Much of my week was spent in Florida ballparks between my son and my dad with a baseball glove on my hand. Occasionally I would lift my glove up to my face and breathe deeply. One whiff and I am a boy again, throwing the ball to my Dad, going to Findlay College baseball games and playing sandlot ball in the neighborhood. There’s something about the smell of a baseball glove. For those who “get” that, no words are necessary to describe what I’m talking about. For those who don’t “get “ it, no amount of words will adequately describe it.

When I was a teenager, we used to sing a song “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, There’s just something about that name.” I’m sure for all those who “get” it, no more words are necessary; but for all who don’t “get” it, I’m not sure words alone are adequate to describe it. People were just starting to “get” that when Jesus strolled into a synagogue in Capernaum. There was something about this man from Nazareth that people had never before experienced. Mark put it this way in Mark 1:21-28 on page 35 of your New Testament. Hear now the word of the Lord:

They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching – with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

The word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen. In this passage Mark recorded for his readers the immediate impact of Jesus’ ministry. Let us pray.

Jesus. There’s something about that name. Something about that presence, something we need today. Last week I introduced you to one of Mark’s favorite phrases of urgency, “kai euthus” - “and immediately”. Three times in this passage Mark used that phrase, but is translated in the NRSV as “when” in verse 21, “just then” in verse 23 and “at once” in verse 28. But those three uses of this favorite phrase of urgency, point to words that help define the something that there is about that name and that Savior, Jesus. Words alone may not be adequate or necessary but allow me to suggest three words pointed to by this phrase, “kai euthus” to touch on that something. Those three words are Preaching, Power, and Popularity.

There was something about Jesus’ preaching.

We don’t know exactly what Jesus said, Mark doesn’t record that, but we do know what his hearers felt. They were astounded. The Greek word means much more than that. It means both amazement and alarm. They were at the same time impressed and intimidated. There was something about his preaching that was different than the scribes. The scribes seemed to be with the word of God like I am with structural engineering. I have learned about structural slabs, slab on grades, support beams, drilled piers, plasticity index and potential vertical rise mostly through osmosis in the last year. I have the intelligence of a parrot in this field. I can repeat what I have heard, but I can’t go much deeper than that. Such seemed to be the situation with the scribes. They knew the word of God, but they lacked something, something that Jesus had.

That disturbed the hearers a bit. One commentator said, “Jesus preached with not just an authority to decide, but with the power to compel decision.” Jesus was not content speaking to passive listeners, he disturbed his hearers to the point of decision. There was something about his preaching that no one had ever heard, something that produced astonishment.

Wednesday night we were astonished in Florida. We got up at 3:30 a.m. Monday to catch an early plane so we could see two games that day. We planned to go to a game at 1:00 p.m. and another one at 7:00 p.m. We were hoping to do that every day from Monday through Thursday. We were astonished on Wednesday when we discovered there was no night game scheduled for the entire state of Florida. Eighteen major league baseball teams hold their Spring Training in Florida and not one of them were playing on Wednesday night. What should we do? The answer came late Tuesday night as we turned on the Travel Channel highlighting the Top 10 beaches of Florida. Siesta Beach just outside of Sarasota was rated number two in the hundreds of beaches of Florida. None of us had ever been to Siesta Beach. We made plans to go there right after the 1:00 baseball game. The sand was as white and almost as fine as powdered sugar. The water was clear and calm. Kids played in the surf, my son and I played catch, some people played volleyball, while pelicans dove for fish. But when the sun kissed the horizon as it set all was calm, kids quit playing, ball gloves were put away, conversations ceased and all eyes turned west. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Even the dolphins seemed to agree as two of them surfaced to get a look for themselves. The sun set four times while we were in Florida, but never with such authority and such an awesome display. All were astonished. The experience prompted a decision. I simply had to praise God for it.

The preaching of Jesus must have produced the same kind of awe and wonder. His hearer had to do something. There was something about his preaching and we need that something kai euthus - and immediately.

There was something about Jesus’ power.

