Today’s first reading pits two men against each other. Amaziah is a priest of Bethel, employed by the king and charged with the duties of maintaining the royal sanctuary. As an employee of the king, Amaziah does not relish the idea of having Amos in the vicinity because he realizes that Amos had been sent by God. Amaziah feared that Amos might not toe the party line. If he spoke against the king, Amaziah could have been blamed for allowing Amos access to the court and the sanctuary. So he tells Amos to go south, to the southern kingdom of Judah. However, Amos refuses to answer to Amaziah. God has directed him to the northern kingdom of Israel.
This story is told to us this morning to mirror what happens in the Gospel. Jesus sends his apostles on their first missionary venture. Like Amos, they are sent to the villages of Galilee, to the north, with explicit instructions on what to take with them on their journey and how they are to act when they reach their destination. It is quite clear that they are sent through the authority of Jesus. Remarkably, he commissions them to participate in his ministry, the task that had been given to him by God.
Mark tells us that Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits. People in the ancient Mediterranean world not only held a strong belief in the existence of spirits but also ranked them in five different categories according to their power. At the top of the list was the God of Israel, then “other” gods, sons of god, which we call archangels. In third place were still less powerful nonhuman persons: angels, spirits, and demons. Humans were in fourth place, and creatures lower than humans in last place.
By giving the apostles authority over the unclean spirits, Jesus is reordering the traditional ranks. The apostles are moved up a notch from level four to level three. He had already shared his ministry with them by telling them to preach repentance, the very same message that he had been preaching. Now by giving them power over the spirit world, he was sharing his power as well as his mission. In a world where honor was considered the greatest good, the Twelve would have felt incredibly honored. So when they actually drove out demons and cured sick people, they would have considered themselves blessed indeed.
Jesus announced that the reign of God was in our midst. This is the message that the Apostles announced as well. They were chosen to continue the work Jesus had begun, to preach his Gospel, and through healings and exorcisms to conquer the forces of evil that threatened God’s reign. Now, St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Ephesians, we have been called; in him we have been chosen in all of our brokenness and vulnerability to carry on the task. St. Paul tells us that every spiritual blessing in the heavens has been bestowed upon us so that we will be able to accomplish the task we have been given. If we allow Christ’s saving power to take possession of us, we too will further his prophetic ministry. We will bring the saving grace of God to the world that is terrified and that writhes in pain; we will bring it to those places where healing is needed and where demons still hold sway.
This can only be done if we, like Amos and the Apostles, realize that we are God’s servants. Unfortunately, too many emulate Amaziah instead. Amaziah was afraid he might lose his position if the king heard Amos preaching God’s Word. Because he realizes that Amos was sent by God, he asks Amos to go somewhere else, to leave his own little world as it is.
The challenge that the Scriptures bring today asks us to make a choice. Either we are God’s servants charged with preaching God’s message, or we will simply stand aside and let the evil spirits of the world continue to threaten God’s kingdom. However, even if we choose the latter, let us remember that God’s reign will prevail. While the evils of the world may seem to be winning, God will be victorious. We know this because the One who has gone before us seemed to be vanquished by the cross; but he rose from the dead. He was victorious. If we wish to share in God’s victory, then we must accept the task which has been handed on to us to continue the work of Jesus.
The Eucharist is our victory banquet, a foretaste of what is in store for those who persevere in the task of living according to God’s Word. When we gather around this table, we remember what Jesus has done for us, we proclaim our allegiance to Him and to God’s will, and we look forward to the day when we will share in the heavenly banquet, reserved for those who place their trust in God.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator