They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. Mark 1:22-26

Jesus was in his hometown. We can imagine that it was a place where everyone knew everyone. Jesus had been with them since he was a lad which explains their confusion. They could not figure out how he gained such wisdom and understanding. The scribes and teachers of the Law can prove their authority. It is usually derived from some school or master. However, Jesus was just a mere carpenter’s son and yet, the words He spoke set their hearts on fire. Even the religious leaders and the Pharisees sensed it. They said that His authority was from the devil. This is quite the standard reaction from religious authorities. Today they would say that he is a heretic. Despite their strong accusations, the people knew something was different. Jesus’ words stirred up their faith. He made them feel that God was once again walking among them. It wasn’t just wishful thinking. His words made everything seem real. They had authority but at the same time, it was different.

I asked our youth, specifically, Bruno, Guilherme, and Felipe what images come to their minds whenever they hear the word, “authority”. They said almost unanimously that it was a figure of violence and restriction. I realize that for them, it won’t be good news if I told them that Jesus spoke with authority. It might taint their idea of Jesus. We did not want them to lump Jesus in with the rest of the authoritative figures in their lives.

Strangely, we can sense this sentiment in the scriptures too. They used the word, “authority”, reservedly. It is often accompanied with the phrase, “it was unlike anything they had seen before”. The people of Jesus’ time saw soldiers of the Roman Empire with their imposing presence in their land. They heard religious leaders with their self-righteous dominance of the religious narrative. The women were subjected to the authority of a patriarchal society. It was also a time of slavery. Like our homeless youth, all these people must have had similar ideas of authority. Most likely they never imagined anything that could free them from the burden of worldly authority. They never thought it was possible to be free from the yoke which life had imposed upon them. Then they heard Jesus. They did not have a proper word to explain what they felt in their hearts. They used the word, “authority”, but it was unlike the authority they had experienced until then. I realized that our children need to experience what these people experienced before they can imagine the authority of Jesus.

It is interesting that the demons of the possessed man wanted to know whether Jesus was going to destroy them. It is such a violent word. Well, violence is the language of this world’s authority. When I was young, teachers were allowed to hit their students. I suffered many times the wrath of the teachers in my school. They weren’t particularly wicked. I did challenge their authority and they attempted to impose it. I wasn’t traumatized. I just accepted it as normal. This was the way authority was exercised. Over the years, people tried to convince me otherwise. I almost believed them until I went out into the world. Every time I see a person of authority, they are surrounded with tools of violence, be they weapons or words. They always have the last word whether they are right or wrong. Violence is used to make the person subjected to feel small and insignificant so they would submit. Life becomes easier when we accept this fact. The demons in the gospel reading asked Jesus if He was going to use the same weapons of authority. Not just the demons, today many want God to use the same methods to silence those they perceive as enemies of God. When faced with a situation of chaos, we want to use the force available to overcome this chaos. Jesus was different. His authority was not one of destruction. Using it, He restores and reinstates what was destroyed or stolen. There was no violence in His confrontation with the demons. He refused to respond with violence, not just on this occasion but throughout His life. Jesus chose to focus on the man whose life had been destroyed by these demons. He was more concerned in restoring the victim’s peace and dignity than attacking and destroying the demons. Very often people who fight demons end up using demonic tools and eventually they become just like the ones they are fighting to overthrow. Perhaps this was the hope of the demons when they challenged Jesus.

Not much has changed since this confrontation in the gospel. Demons are still touting the disciples of Jesus to succumb to their idea of authority; one that destroys and attacks. They present it to us in a sophisticated way. Just like in the gospel reading, they make it known that Jesus is the Lord and at the same time they tempt Him to do things their ways. When we started this ministry, we heard these voices tempting us. Demons have many spokespersons. They like to tell us that we are doing a good job and then proceed to give solutions to homelessness without taking into account the homeless youth. As if, they are not people but things to be pushed around and forced to do what people from “so-called above” think is best for them. Sometimes the problem is not the superficial cause. There is a person who needs to be healed and restored. Jesus looks at this person first and not at the problem. More often than not, when we read about people coming to be healed by Jesus, He always asks first whether they have the faith to be healed. Faith is not something we conjure up within ourselves. However, it is something in us and with the right authority can be awakened. This is why Jesus was different. His love awoke hope in the hearts of the people. He wanted the people to come to Him because they sensed in their hearts the possibility of being healed.

The authorities of this world like to give quick and easy solutions achieved through violence in the broadest sense of the word. However, the authority of Jesus is different, healing and restoring. It is one more concerned about the victim than actually destroying the enemy. The enemy will always be in this world because it is their domain. Jesus did not send His disciples into the world to change the world. He sent them out to heal and restore people who have suffered much by the abusive and manipulative authority in their reality. The authority of Jesus appeals to these people. The rest of the world tries to do what Jesus strongly advised against doing,

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.” Mark 2:22

I don’t think we can actually convince our youth that there are different ways of looking at authority in this world. They will never believe us that an authoritative figure can be good and loving when all they have received from them are violence and abandonment. They need to meet with the One who would heal and ensure their souls that He will be their Shepherd. They need to see for themselves that He is different. I believe that He uses many people to reveal His presence to these youth. They are sheep without a pastor and therefore, they become Jesus’ priority in this world. His authority compels Him to be present with these. It is our prayer that we are one of His instruments. It seems like it is happening. However, it is always incumbent on us to remember that His authority is different. This alone makes the world of a difference in the lives of those to whom we minister.