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Gospel: Mark 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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At this point in Mark’s Gospel, to say that Jesus has become a celebrity is an understatement; people are coming from more than 100 miles away to see him!
Fueling his fame and mystique is the fact that unclean spirits are literally collapsing before him, crying out, “You are the Son of God!”
So, why does Jesus silence them?
Interestingly, no one is allowed to call Jesus the “Son of God” in Mark’s Gospel without being rebuked or silenced until he is crucified.
After Jesus cries out, “It is finished!” and breathes his last, the centurion proclaims, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
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But, again, why does the Lord shy away from this title until his death?
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In the ancient world, kings and emperors would often refer to themselves as a “son of God.” They believed it was their divine right to conquer, rule, and possess.
There were enough Jewish nationalists at that time willing to fight for their freedom that, if a rumor started spreading that Jesus believed himself to be an earthly king by divine decree, then a riot would’ve ensued as people fought to crown him.
If that happened, then his entire life and mission would’ve been wildly misunderstood.
This is why the demons praise him using the title “son of God.” Not because they want to praise the Lord of glory, but because Satan wants to confuse people about who Jesus really is, something that’s happened throughout the centuries.
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How many wars have been started falsely in the name of religion? How many people have replaced a Crucified Christ with the prosperity gospel? How many have mistaken God for a divine vending machine, or worse, an impersonal Being?
Getting God wrong can be a terrible thing.
Truly, Jesus is the Son of God. But, as Saint Paul reminds us, “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave… becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”
May Jesus grant us the grace to love and understand him for who he really is – humble and obedient, powerful and compassionate.
One who came, not to be served, but to serve.
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Image credits: (1) The Bible App (2) Biblword.net (3) Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet, Ford Madox Brown