Authority over Sickness
Mark 1:29-39
As we have traveled through the first chapter of Mark, we have seen many demonstrations of Jesus’ authority. Jesus’ authority over nature is seen when Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and lived with the wild beasts. The Judaean wilderness was full of dangerous animals. Jesus, who had been weakened by hunger and thirst would have presented an easy target for a hyena, wolf, or lion. Jesus was kept safe from them. Also, when Peter and the fishermen could not catch fish, Jesus makes an outlandish request to cast the net over the deep side of the boat. The nets they used were only made for catching fish in the shallow waters toward the shore. In deep water, the fish would simply have dived under the net. But Jesus must have commanded authority over the fish to where they would be caught where they could not be caught. This teaches us something about evangelism, that only the Lord’s way will work, no matter how wise some of our methods might seem.
In last week’s message, we noticed that Jesus taught with authority in the synagogue in Capernaum. His authority was superior to the Scribes and Pharisees who were the most informed people of the day as concerning Scripture. The people immediately noticed the difference. Then Jesus demonstrated His authority over a demon spirit by first silencing him then casting it our of the man. Today, we will see Jesus’ authority over sickness. Turn your Bibles to Mark 1:29. We will read to verse 39.
After the events of the synagogue that day, the people left amazed and went to tell everyone what they had witnessed. This would soon lead to a massive crowd being assembled at the door. In the few intervening moments before they came, Jesus came to Peter and Andrew’s house for lunch and rest. When they got there, Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was lying sick from a fever. Without modern medicine, having a fever could be life-threatening. The Greek text seems to indicate that she was seriously ill. When Jesus lifts her up from the bed, the Greek word “egeiro” is used. This word is often used of Jesus’ resurrection. This does not necessitate that she was at the point of death, but it perhaps is a hint.
We do not know how long she had been sick. Peter and Andrew had been out with Jesus and were unaware of her condition. But as soon as they got there, they entreated Jesus to heal her. She arose and ministered to them. This was not a miracle of convenience on the part of Jesus as though He needed her to prepare lunch for them. This was the Sabbath. All food on the Sabbath had to be prepared in advance as work was forbidden on the Sabbath. This brings up something quite subtle here. The woman was in bed. She was in a way resting, although she was tormented by the fever. But when she gets up to minister, she is now doing work, and that on the Sabbath! Jesus is the one who turned the Jewish Sabbath laws on their head. Donkeys resting in the pit allowed its owners to do work in freeing them. Jesus healed on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was meant to give real rest to people. Simon’s mother-in-law found more rest by serving than she would have gotten lying in the bed sick. We as Christians should see the Sabbath as giving relief to the sick and hungry. Hebrews tells us there is a Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God. He admonishes us to labor that we might enter into that rest. We are called to be Sabbath bringers. By this we keep the Sabbath.
We know now that most fevers are symptoms of infection by either bacteria or viruses. They are part of the created realm. So Jesus exercising authority over them is no different than the wild beasts or the fishes.
At this point we need to go back to the Book of Genesis. In it is says that Adam was given authority over all the earth. Part of this authority was demonstrated by the naming of the animals. There were no wild beasts then. Neither was there any sickness because Adam had been given authority over them. But when Adam fell, His disobedience to God was cursed in that all of creation became disobedient to the authority of Adam. This is where sickness and death come from. This is where attacks from wild beasts come. What we see here in Jesus is the second Adam, as Paul puts it. Because He had not sinned and rebelled against God, He could exercise his delegated authority over creation as Adam once did. Jesus authority is a pledge that all of creation will be restored in and by Him. The heavens and the earth which labored and know no certain rest will find its new order in the eternal Sabbath. This includes those who believe in Jesus.
As the lectionary text selection continues, there is now a change in the scene from the one who was healed to the many who needed healing. At evenings, a large crowd of sick, crippled and possessed people had gathered at the door. The Sabbath ended at evening, so this was no longer the Sabbath. We are now presented by people who were broken and tormented. The Greek word for gathered is “episynago.” This was a synagogue of the sick. He healed many of them who were feeling sick and suffering from many maladies. It is interesting it says “many” rather than “all.” He also cast out demons from some, having first forbidden them to silence because they knew Him. I will leave speculation to C.S. Lewis as to how the devils communicate with each other but communicate they did. They all knew Him. The people received their communication in a different way. Other people came and told them. This is precisely what we have been commissioned to do, to tell people about Jesus. It must have been quite a scene, a mass demonstration of Jesus’ authority. The people had gone out to all Capernaum on the Sabbath doing the work of evangelism. Soon the message would reach the rest of the villages of Galilee, then Jerusalem and Judaea, Samaria, and all the regions of the Roman province of Syria.