As he preached an evil spirit was disturbed within one of the attendees of synagogue. One commentator wrote, “It is a strange commentary on the spiritual situation in Capernaum that a demoniac could worship in the synagogue with no sense of incongruity until confronted by Jesus and indeed apparently had no initial desire to be delivered from his affliction.” But I’m not so sure I agree with that. I think all churches have persons who are shackled by spirits that would pull them down and beat them up. Many persons are hurting and don’t know what to do about it until the power of Jesus appears. The evil spirit was not all that willing to yield control of his subject. He knew Jesus and named him, “The Holy One of God.” To know someone’s name was to have control over them, unless that someone was Jesus. There was something about that name. He declared war on the enemy of health and wholeness when Jesus said, “Be muzzled and come out of him.” The evil spirit was no match for the Holy One of God.

That spirit was more like me when I was a teenager learning to box. My brothers and I wrestled with each other before we could walk. However, after watching Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier and George Foreman, I discovered boxing to be much more effective. Soon after that Dad bought us 16-ounce boxing gloves. Not only did they soften the impact, they wore us out quickly. Nevertheless, I became the reigning champion of the five Gilts boys. I was second to the oldest and bigger than my brother who is a year and a day older than me. I must have been about 14 years old when I dreamed about beating Muhammad Ali in a boxing match. I was surprised how easy boxing was in my sleep. My mistake was in waking up. Ray Stanfield was married to my sister’s best friend. He was about 22 and quite muscular as I recall. Having just beaten Muhammad Ali the night before, I challenged Ray to a boxing match, warning him that I was reigning champion in the family. Needless to say I was no match for that monster. He nearly killed me. I kind of got bored with boxing after that.

“Be muzzled and come out of him!” Jesus said and the spirit knew he had been beaten. We need that kind of power immediately. There are too many people whose hearts are constricted and whose health is being destroyed. Too many who are being lied to by a spirit who declares them to be no good, hopeless, purposeless and a failure. “Be muzzled and come out,” Jesus said. There’s something about Jesus’ power. We need that something kai euthus - and immediately.

Of course, with that kind of preaching and power… there was soon something about Jesus’ popularity.

It was a reluctant popularity. Jesus was not anxious to become famous. He knew of the human tendency to form our own gods that we control. We long for a Messiah, but we want to define the terms. We want to determine who’s inside and who’s outside, but Jesus would not submit to that kind of popularity. Still, when word got out of his preaching and of his power they flocked to him.

I was reminded of this at St. Petersburg this week. There in downtown St. Petersburg sits one of my favorite baseball parks. Al Lang Field is right on the water. In fact, if you sit on first base side, as I always do, you can see the sailboats in the harbor, Tampa Bay, and a ball game at the same time. It is beautiful. At about the seventh inning there was an invasion of seagulls. Dozens of them flew overhead diving and calling to each other. The more that called the more that came. I looked toward the other side of the stadium and saw the reason for the sudden invasion. Someone apparently got bored with the game and saw a seagull soar by. She offered the bird some popcorn and before we knew it, birds from all over were paying a visit to the popcorn girl. She quickly became quite popular with the seagulls of St. Petersburg.

One of the baseball purists was annoyed with the avian distraction. “Stop feeding the seagulls!” he yelled from my side of the field. On a normal day, I might have agreed with him, but on this day I was reflecting on this passage. I thought of all the souls laboring under the weight of guilt, fear, shame, doubt and disease. On this day I wanted to shout “Don’t stop! Not now. They are hungry. Feed them. Dear Jesus in Capernaum and now in College Station feed them all.” There was something about Jesus popularity and we need that something, kai euthus - and immediately.

And they were all amazed saying, “What is this?…He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.”

Mark concludes his recollections with this disturbing question, “What is this?” It is a question that Mark’s readers then and now would have to provide the answer. The disturbance of humanity by God had begun. What is this?

Yes, there’s something about Jesus preaching, his power and his popularity. But what is it?

Paul Minear wrote, “Though it often led to wonder, a miracle did not lead necessarily to belief.” What about for you? When I say, “There’s just something about Jesus’ preaching, power, and popularity,” do you get it or do you wonder, “What is it?”

I can only tell you this – whatever it is, we need it, kai euthus - and immediately.

Amen.