The Gospel for Wednesday, March 3, 2004
Mark 1:29-45
And at once on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon’s mother–in–law was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her. He went in to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left her and she began to serve them. That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many who were sick with diseases of one kind or another; he also drove out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was. In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can proclaim the message there too, because that is why I came.’ And he went all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out devils. A man suffering from a virulent skin–disease came to him and pleaded on his knees saying, ‘If you are willing, you can cleanse me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said to him, ‘I am willing. Be cleansed.’ And at once the skin–disease left him and he was cleansed. And at once Jesus sternly sent him away and said to him, ‘Mind you tell no one anything, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your cleansing prescribed by Moses as evidence to them.’ The man went away, but then started freely proclaiming and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but stayed outside in deserted places. Even so, people from all around kept coming to him.
A Study
Every act of healing that Jesus performs is one-on-one. When we are told of any emotion accompanying his healing, it is generally sorrow in sympathy with the individual afflicted person's condition. Many will wonder why he didn't perform a "mass healing ceremony" and be done with it. That would certainly have attracted a lot of attention and shown the power he had over demons and illness.
And to compound the mystery, he almost always tells the cured person to "tell no one," as he has some sort of secret he is trying to keep. Surely he knew that people would not keep that secret.
A Reflection
This is another of those cases where we have to back our theology into the stories being told by the gospel authors. John's first chapter fully establishes the divinity and purpose of Jesus' sojourn with us. Mark, on the other hand, hints -- though broadly -- for quite some time before he has Peter blurt out in the eighth chapter to Jesus that He is the Christ, and even then it is unconfirmed by Jesus.
All of these accounts in one way or another tell enough of what we believe to encourage our belief in it, but do not make the case so overwhelmingly that it takes no faith to believe.
The healing stories produces belief without faith in the person healed. And the belief is that Jesus can heal skin problems. Or that Jesus can make my fever go away. Or that Jesus can restore my sight, or let me walk again, or hear and speak for the first time in my life.
The One who calls us to him asks us to bring all our burdens. Not just the physical show-stoppers. He is probably interested in why we would would like a new car. He is undoubtedly interested in making our marriages work better.
What he commanded us to do, however, has very little to do with cars or my bad back or my wife's attitude toward me. He never once asked whether the mortgage on the parish house was too big or whether the bishop needed a new set of vestments or which brand of incense was better, or whether we should use incense at the most popular service since some people really don't like it.
How do we break through to our armored hearts to do His will? He cares about your Hummer, but he really cares about your hungry. He cares about your rector's boring sermons, but he really cares about children locked away in state orphanages with no hope.
So many of us focus inward during Lent, hoping somehow to become more nearly perfect -- truly a lost cause if there ever was one. I challenge you to focus outward toward the neighbor you can't see, the neighbor you don't want to see because he lives in such abject conditions that you can't stand the thought of the smell, much less the smell. You can't stand the sight of the distended bellies of the children, much less the pain of their hunger.
"Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can proclaim the message there too, because that is why I came."
Saddle up, bucko. Time to consider the neighboring country towns.
6:38:12 AM 
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