Sermon preached by the Reverend Canon John E. Kitagawa at the
celebration of the Holy Eucharist, on 1 February 2015 (The Fourth Sunday
after the Epiphany) at St Philip’s In The Hills Parish, Tucson, Arizona
WHAT HAVE YOU TO DO WITH US, JESUS OF NAZARETH?
Deuteronomy 18: 15-20; I Corinthians 8: 1-13; Mark 1: 21 -28
The key word in today’s Gospel is “authority.” Early in his ministry, Jesus is teaching in the
Synagogue at Capernaum. Early in the text, we learn the congregation is …
astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as
the scribes (Mark 1: 22, my bold).
Clearly, Jesus has a special way of connecting with people at the deepest level. We need to
understand what “having authority” means. One commentary offers this:
The people were used to preachers who simply talked on and on about what some
rabbi had said, rather than what the Bible said. [For example,] “Rabbi Schlomo
said that one must tithe only his major crops; but Rabbi Avraham said one must
include even the spices of the garden”—that’s how some of their preaching likely
went. They ignored what God said—namely, that people should turn their whole
lives over to [God], that the Old Testament tithe was only a symbol of the real
offering, that God’s people were to give everything to his service; and when they
realized they were being selfish, they needed to confess that to God and trust in
the coming Messiah1.
The Gospel story goes on. A man possessed by demons interrupts Jesus. Jesus again
demonstrates his authority by silencing and sending away the unclean spirits. The text tells us
the crowd again responds with amazement:
What is this? A new teaching—with authority! (Mark 1: 27 my bold).
That was then, this is now. Today’s story leads to the question of whether Jesus Christ still has
the ability to touch us and transform us at our core. Do teachings and stories of demonstrated
authority motivate and inspire us? How are our lives shaped by Jesus Christ? I ask these
questions for two reasons. The first relates directly to our individual spiritual journeys and
spiritual health. The second relates to Paul’s insight in today’s I Corinthians reading. Part of the
community understands that knowledge of God revealed through Jesus Christ liberates them.
Therefore, what harm could there be in eating sacrificial food? Paul reminds them:
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"We know that 'all of us possess knowledge.' 'Knowledge puffs up, but love
builds up (I Corinthians 8: 1b – 3, my emphasis).
In other words, for Paul, it is not just about personal faith, it is also about what we do to build up
the Body of Christ, the Church.
The Vestry, Commissioners, staff and other parish leaders have worked hard to develop and
renew strategic goals for growing the parish. However, if we do not take seriously the kinds of
questions I just raised about Jesus Christ’s central place in our lives, our plans will meet with
limited success. You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you want to see God laugh, show God
your plans.” God, however, does not laugh if our plans are congruent with what Jesus taught and
demonstrated.
Some of you are familiar with the work of the late Marcus Borg. In his book, Speaking
Christian, Borg offers an insight that speaks not only to our Christian Formation ministries, but
to the spiritual foundation for any mission strategies we develop. Speaking to those who want to
minimize churchy language and downplay the place of the Bible, Borg writes Christians must
know the basic stories of the Bible, and the basic words of faith. He believes we need to know
the stories and words, and understand them. He asserts:
It’s knowing the basic vocabulary, knowing the basic stories. When Christians
forget what their words mean, they forget what their faith means.
If you look at dictionary definitions of authority, you will see a lot of verbiage about the
exercise of power, the right to control and dominate, and the power to determine and adjudicate.
These definitions might have warmed the hearts of the Scribes in the Gospels.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ culture imposed both authority and control,
manipulating the life, death, health, and welfare of [their people]2.
Jesus Christ’s approach to authority is vastly different. It involves a process of discernment and
willing acceptance of a new life, a different way of life with responsibilities and sacrifices for the
greater good. As Bill Leonard [a professor of church history at Wake Forest University’s School
of Divinity in N. C.] says,
Jesus spoke in a way that drew people in. He used stories, parables and
metaphors. He communicated in images that both religious and nonreligious folks
of his day [understood]3.
Part of our task is to figure out authentic ways to draw people of many demographics in, to
share the basic stories and interpret the parables and metaphors of our rich Biblical heritage. We
need to do this in ways today’s religious and non-religious people can discern God’s presence
and activity in the world. As we learn these lessons, we must find our authentic answers to the
question posed by the unclean spirits possessing the man in the Gospel.
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What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? (Mark 1: ).
Consciously or unconsciously, we answer this question. Whether by indifference or active
seeking; whether by prioritizing other aspects of our life more highly, we answer. Our answer is
ultimately revealed through the way we live our lives as individuals and in community. Today’s
responses may motivate and lead us to a new journey of discovery through study, prayer, and/or
meditation. I submit to you this morning, that our answers form the spiritual basis for our
capacity to respond to God’s call to serve and to be living signs of the kingdom of God at hand.
When we look at what’s going on in this parish, I believe there is enough evidence to allow us
to say Jesus of Nazareth still has much to do with us, and with the redemption and reconciliation
of a broken and hurting world.
AMEN.
____________
1
Synthesis: A Weekly Resource for Preaching & Worship in the Episcopal Tradition, 2012; Epiphany 4B, 2.
Ibid,
3
Ibid,
2