Secrets and More Secrets

Mark 1:29–39 NRSV

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured 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. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 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.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

In the Harry Potter series, there is a term that comes up in several of the books. The term is “secret keeper”. This is a person who takes a secret, usually the whereabouts of someone or something, to keep those things safe from enemies. If the secret is kept, the information that was given to the keeper is kept safe. The role of the secret keeper is huge and very important.

There other ways that secrets are kept. They are kept in notebooks, in bottles, anywhere there can be something stored away that people will not be able to find the secret. It can even be kept in the soul of someone. And these secrets are kept, largely, in the dark so that no one will ever find out about them.

Frank Warren is a keeper of secrets. Sort of. He sent out 300 self addressed postcards to random people asking them to share secrets that they never told anyone. The response surprised even him. People sent their secrets and he created the PostSecret Project. There, online and in several books, he published those secrets, anonymously, of course. These secrets range from the silly (giving decaf to rude customers at Starbucks) to the sad (“I have never loved my spouse”) to the kind (I pay random persons parking meters when they are expired) and all others in between. In each of these secrets there were some who replied that revealing the secrets freed them to be able to get on with their lives.

So, what has this to do with the scripture for today? Where are the secrets that the people have? In ancient times it was believed that illness was caused by the incurring the wrath of God or the gods. If someone were to come down with an illness of any sort, then there could be a scandal because of the fact that they “did something wrong” that displeased someone “upstairs”. This was particularly true with fevers. Remember, this was a time when germs were not understood. A fever could and would kill someone as easily as any accident that occurred. The difference was that the accident could be understood and easily explained. A fever was thought to be worse even than the fire that the three Hebrew children were thrown into in the book of Daniel because that one was manmade. The other came from God.

Now we come to the first part of the text. Jesus has just left the synagogue where he caused quite a stir and is now at Simon and Andrew’s house. When they enter, they are told immediately that Simon’s mother-in-law is lying ill with a fever. This was probably said in a hushed voice as they did not want everyone to know that someone had a fever. What would the neighbors think? This had to be kept on the down low to make sure the secret that she might have offended God was never known.

But they tell Jesus. Jesus walks over, takes her hand and raises her up. There is no incantation or appeal to heaven for the help to make this woman well. Just Jesus raising her up. And when she gets up, she begins to serve them. This is not a demeaning service but rather the word that is used in calling all disciples to service. She is in reality the first deacon. The healing that takes place is implied that Jesus wants this to be on the quiet side, no fuss to be made about it.

Yet there is a fuss. It seems that the entire city (a bit of hyperbole on Mark’s part) has come out to see this man. They bring their sick to him and he heals them. Those who are possessed by demons are released from their captivity. It is interesting to note here that Jesus again tells the demons to be quiet and not to reveal who he is. He wants them to keep his identity (which they alone seem to understand) a secret.

There are other secrets here too. Those who are ill have the secrets that kept them out of their communities and out of the lives that they lived before. Those with the demons were not able to be even a part of their families. And when these secrets are brought to Jesus, they are released form the secrets that hold these people in their grasp.

One last secret to tell. Jesus goes off on his own early in the morning to pray. He does not tell anyone where he is going or how long he will be gone. He goes to be alone in communion with God. He has a secret place that he must go to be away from everyone. And there in that place he prays. But his secret is soon found out and the disciples call him to come and be with all the people who are looking for him. Yet Jesus tells them that they must go on to other cities and town to bring the good news of the kingdom. They are to go and minister to others who have secrets that are burdening them and keeping them from living life to the fullest. As Jesus says in John’s gospel, he has come to give life abundantly and that can only occur when secrets are told.

We all have secrets. They may be secrets that seem a bit humorous if you were to tell them or they could be ones that would shock people to their very core, but we all have them. We hold onto those secrets because we are afraid of what others will think of us if they knew. Frederick Buechner in his book Telling Secrets says that his mother could not finish the book because he told some family secrets that she thought should have been kept hidden away. And we do the same.

Yet what happened when the people told Jesus their secrets? When they came to him for healing of diseases that they knew others would be horrified to know about? They were healed of those diseases and their afflictions. They could go back to their homes and communities and live their lives to the fullest.

What secrets do we have? Are they something that keeps us from living life fully? Is it shame over something that was done or not done? Is it an illness that we don’t want to talk about? Is it a mental health issue (the most taboo of subjects)? Whatever it is turn it over to Jesus. He understands and can bring healing. When we allow our secrets to no longer be secrets, we are freed from the shame and guilt that often holds us back. There will still be issues of that you can be assured, but there will also be a community that is willing to work with you and help you to live in openness. Let the secrets come into the light. Amen.