: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."
It seems from this that this is the main thing. I heard the phrase
the other day it went something like this. The main thing is to keep
the main thing the main thing. Sounds like that is what Jesus is
saying the main thing is not the healing but message of the new
Kingdom. Nancy-Wi
I don't know where I'm going with this text yet this early on, but I
had to laugh that as soon as Simon's mother-in-law is healed by
Jesus, she starts waiting on all the men! You'd think in her
condition, one of the guys might have helped her get some
nourishment into herself first! Probably says more about the culture
of the day than anything else, but maybe there's also a word in
there about those who receive Jesus' healing turning around and
sharing life with others. GB in MI
The lectionary text picks up in the middle of a very busy Sabbath
day. Jesus has been to the synague to teach and heal there. You
would think he would take the next day off like many modern
preachers, but no. After the setting of the sun (the next day for
them) there he is healing the mother-in-law and then later the
crowds that showed up. After that you would think he would take a
day off, but no. He rises early for prayer work and then announces
the beginning of a preaching tour. We see a Savior with a work
ethic.
Mike in NC
Since Jesus was going to the house of Simon anyway, it seemed right
to heal Simon's mother-in-law. It seems unreal for her to start
serving them immediately afterward. But whoever brought all who were
sick or possessed with demons to Simon's house that night for Jesus
to heal were inconsiderate. Jesus' main purpose was to preach and
teach. He needed a break. He had a long day.
GB in MI Yes being cured and then waiting on everyone is funny glad
you pointed it out! I agree cultural, however it is also an
affirmation of complete healing since the ability to serve was a
measure of worth and self esteem. Have you read the Red Tent? I'd
love to know how culturally acturate that book is. It was fun to
read. Nancy-Wi
I am centering this service on hearts, and mentioning the story of
St. Valentine. It seems like sometimes the healing of the body, does
not seem to heal the mind. Any thought on this. Reading this I have
to keep thinking "Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy!) I don't
need to be reminded to work and I bet that most here don't either.
Nancy-Wi
Where in the heck are you, don't you know you are needed, everyone
is looking for you!
Jesus needs time apart, time for prayer, time to talk with his
Father. Without this time apart, Jesus would be unable to meet the
demands of those who come in search of him.
We need to recognize this same time apart for ourselves. None of us
can minister unless we spend time in prayer and contemplation.
Hopefully all of us make a retreat or two during the year to listen
in silence to the one who speaks to us in silence
May we not be like the rest of our culture who defines their self
worth in terms of their "doing" instead of their "being"
tom in ga
Two points: 1) Jesus brings healing to our lives that we may serve
Him. 2) healing is secondary to proclaiming the gospel message. It
merely gets the attention of people that they might listen to the
proclamation. PH in OH
Regarding Simon's mother-in-law immediately getting up to serve: I
believe I heard or read recently that she was very likely the
ranking female in her household, and that it would be an honor (not
a burden) to serve her guests. Thus, for her to be healed and serve
them immediately isn't, as in our culture, an imposition on her;
rather, it is restoring her to her honored position. Regarding:
healing vs. teaching. PH in OH, I'm not sure I agree with you that
his healing was secondary to his preaching, and that it was for the
purpose of catching the people's attention. For Mark, clearly, Jesus
as teacher is primary; however, his healing IS part of his teaching
(i.e. today' incident in the synagogue), and being healed is part of
their experiencing the message that Jesus is teaching. JE in NE
Ph in Ohio, I like your first point about Jesus healing us so that
we can serve him. I am repairing hearts(construction paper hearts)
and this maybe how I end it. What do you do with a healing heart,
learn to serve and heal others. Early yet. (hey, last week I printed
my sermon out with only 5 mins to spare and the DS showed up to
worship. Boy, do I know the authority of Christ! The discussion was
so good I had a heck of a time focusing in!) Nancy-Wi
I think we as pastors need to deal with "demons" and not always skip
that part of Scripture. Vs. 39 indicates that proclaiming the
message includes dealing with demons. Sam in Nairobi
This scripture reveals that the disciples had families and all the
accompanying responsibilities. Simon's mother-in-law was sick and in
bed with a fever. When Jesus was told about her he went to her, took
her by the hand, and lifted her up. She was healed and she began to
serve them. Is Jesus' response to Simon's M-I-L a model of his
ministry to the sick? He went to her, he took her by the hand, and
he lifted her up. Has Jesus not done the same with us? Consider the
hymn "Precious Lord, Take My Hand". Simon's M-I-L's response is also
a model for us. After receiving Jesus' healing ministry she got up
and served them (him). This is a model of response for all
disciples: we are blessed by Jesus and respond by becoming disciples
and serving him.
