Mark’s gospel is an action story, which explains why live-action sermons can work well when you’re preaching from the earliest gospel.

For Mark what Jesus DOES is a more direct revelation of who he is than what he says. Today’s gospel reading demonstrates that focus perfectly. While Jesus is described as teaching in the synagogue, Mark’s text fails to record a single word of that learned lecture. Instead Jesus’ authority, his authority over scripture and his authority over demonic spirits, is showcased by Mark in a dramatic exorcism scene.

The text describes Jesus and his new disciples going to Capernaum, the primary location for Jesus’ Galilean ministry. A large harbor and a prosperous economy made Capernaum a busy place, while its location on the border between the tetrarchies of Heron …