GOD’S SAVING POWER
Introduction
Though Jesus emptied himself of all privileges as God or, as the Letter to the Hebrews says, was made lower than the angels to join us in our wounded humanity – he who was without sin passed through death; his suffering was the way to glory for him and for us. But his power could not be hidden, when he spoke with authority and was leading a great number of brothers and sister to glory.
In the Gospel, Mark shows the power of God at work in Jesus, the Messiah. It is a power that is contested by the powers of evil that must struggle and come to grip with opposition and suffering, but which will ultimately win – through struggle and contradiction. Such is also the power of God today in the world, the power of God in answer to our faith and prayer.
Heb 2:5-12
God didn’t put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we’re dealing with here. It says in Scripture,
What is man and woman that you bother with them;
why take a second look their way?
You made them not quite as high as angels,
bright with Eden’s dawn light;
Then you put them in charge
of your entire handcrafted world.
When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction. What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,
I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know
about you;
I’ll join them in worship and praise to you.
Mk 1:21-28
Then they entered Capernaum. When the Sabbath arrived, Jesus lost no time in getting to the meeting place. He spent the day there teaching. They were surprised at his teaching—so forthright, so confident—not quibbling and quoting like the religion scholars. Suddenly, while still in the meeting place, he was interrupted by a man who was deeply disturbed and yelling out, “What business do you have here with us, Jesus? Nazarene! I know what you’re up to! You’re the Holy One of God, and you’ve come to destroy us!” Jesus shut him up: “Quiet! Get out of him!” The afflicting spirit threw the man into spasms, protesting loudly—and got out. Everyone there was spellbound, buzzing with curiosity. “What’s going on here? A new teaching that does what it says? He shuts up defiling, demonic spirits and tells them to get lost!” News of this traveled fast and was soon all over Galilee.
Prayer
God, source of all power,
we like to imagine that we can do great things,
but when it comes to your work,
to your kingdom of truth and justice,
we have to recognize, perhaps grudgingly,
that we are weak and ineffective.
Help us to acknowledge this weakness
not as defeat, but as our real strength,
to let your power reveal itself
in suffering, in struggles,
and in gentleness and love,
which you show us in Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Reflection:
Hebrews 2: 5-12
Brothers and sisters of Jesus
Today’s first reading deals with the problem that the early Christian community had in understanding the humanity of Jesus and his divine nature as the Lord and Son of God. The author of the letter emphasises the dignity of human beings because God the Father’s care for his children was revealed in allowing Jesus, the Son of God to assume the human nature. The author of the letter quotes from Psalm 8:
What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him?
You have made him for a little while lower than the angels, but you crowned him with glory and honour.…
The first Christians, who were despised and persecuted, were waiting for the immediate coming of Jesus’ reign on earth. Although Christ in his incarnation was – with the rest of humanity and became for a while lower than the angels – is now crowned in supreme glory and honour precisely because of his sufferings and death. Christ was glorified because he suffered and his triumph guarantees unending life for us. Jesus, though our supreme Lord, is “not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters” (Psalm 22).
So often, we see suffering as a punishment from God, but the author in today’s text makes it clear that, human sufferings are in fact a source of grace. The Jews or the Hebrews found difficult to understand. Walking the sufferings of life in this world, Jesus teaches us that our lives are made “perfect through suffering.” If Jesus is able to help human beings, it is because he has become one of us; we are his “brothers and sisters”.
Today, so many of us are driven by what the media and the people around tell us, than by the principles of the gospels. A lot of people prefer to follow the stock market than to hear the words of Jesus, who repeats to us, “Blessed are the poor.” Today’s Gospel also brings us a similar message: the disciples, scribes and pharisees all fail to recognise the and accept Jesus and his teachings.
Our destiny is to follow the Lord who walked ahead of us and our dignity is that we are the brothers and sisters of Jesus, the Lord.