Lectionary: 433And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.
Three times in the fourth chapter of Saint Luke's Gospel we hear of the Lord's identity. In the wilderness Satan challenged him, "If you are the Son of God..." and, in today's Gospel, the demons harass him again by shouting, "You are the Son of God."
If he dismissed the insinuating suggestion in the wilderness, today he silences the demons with a word of command "...because they knew that he was the Messiah." It was news to the citizens of his world, but common knowledge in the spiritual world. The Angel had announced it to the shepherds, and revealed it to the old man, Simeon. The Jewish crowds coming to the Jordan River had also wondered if the Baptist might be the long-awaited Messiah.
Catholics know him as both, the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). And like the crowds coming to John, we wonder what it means to us in this era of upheaval.
Saint Paul confronted the dilemma with his Corinthian flock, for they seemed to have no clue about how their Baptism had changed everything:
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking
according to the manner of man?
In our time, it may be more difficult to address issues like jealousy and rivalry. A nation whose citizens have only one product to sell, and that's their images must fashion, protect, modify, remodify, and promote that image continually. They dread offending anyone; and we have become touchy, defensive people. The work is made more difficult by the ubiquity of cameras ready to virilize anything remotely entertaining, regardless of the personal cost to unguarded individuals. How do we address jealousies and rivalries among us.
In today's gospel Jesus did it by a word of command. Saint Paul did the same remotely by a letter which would be read to the assembled congregation. Both men exercised authority and were never afraid to do so.
But Americans are skeptical of anyone's authority and reluctant to assume authority, even when authorized to do so by a bishop's appointment or the community's vote. We hate conflict, and shudder at disagreement. And when we must disagree we often lack the skills -- which are essentially the skills of a team -- to work out the disagreement.
Lacking that skill, we say, "My way or the highway!" Bullying is so much simpler than leadership. The demons who hectored Jesus knew who was in charge; they weren't so stupid as to speak out once they'd been silenced.
We too must learn from the Spirit of Jesus when to speak and when to be silent, and what to say when it's clear that challenging jealousies and rivalries can make a difference.
