Jesus, teach us as you did at Capernaum!

They now left that district and made a journey through Galilee. Jesus wished it to be kept secret; for he was teaching his disciples, and telling them. "The Son of Man is now to be given up into the power of men, and they will kill him and three days after being killed, he will rise again." But they did not understand what he said, and were afraid to ask.

So they came to Capernaum; and when he was indoors, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" They were silent, because on the way they had been discussing who was the greatest. He sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all." Then he took a child, set him in front of them, and put his arm around him. 'Whoever receives one of these children in my name", he said "receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me." Mark 9: 30-37

For he was teaching his disciples. Now the teaching is not public, but private. The time is short, and Jesus has much to tell them about the Kingdom of God. Jesus, in the privacy of my heart, teach me what I have yet to learn of God's rule.

But they did not understand. This "not understanding" is a repeated theme in the Gospels. Sometimes we're so very busy in our religious lives and someone might ask legitimately, "What does this have to do with Jesus and the Kingdom of God he proclaimed?" Fair enough. We should care, and take the question to heart, rather than defending ourselves so quickly. 

They were afraid to ask. Why would the disciples be afraid to ask Jesus anything? Maybe because Jesus' answer would require a change of mind. Many people resist (even bitterly) changing their minds. When was the last time you heard someone say, (even yourself), "You know, you're right; I never thought of it that way before," or "Wow, I was really wrong about that!"

They were silent. Jesus has heard the disciples arguing on the road, and he calls them out on it. But they are like children who have been caught in a lie, or something shameful and embarrassing. 

If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all. This is a central piece of Jesus' teaching. Think of bad-tempered athletes who let their unhappiness be known because they don't come in first place. Or someone who is all put out because he/she didn't get the desired position. Spoken or unspoken, the cultural thinking is something like this: How can I win? What's in it for me? How can I get out of this? Let me know what's expected before I commit.  Instead of looking to control and dominate, Jesus asks us to put ourselves at the service of others. My goal should be: How useful can I be? 

I know a family who have recently bought a motel. When I asked the mother (who is also the oldest) "And what are you going to do in the new business?" she immediately answered and laughed, "I don't know; clean  toilets?" Jesus would be sooo un-impressed with stardom!

Then he took a child.  In the ancient world, no other philosopher or guru or religious teacher ever featured children so importantly as did Jesus. There's a lot to learn from children spiritually. French author, Arnaud Desjardins, wrote: Mindful and creative, a child who has neither past, nor examples to follow, nor value judgments, simply lives, speaks and plays in freedom.

"Never have we seen..."

When after some days he returned to Capernaum, the news went round that he was at home; and such a crowd collected that the space in front of the door was not big enough to hold them. And while he was proclaiming the message to them a man was brought who was paralysed. Four men were carrying him, but because of the crowd they could not get him near. So they opened up the roof over the place where Jesus was, and when they had broken through they lowered the stretcher on which the paralysed man was lying . When Jesus saw their faith, he said, to the paralysed man, "My son your sins are forgiven."

Now there were some lawyers sitting there and they thought to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? This is blasphemy! Who but God alone can forgive sins?" Jesus knew in his own mind that this was what they were thinking, and said to them: "Why do you harbour thoughts like these? Is it easier to say to this paralysed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up, take up your bed and walk'? But to convince you that the Son of Man has the right on earth to forgive sins' - he turned to the paralysed man - 'I say to you, stand up, take your bed, and go home.' And he got up, took his stretcher at once, and went out in full view of them all, so that they were astounded and praised God. 'Never before', they said, 'have we seen the like.' (Mark 2: 1-12)

The first verse tells us that Jesus was at home. Maybe he had a kind of headquarters in Capernaum. Maybe it was his own house that had the roof ripped open. At any rate, Jesus didn't respond to the man's grand entrance. We might imagine he laughed.

In 1996 I made a pilgrimage to Medjugorge and climbed Cross Mountain, a difficult hike up a very steep rough path of slippery, shifting, sharp marble. We were only a few minutes into the journey when I found myself next to an elderly woman - wearing a thick sweater in August! We didn't speak a word of each other's language, but it was clear that this was going to be extraordinarily difficult for her. So I offered her my right arm and let her set the pace. She kept on, walking steadily for over an hour, not pausing for a water or shade break, head down and intent on where she was placing her feet. She brings to mind the perseverance and determination of these four gospel fellows who found a way to get their friend to Jesus.

