January 29, 2012

Psalm 62:5-12 (pg. 458)
5For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
6He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
8Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
9Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
10Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
12and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.




Mark 1:29-39
If we were watching a TV series, this would be the time when the announcer would say, “Previously in the Gospel of Mark”…. Then we would see a series of clips from previous episodes:
 John the Baptist at the river Jordan as Jesus approaches
 The heavens torn apart as God breaks into the world
 Jesus, Son of God, driven into the wilderness to be tested
 Jesus walking along the shore of Galilee calling his first four disciples
 Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath teaching and exorcising a demon
 The people in the synagogue whispering to one another: Wow! A new teaching – with authority!

Let’s pick up the story where we left off – we’re at Mark 1:29 (page 813):

29As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34And 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.
35In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38He 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.” 39And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.


Sermon

It almost feels like an episode of “24.” A nefarious villain is threatening the world, to plunge it into chaos and darkness. Our hero, Jack Bauer, aka Jesus, bursts onto the scene doing battle with evil’s henchmen, one by one. At times, Jack’s situation seems hopeless, that the bad guys will succeed. Yet, somehow Jack overcomes each hurdle, risking it all to continue the fight and defeat the enemy. And we watch the clock in the corner of the screen ticking on its unrelenting march toward the deadline when disaster will strike and all will be lost.

Looking for a hero to save the day seems to be a common theme when life is a struggle with little hope. That’s true whether you live in the 21st century or the 1st century. Jesus public ministry begins with teaching and an exorcism in a synagogue setting. This is not a Hollywood-style scene, with lots of gory, too-loud special effects, but an attack nonetheless on the power of evil that opposes God’s intentions for us – sowing hate instead of love, tearing down instead of building up, creating division instead of unity. Those are the effects of demons in society, in our lives. But they are no match for the kingdom of God. Jesus wins this battle and his power is witnessed by the people attending worship, including his disciples.

Now the scene shifts. Following the service, Jesus visits the home of Peter’s mother-in-law. And again, Jesus encounters another enemy – illness that’s causing a fever. We might think, “Take two aspirin,” but this was probably a life-threatening disease. After hearing the details, Jesus goes to the woman and drives the fever out of her, much like he drove the demons out of the man at the synagogue.

The response of the community to both healings is what we would naturally expect. Everyone suffering from an ailment or struggling with a demon comes to Jesus. I could picture them lined up in the street in front of the house late into the night. Peter probably had to send them home at some point so Jesus could get a little sleep. Yeah, I imagine Peter as Jesus’ agent. “Sorry folks. Jesus needs to get some rest – come back in the morning.” And I imagine they probably began lining up again early the next morning…hoping. Peter was probably beside himself when he realized Jesus had left the house before sunrise. No wonder he was insistent Jesus return once he and the other disciples finally figured out where Jesus went.

That’s the problem with a miracle worker. We keep expecting him or her to do the impossible all the time. And then when they fall short we turn on them and look for another hero to worship. The disciples don’t get it. The crowds don’t get it. They think Jesus’ ministry is all about healing – no time to waste on personal prayer. After all, in Mark’s gospel, things happen immediately! Well, then, Jesus, the disciples might have said- get down to the business of healing, let’s see some action! There’s no time for naval gazing, for quiet contemplation--Look at all those people standing outside the door! Throughout Mark’s gospel, the disciples just don’t seem to understand. Peter seems to be the poster child for misunderstanding.

I wonder if Jesus was tempted to keep on healing as well – a lot easier than the path that was ahead of him. But he stays faithful to his calling – maybe that’s why needed to pray – and reminds Peter his ministry is both preaching and healing. His healings are proof his preaching can be trusted. What he preaches is that the kingdom of God has come near – healing and wholeness are two of its signs. In fact, though, there is more to Jesus, the Son of God, than preaching and healing. Until we have the whole story, Jesus will continue to hush the demons and rebuke his disciples. Mark wants us to see the whole story, the one that ends with suffering and death on a cross, before we can truly begin to grasp who is Jesus, who is the God we worship revealed in Jesus.

This morning’s story gives us a piece in the puzzle. Combined with last week’s story we have 24 hours – a day in the life – of Jesus. In this fuller picture of Jesus’ ministry, we discover God’s love is not limited. Jesus’ healing ministry is in the church, and in the home, and in the street. It’s not just in Capernaum, but also in the countryside and villages. He heals men and women, unknown strangers and known relatives. He heals with challenging words, and with a simple touch. Perhaps that’s the teaching with authority that amazes the people in the synagogue and confounds Peter and the disciples. We try to put God in a box and God will have nothing to do with limits.

Peter and the other disciples don’t get it…except for one: Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus takes her by the hand and heals her. And her response is to serve. I know, it sounds like she was sick, then healed, and now, conveniently, she’s up and cooking supper for the men. If you’re not on your deathbed, you’ve got chores to do. It would seem to perpetuate a male-dominated world. But what Mark actually writes is that Jesus raised her up. It’s the language of resurrection, of baptism, of a new life. Reaching out his hand to take hers, Jesus made her whole. And her simple, understated response is to offer her hand in quiet service to Jesus and the others in the house (and probably those lined up in the street). Mark writes that she was a deacon – the first mentioned in the gospel.

Peter and the other male disciples won’t begin to understand who Jesus was until Easter. But several times in Mark’s gospel, women respond in ways that show they do understand. We’ll hear their stories this year – the woman with a hemorrhage praised for her faith, the poor widow who gave all she had to God, the woman with ointment who used it to wash Jesus’ feet, the women at the cross who remained while the men fled, the women going to the tomb to tend properly to Jesus’ body. They don’t try to put Jesus on a pedestal or complain when he goes off to a quiet place for prayer. They aren’t heroes saving the day. In fact, we know very few of their names. But they remain faithful followers of Christ and serve in the regular tasks of daily life. That becomes their simple, yet powerful proclamation of the nearness of God’s kingdom. And they, in turn, become role models for Mark’s congregation and for us. Thanks be to God.