1st Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 11th January 2022 — Gospel: Mark 1,21-28
Silencing His Identity
Exorcism is the first miracle in the Gospel of Mark and it is a practical example of the teaching of Jesus. The exorcism indicates that the kingdom has indeed drawn near (Mk 16,17) and Satan’s reign has ended. This is the first time in this Gospel that we come across what is commonly known as “the command to silence”. This is a technique that the evangelist Mark uses in his Gospel for a particular motive. Jesus commands demons (1,25.34), those he has healed (1,44) and the family members of the one healed (5,43) not to make known his identity or he is the one who healed them. One of the reasons why Jesus silences them is that the Marcan Jesus did not want people to mistake him for merely an exorcist or miracle worker, but wanted them to realize that He was the Christ who would suffer, die on the cross and be raised on the third day.
