Excuse my mispronunciations…please:
At a classical violin concert in Presov, Slovakia back in 2011…Lukas Kmit was giving a violin recital in a Synagogue.
In the midst of his beautiful classical piece (a Nokia ringtone) is heard echoing nearby.
The classical violinist smiles briefly and then gives his own classical rendition of the ringtone, to the applause and the smiles of his listening audience.
It was like dueling banjo’s…or dueling ringtones…or dueling violins!
You can find it on YouTube…under “Nokia Ringtone” or under “Violinist and ringtone.”
It was just plain rude. But it was very cool the way he responded to it. He was pure professional – all the way! Many will say – it is all about “how we respond to things” that is so very, very important.
I mean who goes to concert with their cell phone turned on?
No one would ever go to church and leave their cell phone turned on – would they?
(Cell phones echo throughout the congregation)
Not at All Saints anyways…
(More cell phones echo…)
(More cell phones are heard from…)
Thank you guys, you timed that beautifully! Yep, that was planned!
Well the purpose of this – of course was because Jesus “was interrupted” as well – almost at the onset of his ministry, while visiting in a local Synagogue.
The city was Capernaum.
Capernaum means the “village of Nahum,” a lesser known and minor prophet… Nahum’s name means “comforter.”
Capernaum was located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It probably had a population of no more than a thousand people in Jesus’ day.
Archeologists tell us that the buildings there were big and spacious and well constructed. Many of them were dressed with stones and large amounts of plaster.
Capernaum was on the crossroads of an important major trade route. So there were many foreign influences in that region. The lands surrounding Capernaum were quite fertile and it was a major port in the fishing industry. All of those factors contributed to its economic development.
It was there – in the local Synagogue that Jesus chose to speak on the Sabbath day. And of course, he too, was interrupted!
The scriptures record first that the people there were amazed and impressed with the authority of Jesus. His teachings were different. And then, “enters in” or “speaks up” the man with the unclean spirit.
Now, thanks to Hollywood, we immediately think of howling, screeching, ceiling climbing, head-swiveling split-pea-soup-spitting, a levitating kind of “unclean spirit.”
Our “demons” and our “lunatics” and “unclean spirits” have all been “Hollywood-ized.” Realizing of course, that the first century counter parts were nothing like what Hollywood “creates.”
Some people get use to “their” unclean “spirits and demons” and they almost become a “given.” Some days the voices are louder than other days. Some days the voices are pounding. Some days they judge or condemn or say you are stupid and don’t belong or are extremely demanding. Some days the voices are quiet. Sometimes they say you are unclean or dirty or are always wrong. You always mess up.
So suffice it to say, that the one with the unclean spirit stands up and interrupts Jesus mid-teaching…or mid-sentence.
And after a brief exchange of words, Jesus silences him…and the spirit goes out of the man…Jesus is the consummate professional. He goes on without missing a beat. The man is calm, the service continues on…
And once more, the people find themselves to be utterly amazed. What is going on here? What did we just witness? What just happened? Is this something new? Something different?
The people are all left astounded. Amazed at the power of what they had seen and witnessed.
And as you might imagine the word about the Teacher – the Rabbi from Nazareth in Galilee begin to spread like crazy.
Who is it that commands “unclean spirits” and they listen to him?
The one who wasn’t amazed or astounded by any of this was the former unclean man, he knew exactly what had just happened. And “who it was” that did it all!