Notice that the man has a physical problem but Jesus addresses the spiritual issue first. "Your sins are forgiven." Lots of people are physically or emotionally unwell, but their real problem is a spiritual one: there is unrecognized or un-revealed pride, hatred or suspicion. It used to be said of Catholics that they had a lesser incidence of craziness as Catholics have built into their religious system a way to get rid of the things that make people neurotic. 

Notice too that these religious lawyers are sniffing around looking for the moment to trap Jesus. They think they have him now as they hear Jesus make a God-claim by the forgiveness of the man's sins. Jesus skillfully turns the tables on them.

Religious people can be rather impossible, walking around with their moral checklist. Pope Francis has asked the Church to shift its emphasis. There's a lot more to Christianity than a sexual ethic. A pious church lady told me once, "I'm not into this justice stuff." She must be having a hard time with this pope. None of this is lost on Jesus, "Why do you harbor thoughts like these?" he asks. I think he would ask the same of many Christians today - disappointed as he might be with people's negative attitudes towards the poor, the newcomer, persons of other colors and inclinations, capital punishment, war. There's a lot of hate out there!

The scene ends rather dramatically, as it had begun. And there's a big and joyful response to what's been seen. We can well imagine that the lawyers didn't share the crowd's enthusiasm. "If today you hear his voice harden not your hearts," the psalm says. Jesus Christ giving voice to the God of kind-mercy. Some folks still don't want to hear of God being kindly disposed toward those who are not like them or of whom they disapprove. Let's hope for better.

At Capernaum, A New Kind of Teaching!

THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH of the late 4th century Capernaum Synagogue built over the remains of the 1st century Synagogue of Jesus. The Marcan Gospel scene, Chapter 1: 21-28 took place here.

They came to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath he went to synagogue and began to teach. The people were astounded at his teaching, for, unlike the doctors of the law, he taught with a note of authority. Now there was a man in the synagogue possessed by an unclean spirit. He shrieked: "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.?" Jesus rebuked him: "Be silent", he said, "And come out of him. And the unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry left him. They were all dumbfounded and began to ask one another, "What is this? a new kind of teaching! He speaks with authority. When he gives orders, even the unclean spirits submit." The news spread rapidly, and he was soon spoken of all over the district of Galilee.

The people sensed that Jesus taught with authority. That might better be translated authenticity - that what Jesus  preached came from his own inner experience of God, that he wasn't just repeating religious formulas like their own lawyer-preachers. The quality of preaching today needs a serious reform. It's no secret that people leave the Church and search elsewhere because the preaching at Mass is so often abysmal.

A grandpa took his grandson to Mass one Sunday - a young boy whose parents were not church-goers. On the way back home the grandfather asked the boy, "So what did you think of Mass?" And the boy answered, "The man up front talked a lot." Some preachers think that effective preaching means long preaching.

Some preachers don't know how to address a Sunday congregation without using religious or theological language. Other preachers think that homily time is catechism class and that God's Word is well presented if the people know their dogma. Protestant ministers often string along Bible quotes while Catholic preachers quote saints, popes and bishops - kind of pulling out the big guns to authenticate their message. Some preachers never speak a controversial word because they're afraid someone won't like what's said and make a report to the bishop or withhold a  donation. 

I think the needed preaching reform might begin with each one asking "Do I love Jesus - really love Jesus - as he is discovered in no other book than the Gospels?"

We might notice too that the demon  knows who Jesus is already: "I know who you are, Holy One of God." We'd expect the evil one to divide the people with a lie, but here the unclean spirit can't help himself. Overwhelmed with the truth of Jesus, he blurts out that Jesus is undeniably God's Holy One. He knows his time is up, that Jesus has the power. Isn't it interesting - the unclean spirits know who Jesus is - but we often don't.

Lastly, the demon uses Jesus' name. It's a power play - kind of like my mother sternly calling me Stephen Peter when I was a boy in trouble. We're all divided people. We've got a foot in both worlds: heaven and earth. We're each still taken by, obsessed with, or compromised by some earthly way. It takes great personal insight and a deep truth to know and acknowledge this.

Will I let Jesus have the power? What would change in me - my relationships, my family, my nation, the Church if I (we) gave Jesus the power which rightly belongs to him as God's Holy One? Don't think of how others would change, only myself.