Introduction
Jesus’ ministry has started with powerful action. No sooner does he start to teach than he has his first encounter with an evil spirit, i.e. a demon. With a mere rebuke Jesus casts the demon out of his victim shrieking in agony. As Mark will show in this passage, that was only the beginning of his dramatic works.
The Healing
We are still on the same Sabbath day in which Jesus had taught and cast out the demon in the Capernaum synagogue. The service is over, and Simon and Andrew invite Jesus, James and John over to their home. Apparently it is a home of an extended family. Simon’s mother-in-law lives there and is sick in bed with a fever. This is evidently more than a matter of a slight headache, perhaps even a form of something as severe as malaria. When Jesus hears about her problem, he goes into the room and heals her.
Let’s look at what he does. He went to her, took her hand and helped her up. This is about as humdrum a description of a healing that a writer could come up with. All Jesus did was help the woman out of the bed. We need to remind ourselves that actually a great work was done. This woman was sick with what Luke, a physician, describes as a high fever. The fever not only immediately ends, but she is completely restored to her full strength. That’s what Mark indicates by letting us know that she immediately waited on her guests.
It would seem at a cursory glance that this healing story and the previous exorcism story are very different. Certainly the synagogue scene of casting out an evil spirit is more dramatic and makes for a more exciting story. But think for a moment about what makes that story so dramatic. What elements create the tension? the demoniac’s initial exclamations, the manifestations of the demon leaving (shaking his victim and shrieking), and the crowd’s reaction of astonishment. What did Jesus actually do, though? He spoke sternly, telling the demon to be quiet and to leave. There is a bit of the dramatic there. I’m sure Jesus would have arrested our attention in the manner that he spoke to the demon. But in reality, the dramatic tension in the story is created by the demon and the crowd. Jesus did no more than speak a couple of lines. Mark gives no indication that he is shaken by the encounter or that he had to exercise much energy in the process. You get the feeling that if Jesus had gone home to Mom and she asked if anything interesting happened at church, he would have replied, “Nothing much. I just had to make a demon leave that was acting up. That’s all.”
Jesus acts pretty much the same way in both stories: There is a problem. He fixes it without fanfare. The first incident happened in public and involved an obnoxious demon; the second was private. I make this point to help us understand the next verses and to bring up later what I had spoken in the previous sermon – Jesus’ authority.
The City Event
Our next verses report on the consequence of verse 28: News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. The word has gotten out that a miracle worker was in town. Besides the public synagogue exorcism, neighbors certainly would have passed along word of Simon’s mother-in-law being healed and that the miracle worker was in his home. Thus we are told: 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door.
The reason for the people coming in the evening was that it marked the end of the Sabbath day. A Jewish day went from sundown to sundown. We have this picture of a sizable crowd congregating at the door of Simon’s home. Jesus presumably is standing outside the door and receiving the sick and demon-possessed. What would we see if we were there? Mark, of course, doesn’t bother to describe the scene, but we should at least have a good idea of Jesus’ manner. Other than having to reprimand the demons periodically, he most likely was acting and speaking calmly. “Daughter, be healed.” “My son, stand up and walk.” No crying out to God with tears; no shouting out to the crowd, “Behold the power of God.” No commanding the healed to show everyone what God had done. The picture is more like that of a doctor treating whomever of whatever ailment he had.
The difference being, of course, that Jesus didn’t treat illnesses; he healed them immediately. And he healed everyone. Mark says that “all” the sick and demon-possessed came and Jesus healed “many” and drove out “many.” Is he suggesting that Jesus did not heal all? Not likely. There is no record of Jesus ever refusing, or being unable, to heal anyone. The word “many” is intended to make just that point – the people healed were many and not a few, and that regardless of the type of illness they were cured.
