| As soon as they left the synagogue,
they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James
and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a
fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and
took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever
left her, and she began to serve them. That evening,
at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or
possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered
around the door. And he cured many who were sick with
various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would
not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. |
| In the morning, while it was
still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted
place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions
hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone
is searching for you." He answered, "Let us
go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim
the message there also; for that is what I came out to
do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming
the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. |
|
| Mark
1:29-39 |
| After a long, thrilling day with Jesus a new day had dawned
for the four disciples following Jesus. They rubbed their bleary
eyes as they woke and scanned the room for Jesus. Where was
he and what was all the ruckus at the door about? Apparently
everyone in the vicinity had heard about Jesus’ healing
powers and had come to be healed. But Jesus was nowhere in
sight. Fear swept over Simon, Andrew, James and John. What
were four brand new disciples to do with such a crowd clamoring
for Jesus the healer? Who could wait for him to return and
bear the crowd’s pressure? |
| The disciples left the house to hunt for Jesus, to bring
him back to the pleading crowd. Jesus must not know people
were waiting for him to cast out their demons and to cure their
illnesses! We aren’t told how long it took the four to
chase him down, but by the time they found him they had some
strong words to say! Jesus had told them to follow him and
fish for people. Well lots of people were currently parked
at Simon and Andrew’s door waiting. “Everyone is
searching for you!” they shouted out of breath. |
| The people were searching for a healer. All the disciples
knew of Jesus so far was his power to heal the sick, cast out
demons and teach with authority. Why was he taking off to a
deserted place when there was work to be done? In the privacy
of Simon and Andrew’s house the disciples had watched
as Jesus “came and took Simon’s ill mother-in-law
by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and
she began to serve them.” Simon’s mother-in-law
was well enough to get right up and return to her role as matriarch
of the house, serving her guests. Jesus hadn’t turned
a single person away. The disciples felt like they had seen
everything Jesus was capable of! |
| Having found him in the deserted place, the disciples intended
to take Jesus back to the crowd waiting for him. Yet Jesus
states there is other work to do. Other work? What could be
more important than healing those who are lined up and waiting
at Simon and Andrew’s home? What was he talking about?
Moving on before he was finished in Capernaum? As they followed,
they must have wondered what would happen to all the people
waiting at Simon and Andrew’s home? |
| Sometimes it seems to us as if God has taken off right when
we need God most. An accident turns our lives upside down.
Loved ones suffer from illnesses; we suffer. The life of the
world is in turmoil. Injustice and corruption seem to be the
rule of the day. The disciples had yet to learn that this worldly
healing was not Jesus’ only mission. The life of faith
often leads disciples to ask, “Why?” and “Where
are we going, God?” Those who place their hope in Christ
are portrayed to the end of Mark as those left with questions.
They are astounded and wonder about the full meaning of Jesus’ words
and actions. Not understanding fully what God has done, they
flee the empty tomb and told no one of what they saw because
they were afraid. Jesus teaches and shares, but some answers
will only be revealed in God’s time. We also know that
our hope in God does not provide all the answers we want to
the deep questions and complexities of suffering and evil in
our world. |
| Jesus had gone to a deserted place for the second time in
Mark. The first time he emerged after being tempted to proclaim
the good news and call the first disciples. After a long day
and night of teaching and healings, he now needed to get away
from the noise and crowds to draw close to God again. Like
any human he looked for space to pray in order to discern God’s
will for his life. We know and we have heard what the disciples
had not yet heard. In Jesus the everlasting God chose to faint
with weariness as we do! God chose to give ultimate hope to
those who are weary, sick, grieving and to the outcast, the
oppressed and all sinners by fully living a human life. After
Jesus’ life was over God chose to make a way of hope
where there was none, raising Jesus from the dead. God’s
healing agenda expands to an eternal promise for wholeness
and restoration. Now we, like the prophet in Isaiah, can proclaim
a time where we will mount up with wings like eagles no matter
what our mental or physical condition is here in this world.