That evening Jesus ministered to all who were sick or possessed with
demons. There might have been a significant number who were sick,
but how common was demon possession? The demons knew who Jesus was
and he did not allow them to speak for this reason. This seems
significant, but I don't know what to make of it or what to do with
it in a sermon.
Jesus actions the following morning are also instructive for
disciples today. He got up and spent time alone with God in prayer.
Jesus sets the example of the care-giver taking care of himself.
Steven Covey refers to this as sharpening the saw. A woodcutter can
work hard all the time, but he will wear himself out if he doesn't
take time to "sharpen the saw". There are those who see taking time
to care for themselves as unproductive, but Jesus sets an example
here. Previous comments refer to Jesus' work ethic, but I wonder if
he would have been able to respond positively to the crowds who were
seeking him out had he not taken the time for himself.
Jesus' ministry was to "proclaim the message." It appears to me that
he proclaimed the message through word and deed, so that his
ministry of "exorcism" was part of the proclamation and not
something extra.
I agree with those who pointed out the time Jesus took apart as his
own "Sabbath." He (and we) needed to reconnect with the Source so
that his batteries would recharge and he could again minister to
others. That is why many of us take Monday's off. Obviously not any
of us submitting today tho! MW in West AR
I just have a little food for thought about the comment about the
fact that Simon's mother-in-law went back to work. Jesus healed her
completely so that she was able to return to her work immediately.
When we are sick and get better, it still takes us a day or two to
be able to do the work we did before we were sick, we have to get
our stamina back. Peter's mother-in-law had it immediately.
Willy in VA
I have never contributed before, but I have been reading
contributions for a few weeks. Thanks to all for helping to stretch
my thinking. As I look at this text I think Jesus models a perfect
balance. He begins (in this passage) by healing those who are in
need. He then takes some much needed refreshment time. Then, even
though he could have stayed and healed more, he moves on to proclaim
the message "for that was what I (he) came to do." So often, I think
we as pastors and our churches try to do too much or lose focus of
what we are here to do. I am serving a smaller congregation and we
can't possibly do everything that needs to be done in this area. We
need to leave some of those things to other churches, other
agencies. But Jesus has modeled for us the perfect balance of being
compassionate, taking time to be renewed, and then setting out on
what one is called to do. Tell me what you think. Bruce in WI.
I am a mission developer for the ELCA up in Michigan. I see in this
text the chance to lift up two very crucial points: 1) that we all
need a break and can be overworked, even Jesus. and 2) when the
break is over it is time to get back to work. I really appreciated
the statement made earlier about the "mainthing" being the spreading
of the message of Christ. In our culture, especially in my context
of a mission church, it is very easy to get caught on numbers
attending or money given rather than people reached. This helps to
put things into perspective. Vicar Matt
Sam in Nairobi -
Please say more about dealing with demons. You are ministering in a
country where the spirit world is much more of a reality to people
than here in the US. I am interested in your perspective on the
treatment of this issue.
Tigger in MN
Early in the process I am all over the map.
