February 8, 2015
Epiphany 5B
Text Mark 1:29-39
Today's Gospel takes off where last Sunday's lesson ended. Jesus immediately left the Synagogue, in Capernaum,with his recently selected disciples, Peter, Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee - James and John. Mark shows an urgency when he writes. The Greek word which is translated as immediately, in the English Standard Version, appears 41 times in the Gospel of Mark but only 10 times in the rest of the New Testament.
They show up at Peter's house expecting lunch but they are immediately told that Peter's mother in law is laying ill with a fever. The text does not tell us if these 4 lunch guests had an advanced invitation or was this a “surprise”. Jesus came to Peter's mother in law, took her by the hand, and lifted her up. She started to serve them. Most people recovering from a feverish illness need a little additional rest before they are ready to serve lunch guests. Jesus was able to effect complete recovery immediately.
The text does not tell us what happened that afternoon after lunch and before the end of the Sabbath at sundown. We could speculate that there was discussion about removing the unclean spirit from the man at the synagogue and the miraculous recovery of Peter's mother in law. There also likely were questions about Jesus teaching with authority or possibly more teaching. Once the Sabbath ended at sundown, a crowd came to Peter's house and gathered at the door. Jesus healed many who were sick with various diseases and he cast out many demons.
The next morning, after some private prayer time, He explained to Peter and the others that, even though Capernaum would be headquarters for His Galilean ministry it was time to move on to the next towns and also to preach there. He went through all of Galilee preaching in the Synagogues and casting out demons. There was no Mega -synagogue in His plans for Capernaum.
In addition to the people being a little confused, I can see two other individuals with questions and concerns:
First would be the local Rabbis. Where did this Jesus come from? Who did he train under? What were His credentials to preach and teach? All they knew for sure is that He was working with His father at J & J construction and now He is preaching. Normally a student will ask to study under a Rabbi. The student picked the teacher. Jesus just walked up to common fishermen and said follow me and immediately they followed.
Second would be the local Physicians. A town the size of Capernaum would have at least one Doctor. Medical care was available to the Israelites at minimum from the time of Moses. Exodus 21: 18-19, taken from the Living Bible, reads: “If two men are fighting, and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and injures him so that he must be confined to bed, but doesn't die, if later he is able to walk again, even with a limp, the man who hit him will be innocent except that he must pay for the loss of his time until he is thoroughly healed and pay any medical expenses.” This was written 1445 years before the time of Christ. The profit Jeremiah also mentions physicians (8:22) and he preceded Christ by 600 years. Granted, medical practice has evolved since the time of Jesus. The Jews had the idea that disease was caused by sin. An example of this is found in John 9 where Jesus heals a man born blind. His disciples asked Him “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. In addition to compassion for the people (Mark1:41), Jesus healed so that the works of God might be displayed. The Jewish thinking was not completely wrong with the notion that sin can cause disease.
Just a few examples:
New born babies are administered a drop of silver nitrate in each eye to kill any potentially blinding micro organisms picked up in the birth canal chief of which is Gonorrhea – spread by sinful behavior.
Chronic alcohol abuse causes, in addition to cirrhosis, a multitude of other serious medical problems.
Chronic food abuse that is Gluttony is responsible for countless disease states.
Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome, That is Aids, could have been kept from spreading or maybe even eliminated when it emerged roughly 35 years ago had we applied isolation techniques known to the Hebrews in the time of Moses- 1445 years before the birth of Christ. 35 million people worldwide are living with the causative agent of aids --- Human immunodeficiency Virus – that is HIV --- and there is no cure in sight. ( The RX consultant January 2015) The predominate method of HIV transmission is sinful behavior.
There is no conclusive evidence that syphilis existed in Europe until the return of Columbus and his crew from the Caribbean. (Wikipedia)
Disease, even in its mildest and least debilitating forms, is unpleasant. Diseases of all kinds can significantly change our lives, remind us of our mortality, and affect our longevity. Many can kill us painfully and quickly.
