“Moving Right Along”

February 5, 2012

Mark 1:29-39

Our reading from Mark today reminds us that the pace of Jesus’ ministry is “moving right along.” He starts out with some powerful preaching in the synagogue, and immediately becomes a ‘sensation’ when he expels the demon from a man in the crowd there. People begin talking about him, and the word begins to spread throughout Galilee, at the same time Jesus quietly slips into a private home next to the synagogue. The house is where Simon, a disciple of Jesus’ lives, "with its northern wall right under the synagogue balcony.” Douglas Hare describes it as a large complex of related family dwellings with three shared courts, surrounded by a common exterior wall with a single entrance; and, to the east of the house, just outside the entrance, was a large open area where a crowd could assemble.

Simon's household isn’t like most, with only a husband, a wife, and children. Simon’s mother-in-law lives in the house and is responsible for hospitality. We don’t know why she is part of his household – there could be a lot of reasons, which Mark doesn’t go into – but we do know she's very sick with something more serious than a cold or the flu. Whatever it was caused a high fever, and requires her to be isolated from everyone else in the house. Mark really doesn’t give a lot of information, he simply says she was very sick and Jesus healed her - raising her up, and restoring her to health again – to her place and role in life. Then Mark says, “She began to serve (Jesus and the others).” The woman who had been responsible for caring for her family and providing hospitality to guests had been ill – and less than one hundred percent. Only by Jesus’ touch would she be able to ‘rise to the occasion.’

As a church, touched by God, what "occasions" are we being called to ‘rise to’?

Mark doesn't mention the woman's "faith." He doesn't say Jesus spoke special words over her or prayed for her healing. Mark doesn’t say that Jesus did anything more dramatic than simply touching her hand. It was his touch that brought her to "wholeness." Some say that in Scripture touch is a metaphor for intimacy, for presence, for relationship." Jesus' first healing is accomplished through gentle, tender, touch – an expression of love. Theologian P.C. Ennis  asks, “Might this be the reason for incarnation – God knew the human need for nearness?” Jesus is the incarnation of God's love. And that nearness is only possible today in the Holy Spirit which working in and through us.

It is important that the church, the body of Christ in this world, understand that for some people we are the only Jesus they will ever meet.

Also keep in mind what the woman did after her healing, she got up and began serving. Mark makes a definite connection between healing and serving. Could this be his way of showing the early church what Jesus is really about – and in turn what his followers are to be about: wholeness, healing, service, humility? Later, Jesus tries to get his disciples to understand what it really means to be his disciples: not power "over" but service "to."

Ofelia Ortega has commented that in the early church, where "house churches" were the place of Christian community and ministry “service is key in the call and pursuit of Jesus.“ Imagine our being like them – together, one with another, in spirit and breath – a people "breathing together"? Ortega says, “I love to say that a church ought to have a conspiracy of hospitality, for example. Not so much talking about it, but quiet work, behind the scenes, welcoming, being aware of the "stranger," working together to offer gracious hospitality.”

Moving right along...Jesus has barely had time to enjoy a meal when a large crowd has gathered at Simon's door. While Jesus has already broken a rule about healing on the Sabbath, sundown has made it possible for the people to carry their sick to him, and he heals them, too, and drives out more demons from those possessed. He’s on a roll!

It seems Jesus could have continued doing what he was doing. He could have hung up his ‘shingle’ – “Healing here!” or created his own mega center of healing and waited for the people to come to him. But he doesn’t. After a long day of sharing the kingdom and ‘touching others,’ Jesus gets up early, goes out to a quiet place, and in the quiet dark before dawn, he prays.

For him, it’s a break from the persistent and pressing needs of the crowd, and from his anguishing over their suffering. It’s also a time of wrestling with what he is to do and wondering about his future. During this time, because of his compassion for the people’s suffering, he is tempted to stay there longer than he should.

And so we find Jesus leaving the crowd and their suffering behind. They only wanted miracles anyway, while he was there to preach the gospel message and the nearness of God’s kingdom. It isn’t that he doesn’t want to heal everyone, but the crowd has misunderstood both him and his mission, and so, we find him ‘moving right along.’

The spirit of God is now on the loose. Jesus and his followers are filled by its promise and demands. His purpose is clear. It is not so much about him, but about proclaiming THE Message: the Reign of God. Jesus will push his disciples, then as now, taking them in new and unexpected directions, moving on in ministry to do what he came to do, even if it means his own death.

Mark has Jesus ‘moving right along’ in his ministry of proclaiming God’s kingdom and healing. Can we say the same: That we are moving right along in continuing his ministry? If people seek healing or God’s kingdom in their life, would they come here? Where have we found God at work in this community, and how have we joined in? Our revival’ teams have considered these questions and more. Soon they will consider where we might go as a church and what our ministry might be in the future. It all requires prayer, stepping away for a moment from our ‘busy-ness,’ re-charging our spirit and possibly reorienting our focus while being tempted to stay where we are. It is not easy.  Paul Tillich, 20th century theologian, wrote: “(It) means asking passionately the question of the meaning of our existence and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt. “

May we always live out our call to be healers to “those gathered around the door" of our church, seeking God's mercy and continue to "proclaim the message" of God’s kingdom in our lives today… and may God find us always, ‘moving right along.’