Something wrong here, surely?

John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. … … … In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

(Galilee, Israel, around A D 30 – as reported in Mark’s biography of Jesus 1: 4-9)

The above report seems bland and unemotional. This “John” – John the Baptist as he is known – went out into the desert area around Jerusalem and called on all human beings to repent – to change their minds. He told them in no uncertain terms that they were sinners needing forgiveness from the LORD above and that they should confess their sinfulness outwardly – and their wish to change – by being baptized in the river Jordan. And he was inundated with folk wanting baptism, not only Jerusalemites but all the country of Judea (of which Jerusalem was the capital city). Along comes Jesus and is baptized – along with all these repentant sinners. Bland and unemotional? This man destroyed his good name. Mark records that later, having called some disciples to follow him, they went up north into Galilee …
And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
Everyone else in the synagogue that morning was staggered to hear Jesus’ teaching. Ever since they could remember the scribes (educated legal officers) had lectured in the synagogue about what the LORD meant to say in the law and the prophets. But this man spoke as the author of the law and the prophets. And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “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.” “The Holy One of God”? This unclean man can’t be right, can he? If his words are correct, then why on earth would “The Holy One of God”, some months earlier, have been in the sinners’ queue and then been baptized by John the Baptist? A sinner can’t be holy, let alone be “The Holy One of God”. Something wrong here, surely? The demon within this church-going man was terribly frightened of Jesus. Actually, it was demons, plural, within him, part and parcel of who he was, that persuaded him to be terribly frightened of Jesus. He saw Jesus only as his destroyer.
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
On that day in Capernaum – and in that church – two things staggered the congregation. Not only did this man teach like the author of all things but also he changes people inside – even church-goers. Despite the fact that he wanted to be numbered amongst the sinners who were truly sorry for all their wrong and harms and sins. In fact, did this man, Jesus of Nazareth, go to the Capernaum synagogue so as to give new life to this unclean man? This unclean man who hadn’t seen his uncleanness? And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.

Sinner Syvret

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