One other observation to make is that Jesus would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Why wouldn’t he let them speak? I can understand him wanting to shut them up to prevent them from speaking blasphemies or scaring the crowd, but Mark indicates that he did not want them to say publicly who he was. Why? What better advertisement could you have than your enemies acknowledging your greatness? “This man Jesus is more than a miracle worker; he is the Holy One of God himself.” Is Jesus just bashful? “Oh, these demons are embarrassing me. Keep quiet.”
There seems to be three reasons. One is that his time has not come for his glory to be revealed. The full revelation is to take place on the cross. Another reason is for the same reason a good teacher will keep the student “who knows all the answers” quiet. She wants not only other students to speak up, but she wants them to make the effort of figuring out the answers for themselves. By his teaching, healing and casting out demons, Jesus is providing the evidence needed for the people to understand who he is. It is for them now to make the right conclusions. One other reason for silencing the demons has to do with who they are. Yes, it is a powerful statement for an enemy to proclaim who he is, but such statements truly belong to his followers to make.
Jesus’ Authority
I had said that I would comment further on Jesus’ authority. The manner in which Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law, and the fact that Jesus could heal many people of different maladies and cast out many demons in a short period of time (one evening during the waking hours) demonstrate again Jesus’ authority. Once again, these are not so much power encounters as they are authority encounters. Jesus is not presented as a person with special powers for healing such as a witch doctor might have or miracle workers supposedly have. He does not have a healing or demon-casting technique that he has learned. It is by virtue of his authority that he may simply speak healing.
And, again, it is by his authority that he could not only drive out the demons but keep them quiet in the process. Not even a judge can do that. He can throw an agitator out of his courtroom and command that the person be quiet, but the agitator can still keep talking while he is forcibly being removed. Simply because Jesus did not permit them, the demons did not speak.
Application
What application can we make from these verses? Consider three lessons. The first two are from Jesus’ refusal to let the demons declare who he was. First, it belongs to each of us who hears and observes Jesus to make the right conclusion about him. There is no use in insisting that God spell out what he has made clear enough. I once was of the opinion that what really mattered in getting persons to believe the gospel was to come up with enough convincing evidence to satisfy their doubts. I’ve come to the conclusion that what matters the most is to make it plain. If someone will take the records of Jesus seriously, the evidence that he is the Son of God come to save sinners through his sacrifice is clear enough.
There were people who saw Jesus heal, cast out demons and perform miracles. There were people who heard him speak and still would not believe. They did not lack evidence; they lacked conviction of their own need. It’s not the words on the pages of Scripture that is the problem; it’s the inner resistance in our hearts. We don’t need demons to tell us Jesus is Lord; God’s Word is evident enough.
Jesus told a parable about this in Luke 16:19-31. A rich man and a poor man died, the rich man ending up in hell and the poor man in heaven at Abraham’s side. The rich man made this request of Abraham:
27 “‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus [the poor man] to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets [meaning Scripture]; let them listen to them.’
30 ”‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Second, let us Christians understand that it belongs to us, not the world, to declare the redemption of our Lord and the praises of our God. We are the people belonging to God, that [we] may declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).
We become so upset when the world refuses to glorify God or inadequately does it. Why should the unredeemed be expected to proclaim the redemption of Christ? Why should the world declare the glory of the God that it rejects? That’s our job.
I know I tread on controversial ground here, but I am concerned that Christians look to the unsacred to do the work reserved for the sacred. Let me give some examples of what I mean. We are concerned in the public civic arena that prayers are being snuffed out – high school football games, civic ceremonies, and other public functions. We are concerned that Christianity is being taken out of its own holidays – school choirs can’t sing carols, Christmas displays can’t feature the manger scene.
These may be appropriate concerns. One could argue that the more we remove prayer from public events, the more callous and uncivil the public becomes. Civic authorities, except under communist governments and now recently Western governments, have always understood the wholesome effect of religion to make people more civil. One could also argue that public prayer enhances a positive attitude towards religion. Those are valid positions. But understand that God does not accept expressions of acknowledgement and praise from those who refuse to belong to him.
