Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time – 28th January 2024
From reading the gospels, we know that Jesus was a great speaker and wonderful storyteller. So good at this was he, that Peter even once said, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life.’ Jesus always knew his audience and to whom he was speaking. He spoke about seeds being sowed, he talked about sheep and shepherds, wine and vineyards and he even spoke about a woman baking bread! Perhaps that is why in this Sunday’s gospel we read that ‘his teaching made a great impression on them, unlike the scribes, (because) he taught them with authority.’ What Jesus offered the people then and us today is Good News, not fake news!
But it is not only what Jesus says that makes an impact on the people, it is also what he does. In the gospel this Sunday, Jesus heals a man who is sick. At the time of Jesus, to be sick was seen as punishment by God because the person was a sinner. When Jesus heals the man, the gathered people were even more amazed at what he did rather than just what he said. If this Jesus can heal a man and forgive him his sins, then who is he? They have heard him speak with authority and they have seen him heal a man who was sick. Their response to experiencing Jesus is ‘What is this? A new teaching – with authority!’