Mark 1:29-45

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 sunset, 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 neighbouring 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. A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, 'If you choose, you can make me clean.' Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I do choose. Be made clean!' Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.' But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

Here we are at the end of the first chapter of the Gospel according to Mark. Jesus is on the move, teaching, healing, and casting out demons. Jesus has accomplished so much he is getting noticed. The word throughout the region is spreading quickly. Today, I am drawn to the directness of Jesus as he performs the tasks before him. Mark has Jesus jumping from one task to another, almost without allowing the reader to take a breath. As the reader, it feels that Mark's story is taken from one gear to another without putting in the clutch.

Jesus starts out in the house of Simon and Andrew and cures Simon's mother-in-law, and restores her to resume her usual hospitality tasks of serving them. Evidently, word travels fast in Galilee, and a multitude showed up at the door expecting Jesus to heal them also. Jesus completes all the tasks in front of him. Then, after he is drained, Jesus goes off by himself to pray. When found by Simon and the others, Jesus took them throughout Galilee, preaching, teaching, and casting out demons. 

Jesus continues to be direct, going to where the people are, teaching them, and healing them. He is constantly on the move but takes time to pray and recharge. At this point, Jesus has quite the following. There were so many people after Jesus that he could not go to town openly, so the people came out to him in the country. 

In ministry, we get so bogged down sometimes we forget to model Jesus' pattern... Be on the move! Be about the work God has given us to do! But, always remember to take time to pray and recharge. This Wednesday, these are helpful words in the first whole week of Lent. Prayer should not be a chore or something else to put on our schedule. Prayer should be part of who we are and how we live. Prayer should be ingrained so much into our routine that it is our natural response to our work. 

Mark 1:29-45 (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.  A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, 'If you choose, you can make me clean.'  Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I do choose. Be made clean!'  Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, 'See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.'  But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

You’ve really got to love the Gospel according to Mark.  He gets it done in record pen-strokes.  The Greek is even more concise than the English.  The phrase that stands out today is “everyone is searching for you.”

This passage contains much of Jesus' actions as he traveled around healing and casting out demons.  Jesus is busy doing the “work” of the kingdom, showing the folks that are gathering what he has come to do in ways they can understand.  He is cleansing and restoring the world through his actions, and preaching a gospel of reconnection, restoration and peace.  Toward the end of the passage, when the leper is healed, he can’t contain himself.  The leper goes about spreading the word freely.

I discern that the call today is to “restore the world.”  If the Church is Christ’s body, and we are acting as Christ’s hands in the world, then we should be going about doing the work he has given us to do.  If we are to love our neighbor fully, then we act by restoring those on the fringes of society that are lost and forgotten.  We do this by reaching out and connecting, offering them a place of comfort and community, food and shelter.  When people are touched by Jesus, then they can’t contain themselves.  They go about proclaiming it freely in the streets!