“A POPULAR SECRET”

INTRO

Mark is wonderful, and the closer we look at Mark’s gospel, the more curious we become and we have that joy of learning and growing in our knowledge of God’s Word!

Last week, Mark paints us the portrait of Jesus as Teacher, but one whose teachings are much less important than the teacher himself. Who he is is more important than the things he taught. This week, Mark portrays Jesus as Healer, but we are going to hear that there is something more important than his healings. Along the way, keep your ears open to hear Mark’s hidden messages: about women, about Easter, and about the Old Testament.

Text: Mark 1: 29-39 Esv

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you." 38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.. †

FROM SYNAGOGUE TO HOUSE

29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

Jesus goes out from the synagogue and into the home. This is a new picture for most Jews, who saw synagogue and the Temple as the place of God’s presence and power. It foreshadows the life of the early church, which left the synagogues in order to meet in homes. The power is not in the synagogue—as it is not in the Church per se—but the power is wherever Jesus himself is. That movement continues today—we are poor followers if our relationship with Jesus begins and ends with what we do in this room.

“Immediately” (there’s that word again) they told him about Peter’s mother-in-law, who was at home sick with a fever. We have a lesson from this; namely,

we cannot change or heal what we will not acknowledge.

This is behind all capital D Denial.  It seems like a small thing, but it is actually huge. How many people do you think have ailments, afflictions or limitations that they will never bring into the light? Too many, we can be sure. People keep their wounds hidden because they contribute to a person’s sense of shame. It’s more than too bad; it’s tragic, because healing is a possibility and is available all along. If we are to be healed, we must ask for what we need and be willing to talk about our woundedness.

Imagine someone in the hospital who won’t open their gown for the doctor because it’s embarrassing or makes them feel ashamed. Do we want to be well? Do we want to know God’s healing? We should tell Jesus our healer about it immediately.

As to Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus raises her up, taking her by the hand and then, notice, “she began to serve them.” This suggests the start of a much longer term of service. Have we missed something here? We might think of her jumping up and making nachos, but remember, it’s still the sabbath and what she could do was limited. No, this service may have been the beginning of her following along with Jesus—as part of the larger group of disciples (beyond the Twelve)—traveling with them and helping out when and where she could. There were several women in Jesus’ long-term company. Peter’s mother-in-law may have been one of them. As a follower of Jesus, she is #5, following and serving before the next eight disciples are even known.

32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.

Sundown marked the end of sabbath. People can spread news on the sabbath, but they couldn’t go to the doctor’s office (still can’t!). Like school children watching the clock, we can imagine them getting ready to take their beloved family members, friends and neighbors to this rabbi who can heal afflictions and cast out demons. The moment the sun was down on Saturday night, Jesus’ work week began.

Notice how Mark makes a clear distinction between demon-possession and illness. In fact, all the gospel writers do this—they make perfectly clear the distinction between earthly ailments and supernatural ones.

SICKNESS AND DEMONS

Ever heard of something so wrong with someone that there isn’t even a name for it? Ever known someone who has had all the work-ups—medical, psychological, chemical—only to leave teams of doctors shrugging their shoulders?

We may  know people like that and may have done our best to help them get healthy, but no matter what we do we feel like we’re trying save a sinking ship that’s already underwater and nothing is else is likely to work.

I think the crowds that flooded into  Capernaum were people like this. Someone in their family—perhaps a dear friend—had a demon or demons. They’d tried all the local healers and home remedies, but nothing helped. Popular talk of this new healer (one who cast out an unclean spirit in the Capernaum synagogue) drew them all.

They came to Jesus, offering money, chickens, fish—whatever they may have had of value—with the hope that maybe this one would be different. Maybe this is the one who can finally heal my teenager, my Cousin Louie,  or my dear-but-indecipherable Aunt Sophie.

As soon as sabbath ended—as soon as the sun was down—they immediately made their way to Capernaum.  The synagogue was closed, but Simon’s house was only about a block away, so the people went looking for him

ANOTHER CURSE IN REVERSE?