We can imagine the joy in the people who Jesus healed. We sometimes question why some of those we know and love are healed and others are not healed.
In spite of debilitating and fatal diseases, humanity has a bigger problem. This problem is sin. Medical science can possibly cure some diseases and extend some life spans; but we on our own can not atone for our sins. Jesus tells us clearly “do not fear those who kill the body but can not kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Math 10:28} The fear of the Lord – that is reverence for Him – is the beginning of wisdom. (Prov 9:10)
St Paul paints some vivid pictures of our sins in Romans 1:, 1 Corinthians 6: and Colossians 3:
These lists show us that we all have sinned. (Rom 3:23)
We have worshiped and served created things rather than the creator.
We have not loved God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all of our minds nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves (Math 22:37-39).
We have not treated our bodies as a temple for the Holy Spirit.
In Paul's letter to the Romans we discover the following four Biblical truths:
1. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
2. For our sins we deserve death but God has given us the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23)
3. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom 8:1)
4. The only thing that can separate us from Christ is our own, hardhearted, refusal to believe. (Rom. 8:38-39)
By virtue of our baptisms and our Holy Spirit given faith and belief that He died for each of us personally, we are are in Christ. (Mark 16:16).
Only a complete fool would refuse this gift.
Paul writes about these fools in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 -The Living Bible:
I know very well how foolish it sounds to those who are lost, when they hear that Jesus died to save them. But we who are saved recognize this message as the very power of God. For God says, “I will destroy all human plans of salvation no matter how wise they seem to be, and ignore the best ideas of men, even the most brilliant of them.”
So what about these wise men, these scholars, these brilliant debaters of this world’s great affairs? God has made them all look foolish and shown their wisdom to be useless nonsense. For God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never find God through human brilliance, and then he stepped in and saved all those who believed his message, which the world calls foolish and silly. It seems foolish to the Jews because they want a sign from heaven as proof that what is preached is true; and it is foolish to the Gentiles because they believe only what agrees with their philosophy and seems wise to them. So when we preach about Christ dying to save them, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But God has opened the eyes of those called to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, to see that Christ is the mighty power of God to save them; Christ himself is the center of God’s wise plan for their salvation. This so-called “foolish” plan of God is far wiser than the wisest plan of the wisest man, and God in his weakness—Christ dying on the cross—is far stronger than any man.
The Law has not disappeared. It still serves as a curb, a mirror and a guide but we are led by the spirit and not driven by the law. Christ has fulfilled all of the righteous requirements of the law. He lived a sinless life. He is the atoning sacrifice. He offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins. (Heb 10:26) And He was raised from the dead.
As we walk with the Lord, by the power of The Holy Spirit, we no longer conform to the world . We have a renewal of our minds and we are able to discern God's will for how we should live in a manner acceptable to Him. This is in grateful response to the mercies He has shown us.
I often make an analogy to a bus trip. There is the Jesus bus that goes to the Father and eternal life with Him. There is the Satan bus that goes to spiritual death and Hell. By God's grace we are put on the Jesus bus when we are baptized as a child or come to faith as an adult and then are baptized. The bus makes many stops – we get off to see the sights. Many do good works, many sin, repent and are forgiven– but we keep riding the Jesus bus because we trust Him as our only way to the Father and eternal life. As we continue in His Word and Sacrament we become more like Jesus. We are moved by the Holy Spirit to this obedience, service and good works not so that He will loves us but because He loves us.
The Satan bus is on a one way trip to eternal spiritual death in hell. Yes, there are people on this bus who do good things and are good people. Sadly the bus is on the wrong road. They can however switch buses and ride with Jesus if they stop to listen to the Holy Spirit and confess that they are powerless without Jesus. Faith in the living word – Jesus – comes from hearing the word of God – the Bible – preached through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. This faith is nurtured by Word and Sacrament, belonging to a body of believers, and by having a Godly spouse. There are only two Buses. Stay on the right bus.
