Mark 1:29-39

Have you ever heard the phrase, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?” I have never been to Las Vegas, so I am speaking from ignorance, but from what I have gathered from hearing the broader cultures use of this phrase is that, sometimes people make a bad decisions, or maybe a whole string of them and instead of bringing the repercussions of those decisions home with them, they will vainly attempt to just somehow leave it all behind and attempt to erase or silence their inner turmoil of their conscience by saying let’s just leave that there…no one has to know.

Hopefully, you don’t need me to do much work to convince you that this is a really, really bad way to live.

Living with a seared conscience is not good for you.

Anyway, the reason I bring this phase up is because I want to plead for you to embrace the opposite of it’s message today, but I want to change the location.

Today, I don’t want to talk about Vegas. I want to talk about the synagogue. I want to turn the phrase into this, “What happens in the synagogue, is not meant to stay in the synagogue.”

To modernize it for our context: “What happens at this gathering, is not meant to stay at this gathering.”

We know the church is not a building (here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door and you just butchered the NT teaching on what the church is).

The church is not a building, it is a gathering of called out ones. We just so happen to gather in a building that the broader culture calls a “church.”

What happens in the church gathering, should not stay in the church gathering.”

What happens here, needs to be brought into our homes and the broader society as well.

That is what we will see in our passage today! And when we see it, it is pretty powerful. May we never be content with just seeing and seeking out an amazing experience of God’s displayed power while we are here…may we always want to see the reign of God play out in our homes as well.

Mark 1:29–30 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.

Mark 1:31–32 ESV

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.

Mark 1:33–34 ESV

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.

Mark 1:35–36 ESV

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,

Mark 1:37–38 ESV

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.”

Mark 1:39 ESV

39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Pray

The passage today is an extension of the passage that we have looked at over the last several weeks. The way it is presented to us by Mark is that this is one long extended day.

Ever had a very long day? Ever wanted your day to just end? Ever felt like there is so much pressure on you at work and then feel like there is even more pressure on you when you come home, and late into the night and then even early into the next morning?

Jesus knows that feeling as well.

The demands of our days can be so long sometimes. Especially this time of year. The days can seem long even though the these late fall and early winter days are light deficient. I think this is especially our case as we head into this darker season here in the Pacific Northwest. Sometimes 4pm rolls around and I think to myself, can I go to bed yet? Anyone else with me? Oh no I can’t we haven’t even fed our kids dinner yet. We just picked them up from school!

This season of darkness is hard. Our moods can be affected by the lack of light.

Seasonal Affectivness Disorder is a real thing. It reminds us that not every form of suffering is because of a specific sin. Instead, this is a good example of how a physical problem can impact our moods and how we relate with our surroundings. We are embodied souls and there is an intersection where physical and spiritual issues meet. Sometimes we just struggle with seasons of sadness, suffering or depression and it isn’t attached to any one known sin in our lives. In fact, this type of concerned sadness and suffering is what Jesus addresses today in this passage. Simon’s mother in law wasn’t laying ill with a fever because she had sinned, she laid ill with a fever because she lived in a world that suffering from the after effects of the first sin.

Simon’s mother in law and all of us live in a world that has viruses and illnesses, and diseases that will impact our lives and our lives will be impacted by those realities even if our encountering them is not directly attached to some personal outright rebellion in us.

So we, once again say, Come Lord Jesus, quickly come.

Back on track with the narrative: Mark shows us this one, very long, action packed, busy day of Jesus that starts in a synagogue and then ends in a private home. Jesus brought what happened in the synagogue into the private home of one of His closest companions.

What happened in that synagogue, didn’t stay in the synagogue.

If you were here last week, or listened online you will remember that the people in the synagogue that day, heard a demon testify that it felt threatened by Jesus interfering with its dominion and expressed concern for being destroyed.

Then they heard Jesus, the God/man commanded with Kingdom authority for the demon to come out and then all those gathered saw the responsive obedience of the demon.

