Authoritative teaching

Gospel Commentary Jan. 28, 2024 Mk 1:21-28

Have you ever heard a speaker and been totally captivated by them and their message? Have you had a moment where you felt like the person spoke directly to your mind and heart with a message that was remarkably true and, at the same time, directed specifically at you?

Mark the Evangelist recounts in today’s Gospel that people were astounded at Jesus’ teaching and remarked how he taught with great authority. I want to attempt to explore what made Jesus’ teaching so authoritative.

First, I think it was that Our Lord spoke from a place of deep love and mercy. Jesus cared so intensely for each and every person He addressed and only wanted them to come to know, love and serve his Father in union with himself. That profound care was always integrated perfectly with the proclamation of the truth. So, even when Jesus needed to offer a strong challenge, as with the rich young man, he offered it with powerful love. That love made his challenge easier to embrace in nearly every instance. So, Jesus was an expert at working with each person, knowing when to encourage, when to heal, and when to show his support to an initial effort to follow or seek healing from him. Conversely, Jesus knew exactly when to challenge one person, invite another to a deeper level of sacrifice, and to rebuke the stubborn and proud listener. Jesus taught with authority because he always spoke from a place of love and mercy while bearing witness to the truth.

Second, Jesus taught loudly by the example of his life. He never asked his followers to do anything that he was not willing to do himself. There was never a contradiction between what he said and what he did. There was never a hint of hypocrisy in his teaching. There was no promotion of self-interest. In his ministry, there was no hint of reaching for personal gain. Jesus was totally engaged in his mission for the glory of the Father and the salvation of the world. The people grasped this and were captivated by him.

Third, Our Lord spoke directly to the people, never at them. He spoke in simple terms that everyone in the audience could comprehend. He made outstanding use of parables, stories that he handcrafted to teach very important truths about God and the Gospel way of life. He also had the gift of seeing how everyday realities and real-life events also shed light on the things of God. These skills were in stark contrast to the scribes and religious teachers of the day who had the practice of stringing together long series of quotes from ancient scholars as proof texts to attempt to give credence to the ideas they were articulating. The people found this approach of the scribes generally to be distasteful and ineffective.

Finally, and most significantly, Jesus is God. He is the eternal Word of our heavenly Father, the Word-made-flesh. So, Jesus’ word is truth. He can only speak the truth, the fullness of truth. Therefore, his word is powerful. His word is reality. So, when Jesus says: “You are forgiven,” or “Quiet! Come out of him!” or “From this day forward, you will be with me in Paradise,” it was absolutely true.

For these and many other reasons, “The people were astonished at (Jesus’) teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.”

Are you spending enough time at the feet of Jesus, being his disciple, reading and praying with his words in the Gospels, and being transformed by the love and truth of the savior?

Fr. Peterson is director of mission and development for the Youth Apostles.