It was a hard day’s work for Jesus. He had given the rest of the Sabbath to many. But He was worn out. The Sabbath was over, and Jesus needed a Sabbath. He rose up early in the morning and went into a solitary place to pray. He had perhaps gotten a few hours of earthly rest in sleep. But He also needed spiritual rest. We would do well to follow the example of Jesus. There is a certain restlessness that no amount of earthly sleep can refresh. We simply cannot slumber away our problems and bury our heads in the sand of sleep. Prayer and communion with God is an essential component of rest. When we realize that the Lord takes care of us, our troubled souls can find rest. Jesus used prayer to focus upon the mission the Father had sent Him to do. We, too, need the Lord’s direction.
When the disciples who had rested on in earthly sleep and were unaware that Jesus had left woke up, they realized Jesus was not there, they took to search for Him. When they came to Jesus they informed the Lord that everyone was looking for Him. What the disciples said was true, but they had a different understanding of what was said than Jesus. Their idea was that the entire town of Capernaum was looking for Him. But Jesus’ answer indicated a much larger idea of “all people are looking for Him" than His followers. Jesus was not sent only to meet the needs of the people of Capernaum but of the entire world. We must be careful not to think that Jesus is only for us. Rather, we must join him in his mission to spread the word to the four corners of the earth.
Jesus invited the disciples to follow Him to the other towns as well. Notice that the purpose was to “preach” to them. The mission was to be focused on proclamation of the Gospel first. It is teaching and not works. Indeed, works follow. They flow from the authority of the preached word. When the word is preached and believed, a new creation occurs. The same Word who was in the beginning with the Father, the One who created every single thing, the One who sustains all things by the Word of His Power was walking with them. God spoke with authority and the world was created. When we proclaim God’s authoritative work, re-creation happens in the lives of the new believers. There is transformation. This is why the Word is to be preached. A well-intentioned person once said: “Preach the Word; if necessary, use words.” For all the necessity of living a life worthy of the calling and the appeal of a good witness, it is the Word of God which is necessary. These words are recorded in Scripture. Those who preach need to be proclaiming this Word and no other.
Let us go and proclaim the Good News in all our towns, cities, and countryside. For as Jesus was called to do this, so are we who follow. Jesus said these words on the first day of the week, this was the first day of creation. Let us bring light to the people and tell them of the new creation. Sickness will end. We will have work in heaven but not labor. We will rule and reign with Him. His authority over the restored universe will be shared to us as well. The beasts and microbes will be subject to us as well. This is a hope that rises above the cares and troubles of this age.
I know that there is a lot of sickness in the world in all the varieties that Jesus found in his day. We are in the midst of a pandemic. We keep hoping for a great healer to arise. In the way we think, we are looking for a brilliant vaccine maker. We are looking for some great political figure to bring healing to a fractured society. We are looking for some new messiah who has all the answers to life. We look for this healing in the most idolatrous places. We already have this in Jesus Christ.
A lot of people wish that Jesus could come in person to their house and raise them up. We also sigh when we do not see the majestic signs and wonders that He did. Does God care that we are sick? Why don’t we find healing from our sickness? Why do we still die? Sickness and death affect theologians also. We think of Martin Luther who lost a beloved daughter to sickness. John Calvin lost his only child as well. Luther wore his feelings on his sleeve, but Calvin was much more introverted. Did they not feel the pain also? Calvin is often portrayed as being entirely logical. But he was a human as well. Death and sickness hurt. The knowledge that we shall one day be raised and that the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven arise. We indeed do not grieve as the heathen do, but we still grieve.
How many times did Jesus pass the lame man at the beautiful gate of the Temple? Yet, Jesus did not heal him. It does not even say that Jesus left alms for him. His healing would have to wait until several years later when Peter and John would come. The fancy term the theologians use to describe the will of God is that it is “inscrutable.” That means it is beyond our understanding. We must instead believe that He has good plans for us who believe. Paul indeed might have preached with a thorn in the flesh, but that thorn is now God. Perhaps our infirmities remind us that we live in a fallen world. We understand what the rest of the world is going through because we live in it. I will not undertake the question why many of us are physically sick and don’t find healing. However, I know that Jesus indeed has authority over sickness. Whether in this life or the one to come, we shall find healing. We shall have rest. For this I fix my hope.
“Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly of heart: and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
