Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

Preaching Commentary

The Fast-Paced Gospel

“Immediacy” defines the Gospel of Mark’s rendition of Jesus’ ministry. Its fast pace reads like a comic strip of heroic proportions. Before one miraculous event is over another one is formulating in the clouds of Mark’s print. The Greek word euthus “immediately, at once” is used almost incessantly as the author’s cue for action. Nine times in the first chapter alone; this word is the director’s call for a new scene.

The Context: An Exorcism's Aftermath

The exorcism of a possessed man in the synagogue of Capernaum sets the backdrop for today’s text. In Mark 1:21-28, Jesus casts the demon from the synagogue-goer while…