1. The healed woman receives a benefit of the Kingdom of Heaven
being at hand (actually holding her hand) and then gets up and
serves. The congregation seeks to reflect the at hand K of H by
receiving its benefits. But we don't just get the privileges of
membership and then go home and then come back a week later like the
church is some kind of filling station. The church exists to send
servants out into the world, not to cloister ourselves against the
world. Sometimes we need to be recipients of the church's ministry
but mostly we are to be doers of the church's ministry.
2. Jesus came to do the Easter thing. But first he spent years
preparing us for Easter by pointing out to us that the K of H is at
hand. All of the miracles, all of the sermons, all of the arguments,
all of the relationships, all of everything Jesus did was to point
out the fact that the K of H is at hand. The teaching and the
healing are essentially the same thing -- revelation of the imminent
presence of the K of H. It is here, not off somewhere in space and
time, but here...now.
3. Regarding the casting out of demons; I am a mainline Protestant
Christian so I am as uncomfortable addressing the demon stuff as
anyone. But I find it interesting that Jesus deals with demons in a
manner very different than his usual m.o. He does not use argument
or coals of kindness or persuasion or anything other than raw brute
authoritative power. "Shut up and get outta here!" Now, what does
this say to we Christians who have been so versed in embracing the
position of the underdog because that is who Jesus and the epistle
writers were dealing with but we (Westerners and U. S. Americans)
are now in a position of hegemony and unprecedented power, wealth
and strength? It can be argued that appeasement, negotiations and
persuasion is fruitless when confronting blatant evil (recall
Chamberlain's deal with Hitler). Does anyone infer where I'm going
with this? Dare we talk politics on DPS?
Fool For Christ
I see healing as a part of God's love for us. I see serving as a
response to God's healing love. God using healing to get us to serve
appears to me to me more a human act of manipulation
Shalom
pasthersyl
Bruce in Wi I serve 3 small churches in Montana, I moved here in
June of 2002 from Wisconsin. I servered a medium sized church in
Wis. This is a different ministry in many ways, but your point is
well taken. There are only so many things that a small church can
do, but how they live their lives as Disciples of Jesus can be a
really big thing in a small town. And working together with other
agencies or churches that have more funding and people available.
Learning to "fill our own wells" is an important part of all
discipleship, but especially in small churches where more than the
same people are doing it all, because there just are not anymore. As
pastors we can help teach by example - most of us are not so good at
that. Spiritual Formation is VITAL. I think Jesus did it on a
regular basis with his disciples. jmj in Montana
I see this scripture as two sides of the same coin. Not only did
Jesus heal the woman and she in return began to serve him. Also,,,
Jesus allowed himself to be served in love. If we are to be
Christ-like, we are to allow others to serve us and for Christ to
serve us in love. Most of us do a much better job serving than we do
in allowing ourselves to receive service. The truth is in the
relationship between us and Jesus. Jesus used to analogy of marriage
many times. And as you know, any marriage that is completly one
sided is in big trouble. Ruby Nelson St.Paul's UMC Beaumont, Texas
I was talking with one of my church elders today and so we talked
about the lection. She noted several things. I mentioned, "Everyone
is searching." She pointed out is was probably not everyone, it just
seemed that way. She also thought that part of Jesus' prayer time
was spent receiving the guidance that he should move on to the next
town. PH in OH
I am main line as well, but I am not afraid to cast the word
concerning Demons. For 1900 to 1950 years ministers have always
preached about Satan and Demons, and their pending doom. Why in the
last 50 years do you think that all of a sudden we don't have to
deal with preaching the whole truth of Scripture, and that we war
not just Flesh and Blood.
Last Sunday I used the text preceeding this one where Christ cast
the demon out of the man in the synagouge who confessed he knew
Christ. I had a lady tell me that she was glad to hear that a
minister today would see preach God's word. The interesting thing is
that she said it was the first sermon she heard in 40 years, since
she left cuba, that did not try to explain away demons.
In this pasage Jesus holds the demons silent, because they knew who
he was. That is the question we must ponder, as to why.
