Who Is He?

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator

The authors of the Gospels were all different men from different backgrounds, but they also had some things in common. Today's Gospel passage from the Gospel of St. Luke illustrates the fact that each of the evangelists knows how to use irony as a narrative tool.

Though we missed the opening passages of this story because of yesterday's memorial, we pick up the story of Jesus' visit to the synagogue of Capernaum where he opens his public ministry among people who should have known him. Though he was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth, Jesus has since made Capernaum his home. The men present in the synagogue with him reveal that they do indeed know his origins by their comments, yet they fail to recognize who he really is.

The irony comes to play, however, when the demons which Jesus is expelling proclaim that they know who he is. It may be a little detail that we miss as we read the Gospels, but when Jesus confronts an evil spirit, that spirit usually tries to throw Jesus off his game by revealing his identity. The crowds that witness these encounters fail to make the connection, however, and resort to questioning how Jesus has gained such authority over demons. Their own history should have made it plain to them. Only one sent by God could have done the things that Jesus does.

Lack of recognition is one of the major themes that plays throughout the Gospels. The Gospel of St. Mark makes this point most strongly. In his Gospel, the only human being who recognizes Jesus is the Roman centurion who stands beneath his cross at the time of his death. All of the other instances of recognition are spoken by unclean spirits. After his resurrection, this theme continues as even his own disciples fail to recognize Jesus.

The Church teaches us that Jesus is still present among us in the person of our neighbor, in the Word of God, and in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Sadly, this threefold presence of Jesus still confounds many in our own day.