said ‘and with authority behind it: he gives orders even to unclean spirits and they obey him.’ And his reputation rapidly spread everywhere, through all the surrounding Galilean countryside.
TEACHING WITH PERSONAL AUTHORITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [DT 18:15-20; PS 95:1-2,6-9; 1 COR 7:32-35; MARK 1:21-28 ]
Few teachers today speak with authority. When we say someone speaks with authority, we do not simply mean that the person has the authority, the license or the academic qualification to speak. Having juridical authority might provide some level of confidence for those speakers who are not known to the audience initially, however, such juridical authority is inadequate because it does not command the mind and heart of the listeners. Such authority requires professional authority in terms of knowledge, but more importantly, personal authority.
In today’s gospel, we read, “as soon as the Sabbath came Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach. And his teaching made a deep impression on them because, unlike the scribes, he taught with authority.” What is the difference between the teaching of Jesus and that of the scribes who were knowledgeable in the Law? Afterall, they spent their whole life studying the scriptures and were experts in every detail of the Law. Yet, we are told that they lacked authority compared to the way our Lord taught them.
Their authority was founded on their office as scribes and the knowledge gained through study. Indeed, they spent much time studying the Law and the application of these laws, all 613 of them, to cover every possible situation. These laws became burdensome because they were applied blindly and rigidly without taking into consideration the personal circumstances. Judaism became not so much a way to encounter God’s love and mercy as it was about legalism and rituals. In other words, these laws did not help the people to love God and their fellowmen. They did not touch on the practical realities of the challenges of daily living.
But what changed the perspective that Moses passed on to them? This was because Moses taught them with the full weight of authority; both personal and juridical. In the first reading, it was Moses who gave them the Law. And the people listened to Moses and respected him even though they broke the law frequently out of weakness and selfishness. So what was the difference? Moses was more than a law giver. He was a man who was close to God. God spoke to him face to face, as one speaks to a friend. (cf Ex 33:11) He was with them in their difficult and long journey of forty years through the desert, fighting their enemies, protecting them from the harsh weather, the drought and their hunger. He gave them manna in the desert, meat from the quails and water from the rock. He was their leader in every way and that was how he was remembered and respected. He did not just give the laws but he was truly concerned about uniting them as the People of God.
So, too, our Lord taught in the same manner. He was seen as the Second and New Moses. He would establish the Kingdom that was still incipient during the time of Moses. He was the one that Moses said, “Your God will raise up for you a prophet like myself, from among yourselves, from your own brothers; to him you must listen.” As God’s eschatological prophet and final visitation, He would put everything in order. This explains why the gospels, especially St Matthew, drew a parallel between Jesus and Moses. Like Moses, He was persecuted by the King. Like Moses, he fled to Egypt. Like Moses, He taught at the mountain and gave them the new law, the Sermon on the Mount and the beatitudes. Like Moses, He gave them the new manna, the bread of life, the Eucharist. He too walked with His people, lived amongst them, acting not just with juridical authority but personal authority both in His words and in His life.
Unlike the teaching of the scribes; Jesus did not quote from the authorities or from any experts. He did not even attend any theological school. Yet, He spoke with confidence and conviction. As the Word of God, He did not need to refer to any other authority beyond Himself. He spoke from His own insights and He spoke with the voice of God without any apology or the need to please His listeners. He did not need to speak to gain popularity. Even His enemies said this of Him. “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.” (Mt 22:16) He knew what He was saying.
Indeed, the authority of Jesus was felt and seen by those who came to meet Him. In the gospel of Mark earlier on, we read how the first disciples of Jesus, upon being called by the Lord, immediately left their nets, their boats and their family to follow after Jesus. There was no hesitation simply because they saw the calling of Jesus as an imperative from the Lord. Jesus did not even request them to follow Him. He said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” (Mk 1:17) Such was the imposing authority of our Lord. He is divine!
This same authority was again encountered this time not by men but by the evil spirits. With the same authority and conviction, He ordered the evil spirit to depart from the man. With a commanding voice, He said sharply, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” What is significant in this episode is that it was not Jesus who confronted the unclean spirit. On the contrary, before the majestic authority of Jesus, the unclean spirit could not help but tremble before Him and cried out shouting, “what do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God.” Indeed, we can imagine the kind of authority that Jesus exhibited within Him that even got the unclean spirit to confess His presence. And we are told “the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry went out of him.” Clearly, Jesus was in charge of Himself and of the Evil One. He commanded and the unclean spirit submitted. Evil spirits before the presence of Christ surrender in fear.
This authority of our Lord is also underscored by His Messianic identity. This is brought out by the so called “Messianic secret”, a special characteristic of the evangelist, St Mark. In the gospel, as in today’s incident, Jesus silenced those who revealed His identity to others for fear of being misunderstood. After healing a person, He would tell the person not to reveal His identity to anyone. He also prohibited the unclean spirits from revealing His identity. This is because His identity is that of the suffering Messiah. His authority came from humble service, carrying the sins of His fellowmen, being crucified for our sake. Suffering with and for us is a necessary part of His mission so that He could reveal the love and mercy of His Father and by His resurrection conquer all hatred, sin and the fear of death.
Today, we are called to exercise the same authority of our Lord in our position as leaders and teachers. We need to supplement our professional and even juridical authority with personal authority, a knowledge that comes from our personal conviction of God and of the scriptures, but most of all, our personal life. Only when we live a life in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, can we then speak their language, feel with them and provide them the answers to the quests in their lives. As teachers, we must live by example and teach from our lives. Sharing in the struggles and sufferings of our brothers and sisters, we will be able to show empathy, and lead them to overcome their sufferings just as we had done.
This is why we must first be taught by the Lord and submit to His word so that His word will act in us and transform us. (1 Th 2:13) Conforming our lives to His Word will set us free to live a life of love so that what we say is matched by what we do. Indeed, as St Paul urges us, we must make Jesus the center of our lives in all that we do, whether as married or single. It is immaterial. What is absolute is that Jesus is the center of all that we do and how we think so that we can truly be exemplary teachers of authority. Let us first learn obedience like our Lord before we can be like Him, leaders in perfection in love and service.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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