Let me ask you the two most important questions that you will ever consider: “Who is Jesus of Nazareth?” and “What does his identity mean to you?” I want us to consider these two questions from the ’Epiphany perspective.’ As Jesus continues to reveal and manifest his identity during this Epiphany season, let us use what we learn to wrestle with these two questions. Let’s begin by reading the Gospel Lesson together. [Read St. Mark 1:21-28]
Who is Jesus of Nazareth? Let me take you back to a time about 4000 years ago. Moses and the Israelites had just left Egypt and they were at the foot of Mount Horeb. They were fresh from a trip through the desert with God as tour guide. They had seen amazing wonders – pillars of fire and smoke to guide and protect them; the Red Sea parted before them so that they could walk through it; manna from heaven; water from a rock. And now they were at the foot of the holy mountain. God Himself was so near that his presence shook the earth. His awesome presence was so intimidating that they trembled with fear. Let me read you an excerpt from the event:
"All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we’ll die!” Moses answered the people, “Don’t be afraid! God has come only to test you, so that you will be in awe of him and won’t sin.” The people kept their distance while Moses went closer to the dark cloud where God was." (Exodus 20:18-21)
When God drew near to the people – they were terrified. God in his full majesty and power and glory was so fearful that mortal men could not and cannot face Him. And so the people – not wanting face God, but knowing that they couldn’t live without Him, asked for God to keep a representative – a prophet among them. And God complied with their wishes.
In our Old Testament Lesson, we heard: “The Lord your God will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me. This is what you asked the Lord your God to give you on the day of the assembly at Mount Horeb. You said, “We never want to hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this raging fire again. If we do, we’ll die!” (Deuteronomy 18:15-16)
And so God has continued to direct His people through prophets - like Moses. From that point on, prophet after prophet would come bringing God’s Word. But here’s the key: Moses and all his successors – the prophets that followed – were not to be the ultimate fulfillment of the prophetic ministry. These prophets were types – or imitations of the coming Prophet – the final representative Whom God would send - Jesus Christ.
And so, "Who is Jesus of Nazareth?" We see from this perspective that He is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to provide a Prophet. Jesus Christ is the incarnate divine revelation from God. He is the fulfillment of the prophetic role.
Now all of this is very important. But don’t miss the critical point: In his prophetic role, Jesus Christ is the face of God among us. Jesus is the incredible Way that God devised to be able to be among humanity while not blinding us with his holiness and awesome wonder and power. Through Jesus, we have communion with God without fear.
Who is Jesus of Nazareth? St. Mark teaches that Jesus is also a teacher sent from God – but no ordinary teacher. There is something unique and amazing about the way He teaches. He gives us a glimpse into heaven. You see, Jesus is a teacher through Whom the Word comes alive. Mark says that when Jesus taught – “The people were amazed at his teachings. Unlike their scribes, he taught them with authority.” (Mark 1:22) Jesus made God real through his teaching. He brought heaven to the place where He taught. He opened up the mysteries of God and made them accessible to us. The Lord was a teacher with authority.
In our Gospel Lesson, we see that Jesus’ authority extends to the kingdom of darkness. Jesus met “…a man in the synagogue who was controlled by an evil spirit. [The man] shouted, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus from Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of God!’ Jesus ordered the spirit, ‘Keep quiet, and come out of him!’ The evil spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out of him with a loud shriek.” (Mark 1:23-26)
We are beings who are of two worlds. There is a spiritual domain to which we pertain – but which we cannot easily perceive. The Scriptures clearly speak of the fact that such a spiritual domain exists. There are good and evil beings in that spiritual domain. St. Paul tells us in Ephesians: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
The evil beings that live in the spiritual domain mean to do us harm. The man, whom Jesus saved, the Gospel Lesson tells us, was possessed by evil spirits. Beloved, we cannot in our own strength battle these foes. St. Peter tells us: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
But the believer – the person who trusts in Jesus - need not fear. Why? - Because Jesus has authority over the spiritual domain. Jesus’ power and authority was such that it amazed people. After Jesus expelled the demon from the man, St. Mark writes: “Everyone was stunned. They said to each other, ‘What is this? This is a new teaching that has authority behind it! He gives orders to evil spirits, and they obey him.’”
Who is Jesus of Nazareth? One with authority - not only over the spiritual realm, but over the physical realm as well. One day Jesus and the disciples were in a boat. And while Jesus slept, a furious storm came up and tossed the boat around like a cork bobbing in the water. The disciples of Jesus were scared to death. They woke Him and said, “Lord, save us. We’re going to drown.” With that, Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves and everything became calm. Jesus did many awesome things like this: walked on water; raised somebody from the dead; changed water into wine and many other things. During his ministry Jesus showed that He had authority over the physical world. From where did his authority come? Listen to St. Paul’s words:
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (Colossians 1:16-18)
What does this mean to you and to me? Beloved - it means that we can rest secure in Jesus. We don’t need to fear or worry about the future, because our Lord is the Master of all the Creation. He knows our troubles, our issues, our illnesses our needs better than any other. We have many fears and many challenges in this life. But we can rest in the sure knowledge that the One whom we call, “Lord” is indeed, Lord – Lord over all of the creation in which we find our reality.
The authority that Jesus exercises over all of the Creation and the spiritual world stems from the fact that He is God. But there is something really amazing about how Jesus chose to use that authority. You see, Jesus finally and utterly annihilated the powers of darkness by hanging on a Cross. Through that incredible act of humility and the empty tomb, Jesus conquered and showed Himself to be King of kings and Lord of lords.
And so, beloved, back to the two critical questions: “Who is this Jesus of Nazareth?” And “What does his identity mean to me?” First, if Jesus is your Lord – you need never fear – God Himself in the form of the Son walks with you. He comes to forgive and empower our lives through his Word and Sacraments.
And, secondly, if Jesus is your Lord then you need never fear either things on earth or things in the spiritual world. God is your God and your future victory as one of his children is guaranteed. Amen.