When the demon obeyed, the results of that obedience lead to a man experiencing freedom from oppression to the absolute amazement of everyone there.

And peoples minds were blown in the synagogue, but Jesus wants to take His mind blowing power and bring it up close and personal and He shows up on the doorstep with it and wants to enter into the home of His friend with it.

Mark says,

Mark 1:29–30 (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.

Jesus doesn’t get to kick back and just watch football like I do these days. It says, “immediately he left the synagogue.” Once again, Mark uses the word “immediately” over 40 times in this Gospel account. It is very action packed. Jesus, in haste, leaves the gathering where He blew peoples minds with His powerful teaching. No time for gloating or basking in praise, there was more to be done in a private setting. He is not just concerned about keeping up a good public persona and popularity, He wants His ministry to be compassionate and private as well. In His mind, what good is it if He could be on a pedestal and praised from a distance, if He can’t actually take people by the hand and privately minister to them.

Our God is amazing.

Jesus, “immediately left the synagogue and entered the house of individuals he cared about in order to bring about a healing.”

Now Mark doesn’t have the traditional Christmas story in it, but this passage really is Mark’s version of the Christmas narrative. We really see the essence of the incarnation in this passage. God was not content to minister to a bunch a people from a distance. He took on flesh and dwelt among them.

Here we see Jesus entering into the home of His friend and that home had someone in it that desperately needed a healing, much like the one that took place in the synagogue that day.

Peter’s mother-in-law was suffering and “lay ill with a fever.” The difference between the healing that took place publically earlier that day and the one that and Jesus was about to perform privately is this. One was demon induced and one was just a result in living in a broken place.

Sometimes people just get sick. Sometimes people just get old. Hopefully things get better over time, but our bodies are bound to wear out eventually. All of us will eventually die due to some form of physical breakdown in our bodies.

There doesn’t seem to be any overt spiritual cause of this fever…it is just the repercussions of living in a broken world.

But, once again, the Christmas story tells us that God Himself, into the broken world, came. He was called Emmanuel - God with us. This is what we see in our text, Jesus leaves the synagogue and enters into the home of someone who was suffering so that He might be with them.

And I love how simply Mark puts it…He says, “they told Him about her.”

Him about her. So simple. Hey Jesus, this is what we got going on in the home. Obviously, the synagogue thing was really an amazing display of your care and power, but this is what we got going on in our home. They told Him about her.

In the parallel account of this story, Luke says they “appealed to Him on her behalf.” There is a emphasis of “asking and imploring Him to do something about her sickness.” They appeal to Him. This is what you do when you aren’t happen with the company line that has been read to your off a cue card by a customer service rep and you ask to speak to their supervisor to really get the ball moving. You are appealing to a higher authority to see what they might be capable of doing for you. That is force behind the word Luke uses, but Mark simply says, “they told Him about her.” I love the simplicity of this statement.

Mark uses the most basic Greek word. It is just a generic, basic building block of communication.

λέγω

Do you know what it mean? It means, they spoke to Him. They talked. They had thoughts in their minds that came out through their mouths in word form. They told him about her. They spoke with Him about what was going on in their home.

This is beautiful. They talked to Jesus about a problem that was occuring in real time in their life. Jesus was accessible to these guys. We will Jesus being pulled in many different directions here in a moment, but in this moment He is making Himself availble for a conversation involving words.

These first disciples were praying and they didn’t even know it!

Well what were they concerned about? What was going on? Well, there was a sickness that could use some attention. Simon Peter’s mother in law had a fever and they wanted to see if what happened in the synagogue could happen in their home.

And this is what happens.

Mark 1:31 (ESV)

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.

There are so many things for us to consider here, but here are just a few things to highlight.

He came…He responded to the the information that He was given to Him from His disciples.