Those who never took a step in their lives, and the rest of
us who have grown tired, will run and not be weary! Yet we
understand this good news as those who still live in the shadow
of the cross, waiting and hoping for the time when there will
be no suffering. The healing work the disciples have seen Jesus
engage in points toward the cross and the resurrection and
cannot be fully understood on its own. The disciples must be
brought on board for the journey of Jesus’ ministry.
It was time to move on. |
| When Jesus emerged from the deserted place the second time
the disciples were with him to watch as he proclaimed the good
news of God and performed many healings in other towns. They
are with Jesus as his rule breaks into the lives of individuals
and the life of the world. With the disciples we find our place
in his work of healing. Our lives are to “proclaim the
message” that the reign of God had come near shattering
the rule of this world’s power of death and suffering
through the work and person of Jesus Christ! We “proclaim
the message” when we share the good news and partner
in God’s transformational work of healing. The Rev. Mary
Moore Roberson calls this work “our partnership in God's
openhandedness” towards us. She relays our part of this
work through the story of one church member named Barbara. (1) |
| Barbara was a member of a very affluent church Mary served.
But Barbara was poor. The house in which she and her 10-year-old
son, Jeffrey, lived was taken away. They lived in their car
and then in the Jesse Jackson Townhomes, a public housing project
filled with the crack of guns and cocaine. The place might
as well have had a sign over its entrance: Abandon hope all
ye who enter here. |
| But Barbara did not abandon hope. Instead the church staff
often found Barbara at their office door requesting what she
needed to get by. Time after time the church and staff gave
Barbara just what she was asking for. They provided temporary
relief for the situation at hand, ignoring the gaping disparity
between what they were offering and what would bring real healing
and wholeness to the woman and child. One day a member of the
staff said, "Let's stop messing around and really help
her. It's going to take a lot of money. Some may say we're
crazy. But we can live through that." Mary said he “brought
us up short. He brought us into the room where the healing
touch of our Lord awaited.” |
| Barbara enrolled in nursing school, living in a furnished
apartment donated for the time it took her to complete her
education, driving a car provided by another parishioner, her
tuition and day-to-day expenses were taken care of. Barbara
came to call her story "God Helps." Her conviction
that God would see her desperate need, would care about her,
would cause her whole life to be re-ordered was fulfilled.
In fact, God had brought her through the door into the place
where God had chosen for all this to be done. |
| A straight-A student and only a step away from receiving
her cap, Barbara announced, "I want to come speak to the
vestry at its next meeting." She did come and stood there
before the church's leaders, the rector and the 12 rich business
people and the civic movers and shakers. She stood erect in
her white uniform, a stethoscope around her neck and told her
story of the eking away of her life and of the miracle of her
new life and its purpose. She said, "Thank you for helping
me when I could not help myself. Because of you, I am going
to be able to help others. I want you to know this. Every single
time I touch a person for healing, this parish will touch that
person with me. You will be right there." |
| Our proclamation of God’s good news and God’s
use of us to help in the healing God desires go hand-in-hand.
As Jesus’ ministry unfolds in Mark’s gospel we
will see over and over that the word of promise and its fulfillment
go together and that the disciples are brought into Jesus’ active
ministry of healing. God is sovereign over all, yet invites
us to be ready to serve the Reign of God breaking into the
world in Jesus and now by the power of the Spirit. Keep praying
for healing, wholeness and peace for individuals and for God’s
world—these prayers are mandated in both Jewish and Christian
scriptures. Yet also pray that God would guide us to engage
in God’s transformational work of healing and peacemaking
as partners. As we pray for God’s healing and open ourselves
to partner with God, we will find assurance that we are following
the One who broke the shadow side of this world’s rule,
Jesus our Christ! |
| Amen |
| Beth E. Godfrey - February 5, 2006 |
| Central Presbyterian Church, Geneseo, New
York |
| (1) This story was adapted (some parts verbatim) from “I
Will, With God’s Help” a sermon by the Rev. Mary
Moore Roberson on February 5, 2006, broadcast by Day One. |
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