GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
MARK 1:22
Speak Lord
Several decades ago, Alice and I had the opportunity to meet Rev. Guy Walsh, who was in his seventies at the time. During his years of ministry, he had committed the entire New Testament to memory along with large portions of the Old Testament. He was the guest minister at our church, and he and his wife were guests in my parents’ home. In the living room, everyone gathered chairs to sit around him, pose questions to him, and listen to his discussions of biblical texts as he recited them in his sonorous voice.
One Sabbath in Capernaum, people gathered at a local synagogue, expecting, no doubt, to hear a familiar scribe invited by the Ruler of the Synagogue bring the lesson. Normally the scribal teacher would cite a selection from the Torah and discuss a chain of decisions about its application. On this Sabbath, however, there was a new teacher, one who had likely been in the city for a while, attracting crowds everywhere he went. He began his lesson, not with a Torah principle and its chain of tradition, but, apparently, by talking about the Father. While St. Mark doesn’t give a report of the lesson outline, Simon, who was there, said that everyone, likely even the scribes in attendance, were startled. “And they were amazed at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (1:22) A scribe would always point to the Torah as the authority, but Jesus spoke as the authority himself. On another occasion, St. Matthew recorded several instances where Jesus said, “You have heard it said, but I say to you….” (Matt. 5:21-48) Jesus spoke, not on the authority of the Torah, but as “The Torah,” its fulfillment. Amazing.
&nbsThat same authoritative voice still speaks. To the young Samuel, the old priest Eli said, “If He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” Later, when Samuel heard the voice of the Lord, he did say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (I Sam. 3:9-10) So…
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