Grace Peace and love Clint Stockton First Presbyterian Church,
Homestead, Fl
We have not talked about demons because science claims to have an
explanation for them. The truth is that science does not have all
the answers. God does. PH in OH
Three times in this passage casting out deamons is mentioned. Twice
it speaks about healing the sick. After spending what I see as a
considerable amount of time healing and casting out demons Jesus
breaks away out of sight to pray. His next announcement is it's time
to move on, "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."
Had the healing and casting started to over shadow the message? I
tend to think it could have. Maybe Jesus saw it that way too in his
prayer time.
The statement, "Everyone is searching for you." is something I see
from people today when they need healing or something bad (evil) has
happened in their life. And if God doesn't fix whats wrong in their
life all of a sudden He is the bad guy.
Jesus' main concern was to get the word out that God was near and
they needed to prepare themselves for the Kingdom. This is what
should occupy all their time and energy, just being what God
designed people to be - gifted souls made in love and designed to
share love. Everything needed to take second place in their life.
Jesus paid the price with his life for all the mistakes (sins) we
have made of not living the life we were designed to live. Thats why
demons possesed folks and could very well be the reason there was so
much sickness in need of healing (just think of how often we make
ourselves sick through worry etc.).
Where do we put our faith? What do we believe? These are the
questions Jesus knew were the most important issue humanity had to
face. I have seen healing of souls when their body was waisting away
because they have turned their focus to follow the great designer of
us all and made love a priority. Boy this is a good Valentines
message =) KB in ks.
This is in response to some of the comments regarding self-care and
work ethic. It is unfortunate that many are looking at this issue as
an either or situation. The problem is, we become out of balance if
we stress one over the other. What is disturbing to me is that many
seem to think a work ethic is a bad thing. My point with bringing
this up is Jesus did not shy away from long hours and hard work.
Perhaps that was a product of his upbringing as a carpenter. The saw
does need to sharpened, but not if it isn't being used. How many of
us have churches where former pastors let committees just slide with
not meeting to work because it was just too much trouble? How many
of our churches have gone without meeting through the week because
it was just too much trouble to organize food and educational
activities for all ages? How many of our parishioners have not been
trained to witness in the name of Christ either in word or deed
(work) because it was just too much trouble. I could go on, but that
makes my point. It seems that today there is a significant amount of
clergy that just wants to do the self-care thing. It is tempting and
we can defend ourselves theologically. But Jesus had a strong work
ethic and it was not a bad thing. To get his prayers in he got up
early. When he was seeking solitude, he did let it go when he saw
the crowds like sheep without a shepherd. The funny thing is I just
got back from one of the self-care retreats. The message of eat
right, sleep well, excercise and protect your own time is still
ringing in the ears along with the scriptures about taking up a
cross and following Jesus. Speaking for the off the wall theological
minority...Mike in NC. Grace and peace!
Dear Clint Stockton,
I don't think that we have become afraid to speak about demons in
our preaching (they exist in my opinion). I tend to think we have
evolved to a point that we don't want to give demons power from the
pulpit. I would rather preach the message of the Good News Jesus saw
as most important than give any ol'demon top billing.
Let me ask you, do you cure a sickness by telling folks just how
sick they can become? Or by giving them a dose of something that
will encourage them to get well? Jesus chose to dwell on the Good
News. KB in ks.
Two kinds of "beings" recognized the power of Jesus: 1. Evil spirits
or demons; and 2. People who were ill, hurting, people who realized
they had no control over their lives and their conditions. In order
to receive the love and healing of Jesus, we must first admit that
we are in need, we must admit that we are no longer in control. The
first step of the 12 step program: "We admitted that we were
powerless over our dependencies (substitute whatever ails you), that
our lives had become unmanageable." 12th Step: Share the message
with others. Let's first admit how much we need Christ - how little
control we have - and then share the Hope and Love and Healing of
Christ with others. Thanks for the reminder that this is the last
Sunday before Valentine's Day. RB in LA
Thanks to all of you who have helped me to wrestle with this passage
and others. The frame of the text is clear. Healing of Simon's M-I-L
so that she is able to serve. "Saved to serve." Retreat to reconnect
with God. Both good points. This is where I begin to wonder about
the message of the text. The next morning while Jesus is praying
Simon is hunting him down presumably to heal more people. But Jesus
answers "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."