No only did He come, but He got up close and personal with the suffering. He took her by the hand. Her burning hot, feverish hand. He came near. Here we see the tender compassion of Jesus. He took what his friends had told Him about this suffering women, and then He took that women by her burning hot hand and then we see the third amazing thing…

He…“lifted her up.” This is resurrection language. This is one of the main words the NT authors used to describe what happened to Jesus after His body spent three days in the tomb. What would happen to Jesus in about 15 chapters time, He is making happen to this feverish women. He was raising her up to new ness of life by getting rid of what was restricting her. And that’s the 4th thing.

The fever left her. That which once help her in bondage, no longer was there. It “left.” It was no longer present and in the fevers absence came a new white hot passion to begin a life of service to the One who raised her.

She began to serve them. She was raised up to start a whole new life of service to the One who raised her

Verse 31 is a little microcosm of the Gospel that Jesus was preaching. He was informed of our situation. He came to us. Got up close and personal with our suffering. He lifted us up. Our old sin sick nature was evicted and forced to leave upon His touch and now we are engaged in life long servant as loyal subjects to the True King. This is amazing news.

Do you know what this sequence of events started with? Some guys simply talking with Jesus about what was going on in their home.

In a joking way, some of you might be thinking, man I wish someone told Jesus about my mother-in-law! I wish he could “heal” her! Mother-in-laws get such a bad rap. My mother-in-law was just in town. She is pleasant and she is probably listening remotely right now! So these are things I have to say!!!

But all joking aside, do you speak with Jesus about what is going on in your home? Don’t you know you can do the same? Don’t you know that He stoops down and anxiously awaits to hear us talk with Him? Don’t you know that He left heaven and took on flesh and blood to be near us? This time more than any other time of year we should know that Jesus desires to be near us and hear us when we pray. He moved into our neighborhood so to speak. It’s like the simple Christmas lullaby hymn, Away in a Manger states,

Be near me, Lord Jesus I ask You to stay Close by me forever And love me I pray.

Psalm 145:18 (ESV)

18 The Lord is near to all who call on him…

Psalm 73:28 (ESV)

28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge…

Yes these men saw something amazing at the synagogues earlier in the day, but would what they experienced there really effect the life of their family? Let’s see? and they talked to Jesus about it.

We must do the same. Talk to Jesus about the situations that seem threatening to you and see what He might do.

This passage begins to highlight the tender compassion of Jesus. He got up close and personal with His people and in turn, we His people can get up close and personal with Him. He has made a way for us to do that through the means intentional time spent with Him on a day to day basis.

This is actually necessary for Jesus Himself and He modelled for us it’s importance in our lives.

Look at how this passage ends.

Mark 1:32–34 ESV

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.

So Jesus is obviously swamped with opportunity and He is trying to control all they hype and not let the demons speak because His credibility might be called into question if His miraculously power was authenticated by demonic testimony! Not all publicity is good publicity!

He obviously had a ton going on in His life and was at the very end of a very long day and then we read this.

Mark 1:35 ESV

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.

He spoke with His Father about all the things that were going on in His life. He spoke with Him! He got up close and personal with His Father. Jesus prayed! Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus was orienting Himself with His Father’s plans.

People, it is probably unnecessary to say this, but if Jesus had to do this…

At this time, I want to invite up Gerrit Kamp to bring a word of encouragement for all of us.

What is a daily Quiet Time?

The essence of a daily Quiet Time is to spend Quality Time with God. It's about developing and growing our relationship with our Heavenly Father. He communicates to us through His Word and we communicate with Him through prayer. And frequently God gives us guidance and direction through our communication with Him.

Why have a daily Quiet Time?

Jesus modeled it

In Mark 1:35-39 we read that Jesus went out early in the morning, by Himself, and prayed. So He spent some Quality Time with His Father in a Quiet Time. And It looks like He got direction from His Father because after his QT He did something quite different from what His disciples expected. Even though everyone was looking for Him in Capernaum, Jesus decided to go to different towns to preach there also, because that is why He came. God the Father communicated His purpose to Jesus, and Jesus obeyed.

