What do we seek?
Today’s Gospel is set in Capernaum on the day of the Sabbath. Jesus had a support base here with two Disciples, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, calling this place home. With friends nearby, this city will become Jesus’ Galilean home and the staging point for part of His ministry.
So… our story begins with Jesus preaching and teaching. Many times, scripture shows us how our Lord taught people… He used examples from scripture, often stating that the passage was talking about Him. He used parables by combining everyday examples to explain hard-to-understand concepts and make them simpler to comprehend.
It was, and still is, the practice of rabbis to teach through the authority of other noteworthy teachers of the law and use THEIR examples, THEIR knowledge, and wisdom to explain what scripture meant. Rabbis did not teach by their own understanding but by the authority and understanding of others.
Today, we might look at this as ONLY using stories from Martin Luther and Melancthon and only their examples to talk about scripture.
Scripture repeatedly gives examples of Jesus reading with authority. In Luke 4:17-21, Jesus reads a scroll of Isaiah 61:1-2 and says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” and the people are amazed. Not because of His age, or His knowledge, but because of His authority.
Jesus did not exhibit learning, yet He KNEW and UNDERSTOOD scripture! He spoke differently than anyone else they had EVER come in contact with. Jesus was different!
What made Jesus stand out even more in the synagogue was when a man approached Jesus. Luke says the man had an unclean demon (Lk 4: 33). Unclean demon? Is there another kind of demon? The man said to Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us?” Wait, who are the “us”?
Although a few questions don’t seem to have answers, there are a few apparent things. First, the demon recognized who Jesus was. Second, the demon recognized the power that Jesus possessed. Third, when Jesus says to be silent and get out, that’s exactly what the demon did… proving that Jesus had authority.
But why did Jesus command the demon not to reveal His identity? Jesus wanted people to grow awareness of who He was because of what He said and did, not because of what a demon said. Jesus also had a different timetable and was unwilling to allow an adversarial spirit to speak out of turn, of who Jesus was, or what He could do.
Healing Peter’s Mother-in-law’s
When Jesus left the synagogue, He arrived at Peter’s home, where his mother-in-law was sick. Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention that she has a fever. Often, a fever may indicate something much worse than a simple cold.
Seeing her, Jesus rebukes the fever. In other words, He SPEAKS to the fever, He ORDERS it, and it departs immediately! The texts tell us that she rose and began to serve, showing the traditional Jewish acts of hospitality that are so common.
It must be a miraculous and complete healing to allow a woman who is so sick… that she is unable to get out of bed… and yet… here she is, healed so completely that she can leave her bed and take care of her visitors.
Sabbath Ends
Sometime later, the Sabbath ended roughly around 6:00 pm. During the sabbath, any form of work was forbidden. The end of the Sabbath ended the restrictions and allowed people to roam freely and take care of chores. It was also when people could work to carry their loved ones to seek healing. And many people did just that.
There was an avalanche of people coming to the house. Sick people, diseased people, demon-possessed people… the WHOLE CITY was gathered at this one house.
A short time has passed since Jesus entered town. Yet, He’s made a significant impression on the people. Many wanted to see what ELSE Jesus could do.
Some, of course, were seeking healing for themselves, their family, or friends. Others were likely coming to see the sights of this unknown rabbi who could do amazing things. What magic trick would He do next?
Some sought Jesus’ compassion to heal people who were desperate to feel better. Others sought the service of an exorcist to get rid of demons that plagued their bodies. But, I think it’s safe to say… all wanted to hear the words and witness the authority of this unusual rabbi.
What does the world seek?
Let's take a break from Capernaum for just a moment and the chaos of many dozens, perhaps hundreds, of people gathering in the front yard of a house all SEEKING JESUS.
Think about the world around us today. What does the modern world seek?
Many in the world around us have gotten away from THE WORD RELIGION and instead seek after something called SPIRITUALITY, yet this idea does not involve seeking God. They are not seeking THE TRUTH. Instead, they’re seeking affirmation and validation of THEIR TRUTH.
Do you see the difference? Instead of seeking the one and only truth… many see the world filled with MANY TRUTHS… with no one idea better than the other. In other words, the world does not acknowledge that there is ONLY ONE TRUTH.
From that perspective, it means that there can’t be only one true religion. Also, laws don’t apply because they confirm one specific standard as correct.
I saw some social media videos recently, where people were pulled over for a number of reasons. These people did not have a driver’s license or car registration. Some even had false plates that they made themselves. Why? They claimed that they’re sovereign citizens, and they believe that they don’t need to comply with state laws because that is not THEIR law.
Some folks are seeking the world to bend to their will, whether it makes sense or not.
Great portions of society are not concerned about the moral value of their actions but seek many different types of sinful gratification. Again, seeking their own standards.
When we examine the habits of society, we see that much of the world does not seek after Jesus, but we do. We live in the same world with the rich and powerful and the poor and humble. We live with the entitled generation and the faithful few.
What Do You Seek?
Our Gospel today displays many people seeking Jesus for different reasons. We gather today in this church… together as one family of God. But each of us may have a different reason for being here.
Let me ask you this… What do you seek?
