Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Osmond Anike

Readings:

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 – I will raise up a prophet and put my words into his mouth.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 94(95):1-2, 6-9 – O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts’.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 – Give your undivided attention to the Lord.

Gospel: Mark 1:21-28 – Unlike the scribes, he taught them with authority.

Within the word of God that we heard today, the devil spoke. This was what the devil said: “I know who you are: the Holy One of God”. Isn’t this very strange? That the devil knows our own saviour more than us? That he could recognize him even in disguise? You and I are supposed to be Christians (followers of Christ). How much of Christ do we know? It appears that the devil has thrown us a challenge. Despite his “messianic secrecy”, the devil always recognizes Jesus, whereas those of us who should know him better fail to recognize him even when he speaks in plain language. What then do we do with this challenge from the devil?

First of all, we must understand what ‘knowledge’ in this context implies. It does not necessarily imply “knowing about something” but rather “knowing something”. The two phrases do not convey the same meaning. To know about something/somebody conveys a superficial and disinterested kind of knowledge that lacks depth. On the other hand, to know something/somebody implies a deeper kind of knowledge. This latter kind is actually the real knowledge; a knowledge in which one is personally engaged. Real knowledge is interpersonal knowledge, and this is where the devil got it wrong. When he said, “I know who you are”, he was simply implying that he knows about Jesus. But he does not really know Jesus. To really know is to be transformed by that knowledge. To know Jesus, therefore, is to be transformed by this knowledge of Jesus; and the devil was never transformed by his purported knowledge of Jesus. You know, Theology has become a public discourse studied in universities. Biblical Studies, Exegesis and Religious Science, etc., are all university courses offered by the majority of the world’s leading universities. Through these courses, one can easily know almost everything about Jesus. Non-Christians, atheists and agnostics can and do, know almost everything about Jesus. But do they really know Jesus? That’s the question. And, could it be that many of us who claim the name of Christian know about Jesus without knowing Jesus?

The mission of Jesus has never been to get our intellect to know about him but rather to transform our hearts through that knowledge. Every single teaching of his is geared towards this transformation. This is what is meant when it is said that Jesus taught with authority. Because he teaches from the heart and not simply from the head; because he focuses on the spirit of the law rather than on the letters of the law, his teachings inspire a positive change of heart that leads to transformation. And unless we get thus transformed, we may simply know about Jesus without ever knowing Jesus. It is the transformative, rather than the intellectual, knowledge of Jesus that counts as real knowledge. This transformative knowledge of Jesus translates also to our ability to recognize him in our neighbours; to hear his voice in that of our neighbours; to listen to him through listening to our neighbours. God directed Moses in the first reading to address the people thus: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like myself, from among yourselves, from your own brothers; to him, you must listen”.

One of the reasons why we do not know Jesus is that we are waiting for him to come in the preconceived image that we have in our heads before we could listen and hearken to his voice. Well, when Jesus came the first time, people did not recognize him because he was very like them. Do not deceive yourselves into thinking that when he comes again, he will come in the form you expect. God speaks to us in various ways and through various people. There is this funny story of a preacher who fell in the ocean and he couldn’t swim. When a boat came by, the captain yelled, “Do you need help, sir?” The preacher calmly said, “No, God will save me”. A little later, another boat came by and a fisherman asked, “Hey, do you need help?” The preacher replied again, “No, God will save me”. Eventually, the preacher drowned and went to heaven. The preacher asked God, “Why didn’t you save me?” God replied, “Fool, I sent you two boats!”

The responsorial psalm of today says, “O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts. And remember, the word of God is not always palatable, but it gives life. The word of God is sometimes strange, but it gives direction. The people were so astonished by the teaching of Jesus in the gospel of today that they exclaimed:  “Here is a teaching that is new… and with authority behind it”. The word of God sometimes shakes us violently in our comfort zones, but that is in order to help us explore a wider horizon and broaden our perspective. The word of God challenges us to move and not remain static in one place: “Go out to the whole world, proclaim the Good News”. He who refuses to move refuses to learn, and he who refuses to learn degenerates and decays rapidly. In a culture where grey hair is normally associated with immense wisdom, an Igbo adage still recognizes that a traveller is wiser than a grey-haired man.

As we continue on our journey here on earth, may God give us the grace to not harden our hearts, as our ancestors did at Massah and Meribah when we listen to his voice!