"King of the Hill" - Mark 1:21-28; 5:1-20 - (January 28, 2024 - Epiphany 4)

Grace Alone Online

When you were a child, did you ever play King of the Hill? Do you remember the game? We used to play it on the monkey bars at recess or climbing to the top of a mound of freshly plowed snow in the bank parking lot – that’s how we played most of the time. The rules were, first one who pushed and shoved their way up to top was King of the Hill. But the game didn’t end there. It continued because the king had to show his or her dominance by pushing off all pretenders to the crown. It was a show of strength and power.

Well, most childhood games reflect on and prepare us for life in the real world. I’m saying that individually, and so also in society, we can’t help but play King of the Hill. It’s in our flawed DNA. It reveals our true nature: “someone has to be on top and it’s going to be me.” Today we talk about POWER and AUTHORITY as it appears in our Gospel texts.