In the time we have remaining, I’d like to look at three things that God wants us to seek.
Seek to Understand
First, God wants us to seek to understand Jesus… Who He is, What He said, What He did, and Why He did it. As Christians, we can seek to understand God’s character, and Jesus’ purpose.
The whole story from creation through Revelation shows that God had a plan from the very beginning. He witnessed the first sin leading to a fallen world. Yet, instead of destroying mankind, He gave a promise of redemption. Jesus was part of that plan.
He came into the world for our salvation. But He also came here to teach us. He used parables to explain truths in new ways and opened the scriptures by connecting the Old Testament prophets to His life and ministry. When we look back at His life, we see a lot of meaning. In fact, Jesus told us that he really was the source of ALL meaning for us.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the ONE and ONLY standard.
The questions of eternal life are answered by Jesus. The question of where truth lives in the world is answered by Jesus. The way to get from our sinful selves to our redemption is through Jesus.
So, how can we continue to seek and understand God? The answer is by spending time with Him by reading His Word, meditating, praying sincere prayers, and reflecting on how God appears in our daily walk. Those are all ways to help us realize who God is. Together, many activities help us understand and learn more about His will, and His love, in our lives.
Seek Healing
First we seek to understand. Second, seek to heal.
Many people suffer from some sort of ailments that could use God’s attention. Physical problems, mental challenges, spiritual difficulties, relationship troubles… and maybe even concerns about the future, or the unknown.
Jesus’ words can heal in ways that nothing else can. His healing goes beyond the physical. He has demonstrated healing of physical ailments, purged demons, rebuked illneses, ordered the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the faithless believe, and even the dead to live again. And one more aspect that I often see, Jesus can cure the painful idea of worry too. Even worry of things we can’t control. Jesus offers healing, but He also offers restoration.
One example is an LCMS pastor named Paul Teske. Has anyone met him? Paul routinely stops by San Antonio, so I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. He was a Navy Chaplain for 20 years, and after military service, it was his goal to retire and play golf with his wife, Rivers. But God had a different plan.
In 2004, while Paul was speaking to 200 businessmen, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that immediately left his left side paralyzed. While in the hospital, God told Paul that he would be healed in 21 days. When Paul left the hospital, doctors told him that even after physical therapy, he would have to wear a leg brace, and use a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Exactly 21-days after the stroke, Paul’s wife, Rivers, drove him to Baltimore, MD to attend a large healing crusade. On that day, exactly as the Lord had promised, Paul was completely healed.
Without any prior knowledge of his condition, or that he had been healed during the service, the minister leading the service, called Paul and Rivers to the platform, in front of thousands of people. He was presented “a mantle (or cloak) for a healing and deliverance ministry”.
Since that miracle in 2004, Paul has traveled far and wide to over 60 countries on 6 continents. He is a mainline Lutheran pastor doing work that is very different from what we see in most of, our LCMS churches. Yet, I’ve spoken to people in San Antonio, including our Senior Pastor Bill Tucker, that are certain, that Paul’s prayers, on their behalf, resulted in their unexplained healing. God heals with miracles, even today.
Scripture tells us that nothing is impossible. Jesus told us so. He said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt 17:20)
Jesus told us that works, or miracles would take place. God works through the people and the things around us. But it’s still God’s miracles, not Paul’s, not the doctors’, not ours, but God’s… And those miracles still happen today.
Seek to Follow
First we seek to understand. Second, seek to heal. Third, seek to follow the Christ.
God often speaks to us in ordinary ways. Sometimes He puts people in our lives that influence us in ways that we may not notice. They may be neighbors, teachers, church members, or any number of people that we come in contact with. Sometimes its showing us what to do by being an example. Sometimes it’s a closer relationship that mentors us on leading better lives, and learning more about God.
Have you ever had someone in your life who was instrumental in helping you grow your faith? In my case, there was Pastor Carrol Kohl who was my confirmation pastor. He took the youth on trips taught us how to pray, opened scripture for us, and showed that he truly cared for each and every one of us. He helped me understand what God’s plan was all about.
Those people around us that guide us to do the right thing; those people that explain things that we don’t understand, those people that hold us accountable to our actions. We need people who support us when we need a helping hand, and to point us in a new direction when we seem lost. We need people that support us in our journey with God.
But, it’s not all about the people There is a call from God that puts His Word on our hearts. He can reach out to us to put the Bible in our hands, to open a new chapter in our life that revolves around His love, His promises, and His connection to us. The Holy Spirit doesn’t need people to act. But, sometimes the Spirit uses people that are around us. How do each of us seek to follow Jesus?
Conclusion
What can we learn from the little town of Capernaum, the story of the crowds, and Jesus? Many of us may seek to understand. There are so many situations in the world that are not clear to us. There are so many questions that remain unanswered. But, Jesus has the answers.
May of us seek healing from any number of problems or ailments. Yet, healing from the disease of sin is our greatest need.
May of us seek to follow God just a little bit closer, a little better than the day before. We don’t have to do that alone. There are fellow Christians to lean on for support and to encourage us in our walk together.
Let us pray…