The congregation that I serve has issues concerning the neighborhood
in which it is located. The once neighborhood church finds itself
radically different than the neighborhood at present day. Some
effort has been made on the part of the congregation to reach out to
the neighborhood and minister to it. However the membership of the
congregation has continued to age and decline. A situation that I
know is not unique to this congregation. The consensus is that we
should leave this place and move in order that we may grow and serve
God better. Some have criticized the thought of relocating saying
"who will minister in this neighborhood?" What I hear this passage
saying is that Jesus was intentional about relocating his ministry
from time to time in order to serve and reach other people. Sure
there are people in our present neighborhood who deserve to hear the
Good News, but very few of them have heard it from us for a variety
of reasons. Is there anything wrong with moving so that our ministry
will reach more people and further advance and bring glory to the
Kingdom of God? I would appreciate any comments to help me think
through how this passage relates to the relocation of a
congregation. Grace and Peace to you all. IL Pastor
Again, great discussion this week. Like many of you, I too don't
know where I'm going with this text. Frankly, there is so much. A
couple of themes do begin to emerge for me. One is restoration.
Jesus restores physically, psychologically, and spiritually. For the
demon discussion, there is certainly a casting out of the demons who
are not permitted to speak, and the refilling with faith. There is
also the struggle of demands by the crowds and the call to
messiahship. The interesting thing to me is that Jesus is able to
slip away and be on his own for a bulk of time. Does this suggest
possibly the disciples are also involved with the healings and
casting out of demons? If not, how in the world does Jesus slip away
to get lost for some time? And, certainly the last piece that
shouldn't be lost in the suffle is Peter's Mother-in-law. I don't
remember the text saying anything about being taken by the hand. It
almost seems like Jesus presence heals her. There is something to be
said about her healing and servanthood. I'm overwhelmed at this
point of the week, but there are certainly patterns to think about.
Lynn in Omaha
Tom in GA I think you are right on target. The issues of the busy
sabbath, the healing of Simon's mother, and the need to go to
another city are peripherial matters. The crux is the demanding
nature of ministry and the need to draw apart from time to time for
renewal. I also intend to draw from the imagery of the Isaiah
passage of waiting upon the Lord and tie it in to the need for
retreat. Our Minister's Convocation happens to take place this month
so this is good timing. God, am I glad Jesus took time apart to
visit a deserted place. I sure need to do the same. TN Mack
A Word of caution about the demon theme,
I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was only 15 years old. My
parents, a father who was a Presbyterian pastor, and mother from a
long line of good Presbyterian women, told me to be very quiet about
my condition around my grandparents. Epilepsy, still in the 50's and
60's could be viewed by some living in the dark ages as a form of
demonic possession. So I would hope that those DSPer's out there who
are focusing on the "casting out demons" theme, be educative in
naming what we today know that are not demonic possessions, i.e
mental or physical illnesses. BB in IL, still on meds for epilepsy
but thankfully seizure free.
Like with so many scriptures, there are several avenues to take. I
like the part were Jesus tells Simon that they must be on the move.
His mission is to preach and proclaim the kingdom of God. All this
healing and removing demons is important and good, but not the
central part of what Jesus feel he need to be about at this time.
