Please read the passage before the commentary.
What is the difference between magic and religion? Both use gestures, speech, and actions. Some have said that religion is what my people do and magic is what other people do. Some say that religion produces good effects and magic bad ones. In the ancient world, the distinction between magicians and the wonder workers, prophets, and healers who provided somewhat similar services was not always clearly delineated. Both were generally accepted by the people. The witch of Endor could rouse from the death Samuel at the request of Saul, the first king of Israel, even though Saul had put a bounty on people of her profession (Cf 2 Samuel 28:3-25).
Our modern magicians are skilled in using sleight of hand to do tricks. They also use rituals to set the stage for their amazing performances. Modern magicians perform to amuse; ancient ones used rituals more so for healing and improving the lives of their people.
Jesus used ritual in the healing described today. We use rituals in our worship. This is not to say that Jesus or we practice magic of any sort. Rituals help us negotiate our lives. We have bedtime rituals, morning rituals or routines. We have rituals we use in praying at home and in Church. We have rituals in civic and sporting functions. They help us function as individuals in group contexts.
The ritual Jesus used we have adapted for use in baptismal ceremonies. We pray for open ears to hear God’s word and open hearts to welcome God into our lives. We pray for a strong voice to proclaim God’s word once we have heard it. Our Church rituals are to help us do all things well, including hearing and speaking.
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