Today’s Gospel recounts one of Jesus’ earliest experiences of preaching and healing. We are not told what He said, but only that His listeners in the synagogue were stunned by the authority with which He spoke. Jesus immediately followed this by confronting and defeating evil when He drove an unclean spirit out of a man. “All were amazed and asked one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.’ His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee” (Mark 1:27-28).
Yet people of Jesus' time – and today – must realize that it is never enough to say we accept His message of hope. We must also learn to appreciate how our Lord sacrificed His life to give us eternal life. In addition, we have to be ready to suffer as well, in order to share our faith with others – no matter the cost. Spreading the gift of salvation is not just for some who follow Jesus. This is a role for all of us. We need to support Church missionaries through prayer and material help and to let those around us know the wonder and joy of our own faith in Christ.