I am concentrating on prayer. Jesus's prayer life was not always
filled with what we think of prayer: solitude, peace, quiet,
reflection, intercession, and being in a place of sanctuary. Jesus's
prayers were full of sweat and tears and that is should be a comfort
to those of us who also struggles with life's situations. The Good
News is basically "If it is good enough for Jesus, it is good enough
for me. CRP
Martin Luther urged that we not honor the devil with too much time
or attention. Indeed he writes, "But I resist the devil, and often
it is with a fart that I chase him away." (Table Talk. page 16.
Fortress Press.) Luther acknowledged the devil's existence quite
matter of factly and even flippantly. But he had real understanding
of the devil's influence on world events. Can we, should we be more
candid about demons without giving them too much undue attention or
even unintended reverence?
Regarding the rest Jesus took, is that really included to make the
central point of this episode an exhortation to take vacation time
and see to our need for self-care?
Fool for Christ
I just came upon a book entitled "They Shall Expell Demons" It's by
Derek Prince
The town of Capernaum did not come to Jesus because they loved him;
they did not come because they had caught a glimpse of some new
vision. Bottom line they wanted to use Him. Doesn’t that sound
familiar? There is always a danger that we can seek after God and
His Son for consumption purposes. But Christianity is not for
consumption but production. Jesus is not someone we turn to only
when life is messed up. Jesus' commission is to "go" - to be
producers of faith not consumers.
Jesus came to usher in the Kingdom. He came calling us to repent and
believe. Certainly healings will follow the good news. But that is
not the totality of Jesus’ ministry. It aint the "mainthing." When
Jesus left Capernaum Mark tells us that, “he went throughout
Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out
demons” (Mark 1:39). His proclamation of the good news, and His
exorcisms went together. He was a man of words and action.
This doesn’t mean we are to give up on the possibility that Jesus
will heal our infirmities. He can and He will. Some healings will be
immediate some will take longer (when He returns). But let us not
forget the mission of Jesus and the ministry that He left for us to
accomplish. Jesus was about providing a new vision. He came with
good new – great news – phenomenal news – stupendous new – totally
spectacular awesome and extraordinary news. He came to direct us to
God and the Kingdom and the radical transformation that is possible
to every person that truly believes. Pastor John in CT
Demons: C.S.Lewis in the Screwtape Letters puts the issue into
focus. Read the intro/preface. Peace be with us. Hal Murray, CHS,
Annandale, NJ
BB in IL, I would like to think that I can imagine the stigma that
you might feel given the fact that Mark 9:22 the boy sounds
everything like an epileptic although Jesus identifies it as an
"evil spirit." We like to think of ourselves more sophisticated than
the people of Jesus' time. Even if Jesus had used the word epilepsy
and healed the boy instead of casting out the "evil spirit", that
would have confused the ancient mind. Jesus did what Jesus had to
do. When you talk about being educative, what's wrong with saying
that we all have our demons to exercise. Does having demons needing
to be exorcised place a moral judgement on our personhood? I guess
there is a sense that some of our demons are not of our choosing as
no one would choose to have epilepsy. Jesus could name the demons
giving him the power to cast them out. What is a diagnosis other
than naming the demon or evil spirit? How would you have us to be
educative in a way that shows biblical integrity? As I push you on
this, be assured that I appreciate your struggle with this issue.
You have a personal experience that many of the rest of us do not.
TN Mack
Regarding demons: Deliver Us From Evil by Don Basham is a handbook.
Deliverance from Evil Spirits by Fancis MacNutt is a practical
manual.
Before you totally turn off and ignore me, I, too am a main-line
protestant. Unfortunately teaching on this subject has been very
lacking in our churches and we don't know what to do when confronted
with demons or demonic influence. It's time we reclaimed this area
(1/4 of Jesus ministry).
No, I don't want to give pulpit time to evil. But it has to be
addressed or we all remain ignorant. Yes the message is important.
Yet it is not important enough to the writer of Mark to give it much
space. He almost completely ignores the content of Jesus teaching
and focuses on what he DID and on the response of the people.
In 3 of 10 verses the writer of Mark talks about demons. Maybe we
should too.
mck