Jesus says we need it

Another reason to have a daily QT is because Jesus said we really need it. When He was tempted in the desert, the devil, Satan, tells Jesus (who was hungry because of His fasting) that He should just tell the stones to become bread. This was not the Father’s will though and Jesus responded with:

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus teaches here that, just like our bodies need bread every day, so our spirits need God’s Word, every day. God’s Word is food for our spirits, we starve spiritually if we do not feed on God’s Word.

God promised success if we do it

Another reason to have a daily quiet times is because of what God promised to Joshua:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”  (Joshua 1:8)

Joshua was commanded to meditate on God’s Word day and night, and as a result, he would become successful. So if we want to be successful in our ways, we likewise should meditate on God’s Words every day. This is not about being successful in the ways of the world (which is the broad and easy road that leads to destruction) but in the ways of God (that narrow and difficult way that leads to eternal and abundant life).

When should you have a daily Quiet Time?

It's probably smart to find a time of the day that works for you. I’m a morning person and I tend to wake up before the rest of the family. The benefit of doing a morning QT is that you can ask God for guidance during the day (just like Jesus did). The benefit of doing an evening QT is that you can review how your day went and make plans for what you are going to do tomorrow. Jesus had his QT in the morning so that is probably a good model to follow.

What does a Quiet Time look like?

From the verses we looked at, we know that reading God’s Word and prayer are the two central parts of our time with God. Personally, I added a few more elements. I memorize some Scripture every day, because if I don’t make that a daily habit, it's simply not happening. I also meditate on the things I read or memorized and frequently make some notes in my journal. And sometimes God prompts me to do certain things that I don’t want to forget, so then I write those items down in my to-do list.

How do you get started?

If you are currently not in the habit of having a daily Quiet Time, then I would encourage you to start doing it. It may seem overwhelming, so I would recommend starting small. It's probably better to spend 5 minutes with God every day of the week than have an hour long quiet time on Monday and then nothing for the rest of the week. Start building the habit and you will reap the benefits over time.

Compare it with working out to become healthier. If you are currently not working out at all, you don’t start with pumping 100’s of pounds of weight or running multiple miles. You start small but try to be consistent. Once you have the habit going and start to experience the benefits, you will want more. And sometimes it really helps to have someone encourage you with working out (a trainer, a buddy). So perhaps for your Quiet Time, ask a good friend to encourage you by checking in every now and then.

Expect some spiritual resistance. Satan and his army of demons do not want you to spend time with God daily, so they will try to discourage you. Just remember, that He who is inside of you is stronger than the evil one.

So tomorrow morning, pick up your Bible, start reading, and pray to God. Commit to doing this every day this week, and reap the benefits for eternity.

Don’t let what happen in this gathering today, just stay here. The power of what you experience here can go home in your car with you. It can meet you late at night, or early in the morning and all throughout your day.

Song: O Come, All You Unfaithful Ones

Benediction:

Mark records a spectacular Sabbath Day synagogue experience, but also shows us a very personal and private display of Jesus power in the home of Peter. What happens in this gathering place needs to travel with us to other places in which we gather, primarily the places we call home.

Do you think what you experience here, you can experience in your home? Any healing in your home that needs to take place? Any Physical, Spiritual, Relational, or Emotional Healing that needs to take place that you need to talk to Jesus about in order that you might serve Jesus better, unencumbered in His Kingdom?

This time of year tells us that He came near to us, so that we could draw near to Him! Do it.

He doesn’t want to affect your life publically, He wants to get up close and personal and affect your private life as well.

Do you have all your Christmas shopping done yet?

The disciples told Jesus about the problems in their home and expected Him to get involved somehow. What problems in your home do you need to talk to Jesus about? How do you imagine Jesus “fixing” what is needing to be addressed?

What are you tempted to find relief in at the end of a long day of high stress? How might a short season of talking with God alleviate your stress?

Will you commit to having a daily, set aside time with King Jesus this week?