Jesus’ Divine Authority Over Demons

In this episode, we’re going to focus on three details from the second reading and Gospel reading that are relevant for doing apologetics. The detail in the second reading, taken from 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, is Paul’s teaching that in Christ we are a new creation. The topic that comes to fore here is the nature of justification as intrinsic righteousness. One of the details in the Gospel reading, taken from Mark 4:35-41, is Mark’s report of Jesus calming the winds and the sea. As we will see, when read in light of the Old Testament backdrop, this detail provides evidence of Jesus’ divinity. The other detail is Jesus’ “rebuke” of the winds, which, when read in the Greek, might suggest demonic forces were behind the raging winds and Jesus rebukes such forces, thereby revealing his authority over demons.

Let’s start with the second reading from 2 Corinthians 5:14-17. St. Paul writes,

The love of Christ impels us,

once we have come to the conviction that one died for all;

therefore, all have died.

He indeed died for all,

so that those who live might no longer live for themselves

but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh;

even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh,

yet now we know him so no longer.

So whoever is in Christ is a new creation:

the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come.

As mentioned at the outset, the detail here that’s relevant is Paul’s teaching, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.” And the topic that comes to the fore is the nature of justification as intrinsic righteousness.

This is apologetically significant because many Protestants follow Luther and Calvin in the belief that the sole ground of our justification—that in virtue of which we stand justified, or in a right relationship with God—is God’s declaration that we are just on account of the imputed righteousness of Christ. This view is commonly referred to as “forensic” or “alien” justification. Protestants who hold this view of justification pit it against the Catholic view, which states sanctifying grace makes us interior just, and thereby is that in virtue of which we stand right with God, i.e., justified. The Catholic view is called by some “intrinsic” justification.

I argue that this “new creation” text from Paul at least disproves the Reformers denial of justification being something interior. To state it differently, it at least proves that our interior righteousness that God brings about is a ground for our justification, even if it doesn’t prove that our interior righteousness brought about sanctifying grace is the sole ground of our justification, like the Counsel of Trent taught.

So, what’s the evidence that this “new creation” text supports the Catholic view of justification?

Protestants who believe in forensic justification interpret this text to be referring solely to “sanctification,” an interior renewal that does indeed take place when we are justified, but it’s something that happens alongside of our justification, not that in virtue of which we are justified.

I concede that if we focus only on the “new creation” portion of the text, then this interpretation would work. But that’s not all Paul says.

Notice the condition for being a new creation: being “in Christ.” That’s the key. Why?

Well, in Romans 8:1, Paul teaches that to be in Christ is to not be subject to condemnation. He writes, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Now, to be in a state of not being subject to condemnation is to be in a state of justification, for justification means we’re right with God and thereby no longer condemned.

Romans 6:23 is another text that further supports this idea that to be in Christ is to be justified. Paul writes, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” To have eternal life is to be justified, and Paul says the only we have eternal life is to be in Christ. Therefore, to be in Christ is to be justified.

With this relevant knowledge, we can apply it to 2 Corinthians 5:17, where Paul says, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.” Here’s the argument:

P1: We know from Romans 8:1 and 6:23 that to be in Christ is to be justified.

P2: Paul says here in 2 Cor. 5:17 that to be in Christ is to be a new creation, which suggests interior righteousness.

C:  Therefore, to be justified is to be interiorly righteous.

This provides evidence that Paul envisions our justification as involving an interior state of righteousness, which maps on with the Catholic understanding of justification.

Let’s now turn to the Gospel reading, again, taken from Mark 4:35-41. Here’s what we read,

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples:

“Let us cross to the other side.”

Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was.

And other boats were with him.

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,

so that it was already filling up.

Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.

They woke him and said to him,

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

He woke up,

rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet!  Be still!”

The wind ceased and there was great calm.

Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified?

Do you not yet have faith?”

They were filled with great awe and said to one another,

“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

As I mentioned in the introduction to the episode, the detail that I want to focus on is Jesus’ calming of the winds and the sea and how it hints at, and perhaps proves, Jesus’ divinity. The key to seeing this is to view it against the backdrop of the Old Testament teaching that Yahweh is the one who calms the winds and the sea. Consider, for example, Job 26:11-12: “The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astounded at his rebuke. 12 By his power he stilled the sea.”

Psalm 104:1-7 is another. The psalmist speaks of God having authority over the waters and the clouds, stating, “[You] have laid the beams of your chambers on the waters . . . [you] ride on the wings of the wind, who makes the winds your messengers.” (vv.3-4). Then, in verse 7, the Psalmist writes, “At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.” In the Greek Septuagint, the Greek word for the noun “rebuke” is epitimēsis.  The corresponding verb for “rebuke” is epitimaō, and that’s the Greek word used by Mark when he speaks of Jesus “rebuking” the winds. A coincidence? Doubtful!

Another passage that reveals God’s power over winds and the sea, and which has striking parallels with this story of Jesus in our Gospel reading, is Psalm 107:23-30. It speaks of “some who went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the waters” (v.23). The disciples were in the boat fishing, which was their business.

Verses 25-26 of Psalm 107 speaks of a “stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea” and as a consequence the men’s “courage melted away in their evil plight.” The disciples have fear due to the storm.

Verse 28 tells us these men “cried to the Lord in their trouble, and [God] delivered them from their distress” by making “the storm be still, and the waves of the sea hushed.” The disciples cry out to Jesus and Jesus delivers them from their fear by calming the winds and the sea.

Verse 30 then says these men were “glad because they had quiet.” What does Jesus say to the winds in Mark 4:37: “Be Quiet!” The Greek word for “quiet” is siōpaō, which means “be silent,” “be quiet.”

Given this Old Testament backdrop, there’s no wonder that after Jesus calms the wind and the sea the disciples respond, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). They were thinking, “This dude just did what God does!”

Now, someone might counter, “Well, just because Jesus calmed the sea doesn’t prove he’s God. A holy person could do the same thing by the power of God.” True. But notice Jesus never calls on Yahweh, or invoke God the Father’s power, to calm the winds and the sea. He simply commands it to be so. This reveals that he has the power of himself, which means he is equal to the Father, and thus divine.

There’s one last detail that’s worth highlighting, and perhaps relates to Jesus’ divinity. Mark reports Jesus “rebuking” the wind in verse 39: “And he awoke and rebuked the wind.”

As I mentioned a moment ago, the Greek verb here is epitimaō. Now, what’s interesting is that this word is used consistently throughout the New Testament for Jesus’ rebukes of demonic forces. Mark 1:25 is a good example since it’s within the same Gospel.

So, it might be that there were demonic forces causing the squall and Jesus rebukes such forces, thereby revealing his power over demons. And that in turn suggests his divine power because he never invokes God’s power to rebuke them. Rather, he simply does so as if he has the power of himself to do it.

Now, this interpretation might be a bit of a stretch. But it is interesting, and it does map on with the Old Testament view of the sea as a symbol of chaos and the habitation of evil powers (Job 26:12-13, Ps. 74:13-14; Isa. 27:1). Some biblical scholars have even endorsed it. For example, Mary Healey presents this as a possible interpretation in her book The Gospel of Mark, which is a volume in The Catholic Commentary on Scripture series.

Conclusion

Well, my friends, that brings us to the end of this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word. The second reading and the Gospel reading for this upcoming 12^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, gives us some really good apologetical topics to think about:

• The nature of justification as intrinsic righteousness, and
• The divinity of Jesus.