THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS
First Reading: Deuteronomy 18: 15-20
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7: 32-35
Gospel Reading: Mark 1: 21-28
* First reading is from the book of Deuteronomy. Moses instructs the people of Israel that the Lord God will send an outstanding prophet who will proclaim His message and lead the people to the Lord God. The Lord God will put words into the mouth of the prophet and he will speak with authority. This prophecy of Moses finds its fulfilment in Jesus.
*Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Corinthians. Paul reminds the Christian community at Corinth and us that whether married or unmarried, we are called to holiness of life and to live with an undivided devotion to God. He urges those who are celibate to give their undivided attention to the Lord. He wishes that all of us be free from all worries so as to give total attention to the Lord Jesus and His message.
With authority He commands Today's Gospel reading is from St. Mark. We have a specific example of how Jesus spoke with great authority during His public life. Only a genuine person can speak with authority. At that time there were many teachers of the law: Scribes and Pharisees. But they could never speak with authority. Jesus could speak with authority because He had the approval of the heavenly Father and He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was convinced of what He said and He said what He believed in. In the second part of today's Gospel we have some examples of how Jesus exercised His authority. A person possessed with an evil spirit was brought to the Lord. Jesus commanded and the evil spirit left the person and the possessed person was totally freed from the power of evil. Today we are living in a world where many people are possessed by various evils. They are the people who are haunted by fear, worries, anxieties, suicidal tendencies, various addictions and many other evil habits. Jesus' authority and power is necessary to heal these unfortunate people. Hence Jesus exercised His authority to liberate people and to heal them and to bring them closer to God. The prophecy of Moses finds its fulfillment in Jesus. More than ever today we are faced with scepticism about many people in authority both in the secular sphere and in the religious sphere. Unlike them Jesus spoke with authority because He spoke the truth and He backed up His words with His deeds.
"All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me." -Matthew 28:18
"Authority exercised with humility and obedience accepted with delight are the very lines along which our spirits live." - C.S. Lewis
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