Jesus Heals

We’re still reading from the first chapter of the gospel according to Mark.

Mark really rushes to the point - where the other gospels take a little while to get to Jesus healing and performing miracles.

In Matthew we wait till the 3rd chapter.

In Luke - the 4th chapter.

In John - Jesus turns water to wine in the 2nd chapter.

But in Mark - by the time we get to the end of chapter 1:

Jesus has been baptized,

Tempted in the wilderness,

Cast out a demon - and now we read from Mark 1:29-39 how Jesus healed many people. And cast out many demons.

Healing

I have a tooth that is starting to tell me that it is time I gave the dentist a call. I might even send him a message tomorrow. But I know that in reality I will probably wait till it is properly sore and then only make the call.

Our bodies remind us that we are not going to live forever. Our backs ache. Our teeth decay - despite all the brushing and flossing.

We are definitely frail and decaying.

Beyond our usual and persistent decay there are also those occasions when we get horribly sick.

Sometimes landing up in hospital.

Sometimes the sickness is in our body - germs - viruses - things that attack and destroy us.

Sometimes it is of our body - cancers - our bodies ability to heal itself corrupted with a glitch in some DNA.

High blood pressure / low blood pressure / sugar diabetes - all to do with our bodies not producing the right amounts of this or that.

Depression and anxiety - the product of chemicals that prevent our brains from receiving the right signals - leading to dark moods and feelings of sadness and brokenness.

When you take a look around you at church on a Sunday you might notice that none of us are a picture of health.

Thats us.

Human beings.

And we are a bit of a mess.

Disease in the Bible

Back in the book of Genesis - and explanation of our diseases is offered in the story of Adam and Eve.

Living in a perfect world - where nothing can harm them.

But then they choose knowledge of good and evil - and the story unfolds.

They are banished from the garden - where they might eat from the tree of life - and live forever in their fallen state.

Death is offered as a merciful way of liberating us from this fallen existence… And scripture hints again and again at the redemption to come in Jesus.

In the time of Jesus

The average age of death was around 20 years old.

Life expectancy at most varied from 30-45 years.

1 in 3 children died before the age of 18.

Only about 3% of people lived to be 60.

Your hope of a cure in Jesus’ time was scarce and there were very few physicians to care for the sick.

So if we feel a bit frail - how much more frail would people have felt in Jesus’ day.

Disease

So - today we have a theory of disease and what causes them. Germs / Viruses / Bacteria / Imbalances / DNA - all of these things.

But in the time of Jesus most people would understand diseases to have a spiritual cause. They would believe that their diseases were punishments from demons or gods.

So - they would go to the priests - or physicians of their day for healing.

Jesus Heals Many

Having just been at the synagogue in Capernaum where they witnessed Jesus command a demon to leave a person the disciples seem to take Jesus to see Simon’s mother in law - almost assuming that the power over demons will be similar to the power to heal diseases.

Mark 1:29–30 (NRSV)

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once.

Jesus understands the assignment. Visiting her in her house:

Mark 1:31 NRSV

31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

This short snippet of healing and restoration - in chapter 1 of Mark’s gospel - is in a sense a summary story of the sort of thing Jesus is doing.

Setting people free from disease and oppression - setting them free to fulfill their purposes.

In Jesus’ time someone like Simon’s mother in law would have rejoiced at the opportunity to receive guests like Jesus, James and John.

It would have been a great honour to here to host this Rabbi and his disciples who had come from the synagogue.

How frustrated and embarrassed she would have been to be so sick she could only lie in bed.

And how she would have rejoiced to be the host for the afternoon.

Healed to Heal

The healing the restoration in this story expands like ripples around a rock thrown into a pool.

Simon’s mother in law healed - Jesus and his disciples in turn - served and I’m sure healed and energised for their work in the evening….…

Mark 1:32 NRSV

32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons.

We read that Jesus healed the sick - cast out demons - and didn’t let them speak ‘because they knew who he was’.

Healing radiates from where Jesus is. But an interesting thing happens next.

Jesus Sneaks Away

Mark 1:35 NRSV

35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.

It is almost as if Simon and Andrew had already made plans to build a nice big and profitable clinic where their house had been.

They went looking for him - to tell him - hey there are still people looking for you!

Mark 1:38 NRSV

38 He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”

Jesus helps us to see that his preaching ministry is a priority over his ministry of healing.

The healing is just a sign that underscores the preaching - the news about the coming of the Kingdom of God - the news about God’s forgiveness and grace.

Jesus Heals

So - we’ve got a good idea about a few things.

One thing is - none of us are probably as healthy as we should be.

Some of us are less well than others - fighting various chronic conditions and diseases.

Maybe we’re not as badly off as Simon’s mother in law - and if you are that badly off you should probably be at home.

But I am sure that all of us need some healing.

Now I’ve got this tooth that is giving me a nudge every now and again to say go to the dentist before you get grumpy.

But there is a lot of other stuff that needs healing too.

And you know why I haven’t called the dentist yet - its been a few weeks - months even that I’ve known about this tooth.

It is because I’m a bit afraid of what it is going to be like to get the tooth seen to.

That Evening in Capernaum

But that evening in Capernaum - as the Sabbath came to an end people started to emerge from their houses.

From their Sabbath rest (the Sabbath ended at Sunset).

And one by one they took themselves to Simon’s house. To show themselves to Jesus.

They didn’t go to him because they wanted to show him how righteous they were.

How Holy they were or how good they were.

But they went to him because of how broken they were.

Demons and diseases in tow.

And one by one - like Simon’s Mother in Law - they were healed.

Set free to serve.

One by one they said I’m not who I was created to be - Jesus heal me.

And one by one they were healed

Isaiah 40:28–31 NRSV

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.