+Do you remember several years ago when there was a cruise ship accident and the captain of the ship was found fleeing the scene in one of the first life boats. People were FURIOUS-- with the authority given to him as Captain came certain responsibilities up to and including, going down with the ship! Now, if the ship’s cook was seen jumping into a lifeboat, no one would’ve thought a thing about it. On the other hand, had the cook stayed behind making sure everyone was rescued before he was, then he would’ve been treated as a hero!
Authority’s an interesting thing….we expect it from those who (in our minds) have earned it through education, title or our own personal experience with them—but when authority is exercised by the unexpected, well that’s something else altogether.
This type of authority catches our attention—
the surprising kind.
In today’s gospel, Jesus was an unexpected leader, a surprising voice of authority.
Picture it: Jesus walks into the synagogue and without paying any heed to the other people gathered, speaks and teaches with an authority unlike anything those in attendance had ever heard.
Even though Jesus’ authority was surprising, it was easily recognized. Folks took notice right away. So while the traditional leaders weren’t so sure about this itinerant preacher from up the road in Nazareth, the regular, run of the mill people in the “pews” were moved by Jesus’ words, they were touched by his leadership,and they accepted his authority as being genuine. The congregation got it.
So did the demon.
The demon recognized Jesus right away—he noticed how Jesus exhibited an authentic authority and immediately the demon begins to challenge him—for although the demon recognizes Jesus’ true identity, the demon doesn’t know if Jesus fully realizes his own identity yet.
Which is precisely why we read this story in Epiphany—the season when we, along with Jesus, learn the full scope of Jesus’ nature.
The demon’s clever: because if Jesus hadn’t realized his divine authority yet, the demon may have been able to gain the upper hand, but Jesus doesn't flinch, he speaks “harshly to the demon, commanding it to come out of the afflicted man.” The demon, no fool, realizes he’s met his match, and departs. The demon recognizes the authority and responds to it by getting out of Dodge, just as the one who was speaking with authority, commanded.
Jesus, with the authority granted to him by God, with the authority obvious in the confidence and firmness of his harsh voice, leads the action, avoiding the attempted hijacking by the demon. Jesus takes charge and with God given authority and his own divine willingness to exercise that authority-- kicked the demon to the curb, making room for the manifestation of his mission—to bring the presence of God into every nook and cranny of the human experience.
So how does this apply to us, here and now?
Well, just as Jesus figuring out his identity and his mission was his Epiphany task, our Epiphany task is to continue that mission, being Jesus’ hands and feet, eyes and ears, here on earth. Our task is to speak the Good News with authority. Our task is to challenge the demons of our own lives with the voice of authority, breaking open space in our lives for the Kingdom of God to flourish. Right here and Right now.
To do this, we need to accept the authority granted to us at our baptism. This is THE authority of the Gospel---our baptisms assign us to be God's foot soldiers in this world---we are to take the authority Jesus handed to us from the cross, and change the world!
To do this we must recognize the demons in our lives and speak harshly to them, kicking them to the curb, making room for the Holy Spirit.
What are your demons, where do they hide? Do they recognize your willingness to grasp the mantle of authority or do they recognize your hesitancy to stand up for the mission outlined by Christ and given over to us?
It would be nice if our demons were as overt and obvious as the one in today’s Gospel. Truth is, most of our demons are quieter, more insidious.
They can be difficult to identify and they can be even more difficult to throw out, because they have a certain pay off for us, there are things about our demons which entice and seduce us, making it easier, in the short run, to stick with them instead of making space for the Holy Spirit to move in and do her work. Our demons keep us in the old familiar places, while the Holy Spirit almost always takes us to places unfamiliar and uncomfortable to us; risky, scary and strange places.
For it's only in the risky, the scary and the strange that true growth happens.
Each and everyone of you here this morning have seen your share of demons: losses, changes, challenges. Trust has been violated, promises broken and hopes dashed. Yet here you are, willing to try something all together new in the school project, willing to kick those demons to the curb, opening up space for the Holy Spirit to lead you into the risky, scary and strange places of growth and renewal. It’s good and holy work you are doing. It’s Epiphany work. And it's the work God has given you to do! And with you? God is well-pleased.
Amen +
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