Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

He went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and was teaching them on the sabbath. They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority. In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Let us alone! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’ When the demon had thrown him down before them, he came out of him without having done him any harm. They were all amazed and kept saying to one another, ‘What kind of utterance is this? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and out they come!’ And a report about him began to reach every place in the region.

It’s interesting that the possessed man in today’s Gospel is allowed to carry on shouting in the synagogue, at least till Jesus intervenes. If a person makes a public disturbance nowadays, the police will be called and the disturber promptly removed. It’s the standard response to violent disorder: use a greater force to suppress the problem.

But this isn’t how Jesus responds. His authority, the authority that amazes the people, is not based on a capacity for violence. Jesus doesn’t harm the man: he confronts and banishes the demon. So what is the lesson here?

While we aren’t usually confronted by demon-possessed antagonists, all of us live in a world that is frequently violent, a world where force seems the only solution. And perhaps harnessing the demon of violence for good purposes – law and order, peace – is just realism. Maybe nonviolence is not really practical if we are to have stability in our societies, protection from our enemies. But I wonder, sometimes, how close we are to really following Jesus’ example. What is the true cost of our reliance on brute force?

Well, we can’t disarm the world, but can we try a different approach to dealing with confrontational violence? I mean the hidden violence that runs through human interactions, from cold greetings to snarky putdowns usually calls forth a response in kind.

Today, when confronted by such behaviour, let’s follow Jesus. Let’s recognise the demon that drives both the provocation and the response, and refuse to ally with it. Let’s stand instead in the quiet authority of God’s infinite love, and risk believing that a gentle word can turn away wrath.

How can we follow Jesus’ example in responding to aggression with authoritative gentleness?