Understand that there is no Christian country in the sense that it has a unique relationship with God. God has made no covenant with any nation other than the covenant made once with Israel. The covenant made through Jesus Christ is one made with all believers and their children, not with any political nation. God has blessed nations by placing in them Christian leaders and citizens. He has blessed them in endowing them with Christian values based on his Word and the Gospel. But he has not blessed any nation in response to that nation’s public acknowledgement of him. The Church is God’s nation, God’s people, and it is from the Church that he accepts with pleasure her prayers, praises, and declarations.
Another area where we look for too much is in the media. How many religious TV specials have we turned to eagerly only to be disappointed because of the outright liberal slant presented or the gaudy and stereotypical depictions? A recent miniseries on Jesus depicted him as a Generation-X Messiah never quite sure of what it was that he was supposed to do. Well, of course! A show produced by unbelievers is incapable of getting Jesus right. Don’t look to Hollywood or New York to do the task of the Church. Jesus would not let the demons declare his holiness. Why should we look to those under Satan’s influence to glorify God?
An entertainer who sings a religious song, a politician who says good words about the Bible, a producer who produces a show about Jesus, a football team that says a prayer before the big game – if these people are not followers of Christ, their words will not be received with pleasure by God. We understand that. We all like to be praised, but we despise insincere praise. To hear someone who doesn’t know us or doesn’t like us, speak well of us publicly upsets us rather than pleases us. We want praise from those who know us and love us. God is no different.
We don’t need the world’s help to glorify God, and we certainly don’t need to rely on the world’s methods to carry out our calling. We see that in “healing evangelists” who turn their supposed gifts of healing into entertainment shows. Jesus made no great display of healing, nor did his apostles. He didn’t try to whip up the crowd into a display of emotion. He just healed those who came for healing. He didn’t call out, “Let’s give glory to God!” “Do I hear an amen?” He just preached the gospel. He didn’t make a show of power when confronted with demons. He just told them to leave without giving them the opportunity to even declare his glory. He didn’t turn to the crowd and say, “See the power of God! Let’s give him praise!” He simply carried out the work God had given him to do. We will explore this subject more next week – the idea that we are to minister and honor God in his way, not the world’s.
The last lesson is this - Jesus will heal all who come to him. Some might quickly object to that statement. “What do you mean heal? He hasn’t healed me? He didn’t heal my friend who died of cancer?” Obviously, I am applying healing in a different way. The insulin pump attached to my belt is a constant reminder of a disease of which Jesus has not healed me.
I am referring to Jesus healing our souls, which is the appropriate interpretation to make. We will discuss this more in the next sermon, but understand that Jesus’ mission was not to heal sick bodies. His mission was to bring salvation to people mortally sick with sin. He healed because…well, why did he heal? To signify that he truly was the Messiah. Remember, Jews looked for signs, specifically signs elicited from Scripture. Isaiah 35:3-6 says,
Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
His healing also signified the deeper healing he had come to do. Jesus did not regard physical healing as the primary calamity for people; it was sin. And the specific tragedy of sin was the alienation it created between God and man. It is that wound that he came to heal.
But there was one other very real reason why he healed. We will spend more time on it in a couple of more passages. The reason was that he was compassionate. Jesus healed because he could and because he would. However many people were pressing around Simon’s door, you can be sure that he patiently and compassionately healed each individual who came to him.
And so I tell you again. Jesus will heal the wound of your sin. He has authority to give you healing, and he will drive no one away who comes to him. You are not too insignificant, and your sin is not too great. Just as Jesus healed whatever sickness was before him, so he will heal yours. “No, pastor, you don’t understand. You don’t know the sins I have committed. You don’t know the vileness of my heart. You don’t understand the grip my sins have upon me.”
But I am not speaking from what I know about you. I am speaking from what I know about Jesus. He is the Lord with authority to cast out whatever demon may afflict you and to heal whatever sickness may cripple you. You and your sin are not great enough to resist what he wills to do. And he wills to heal all who would come to him. For with Jesus, it is always a time to heal.