33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door.

Can you remember another Bible story where the whole city was gathered at the door? At Sodom and Gomorrah, the whole town was gathered together at Lot’s door to defile the angels, God’s messengers. Perhaps this is an image of another “reverse of the curse.” Whereas in Gomorrah, the whole town gathered at the door to disrespect God’s messengers, here, the whole town gathers to humbly seek God’s messenger (Jesus) to help them in their brokenness. From the door they too plead, but it is pleading of a different kind. At Sodom they are aggressive and demanding; here, humble and imploring, recognizing God’s power, presence and goodness in the healer.  Interesting, isn’t it?

34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Why would Jesus want to keep the demons silent? Mark shows us that Jesus is fully part of the unseen world—a supernatural world that no human being knows much of—and that he is Lord of that world as well as the visible one. Yes, the demons know him, but he keeps them muzzled.

We’re going to see this again and again in Mark’s gospel. Some refer to it as the Messianic Secret—this caginess and divine reluctance to be pointed out—and it is one of Mark’s central devices to help us understand exactly who Jesus is.

We talked about ruined jokes last week and it applies here as well. Jesus doesn’t want these supernatural pests shouting out the punchline in the middle of the story, which is barely getting started.

APPARENT CHANGE OF PLANS

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, "Everyone is looking for you."

Do you remember the phrase, “very early in the morning, while it was still dark” from somewhere else in the gospels? It’s a subtle overture of Easter, and notice, yes, this was Sunday morning. After rising, he leaves them; he goes out away from them to a wilderness to pray. Everyone goes looking for him, unlike during his crucifixion, when “Simon and those who were with him” fled and scattered.

Why is everyone looking for him? One reason is that there were, no doubt, more people showing up who wanted his service as a healer. But Jesus doesn’t go back to Capernaum for now.

38 And he said to them, "Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus tells them that his chief role is to preach, and that is why he came. Just as last week we saw that although he is a teacher, his teaching is not as important as who he—in himself—is, so we see here that though he is a healer, his healings are less important than the preaching that accompanies them. The healings are signs—signs of a message that Jesus is eager to preach.

PREACHING OVER HEALING

Question:

Why didn’t Jesus go back to Capernaum to heal the others who had arrived there?

Answer:

Preaching is more important than healing.

We live with a both/and rather than an either/or when it comes to doing justice and proclaiming the good news of Christ.

On the one hand, we are to do justice and work to glorify God through social righteousness. This is part of what Jesus did by healing the sick and casting out demons. It got people’s attention, and showed them that God is indeed good. On the other side, with evangelism, we have sharing the good news for the salvation of souls. We’re not saying one side is right and the other is wrong, but we can say that if one evangelizes without doing what is right among the people, ears will be closed. On the other hand, if you change the world for the better, but do not proclaim the good news of God’s eternal kingdom and the message of salvation in Christ, then you’ve only prolonged the inevitable—death and separation from God.The only virtue here is that you may have made the short ride a little more comfortable.

The balance is not dead center, either—as though there were a perfectly safe or neutral middle position. One of our values of First Presbyterian is that we are evangelical, which means in the balance, we lean to the evangelical side. This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the mission of the Church as established by Christ. Consider:

1. Jesus’ healings are always tied to the good news proclamation (preaching).

2. The message is eternal; the healings temporal.

3. The healings are attached to Jesus’ self-proclamation and self-revelation as the Christ.

4. Doing justice without proclamation of Christ enables an ongoing ignorance of God’s grace and salvation.

5. Doing evangelism without justice finds closed ears.

Jesus did not go back to Capernaum to continue healing people, but on to the other towns of Galilee to preach the good news of God’s favor to more people. The message of who Jesus is and what it is that he came to do are more important than the things he taught or the healings he performed.

All this only affirms what we already know and confess—that God is good, that he really and truly loves us, and that his coming has an eternal—not temporary—effect. Because we belong to him, we will labor in his house (doing healings and works of justice) forever!    †