A mother-in-law’s gratitude at odds with the public spectacle.

Jesus leaves town, perhaps because of his notoriety, but perhaps also because the people are more interested in him, in the wonders that he has done, in the power that he possesses. And not in what GOD is calling him to actually do. Not in what he is calling the people to do. He leaves town because the only person in town that gets what’s going on is Andrew and Simon’s mother-in-law.

Epiphany 5B  |  Mark 1:29-39

By Another Way

In our story today, Jesus visits the mother-in-law of two of his disciples, of his first disciples, Andrew and Simon, who would later be called Peter. We don’t know why they bring Jesus here, except that maybe it is because she is sick. Maybe they think Jesus can heal her.

I’d like to bring to mind what we’ve just been reading in this gospel story. The evangelist we call Mark has brought us John and the baptism; Jesus taking on John’s ministry of calling people to repentance; Jesus calling two sets of brothers to be his disciples; then the public teaching in the synagogue we read about last week.

We have heard of Jesus entering into his ministry, of teaching his disciples and strangers. They have just witnessed this great public healing. These four disciples bring Jesus to this place. To do his thing, I suppose. And he does. He lifts her up it says. What a provocative phrase. lift, raise her up.

So when that’s done, they go and find a bunch more people. Not just the personal healing, not just the mother-in-law, the family, but now the town’s sick and needy. And it is so public: the whole town comes out to see this.

So the next day, Jesus goes off by himself. When the disciples find him, they tell him that everyone is looking for him. That sounds like the dream, right? Everyone searching for Jesus; the whole world. And Jesus is thinking, alright, I guess it’s time to move on.

So they leave and go to the neighboring towns. In the Greek, it highlights that they intend to go to these towns by another way. Jesus is trying to sneak out of town and not be found by these crowds. So what is going on?

Bringing Them to Jesus

I don’t know about you, but I thought we were in the business of bringing people to Jesus. So this passage seems a bit confusing, doesn’t it? Aren’t we hoping for the great crowds to come and find Jesus and be healed by him? Isn’t that our job?

I think that’s half right.

We’re called to follow. We’re called to learn. And there are many who seek Jesus: a Jesus who may be more difficult to find than we think. So we invite them to join us.

So what is it, then, to have a Jesus who doesn’t want to be found? A Jesus that would evade the people searching for him? What are we to do with that? It is one thing to have this job to do and it is another to have a job that Jesus is willfully sabotaging.

The Mother-in-Law

The evangelist we call Mark has not only told an interesting story, he has given us a contrast: the mother-in-law’s healing is set against these big crowds. Both are brought to Jesus. Both need healing. Both are healed. But what is different is how they respond to being healed: how they respond to grace.

Jesus heals the mother-in-law and her response is to serve. When Jesus heals these crowds with the entire town looking on, they are looking for the miracle. The wonder-worker. They are looking for Jesus. And not only those receiving the grace, but the onlookers, the gawkers, the hangers-on. They are looking for the big show and they are wondering if they can truly believe what is happening here.

While the mother-in-law receives her gift of grace and immediately sets to sharing it. She serves.

Jesus leaves town, perhaps because of his notoriety, but perhaps also because the people are more interested in him, in the wonders that he has done, in the power that he possesses. And not in what GOD is calling him to actually do. Not in what he is calling the people to do. He leaves town because the only person in town that gets what’s going on is Andrew and Simon’s mother-in-law.

To Serve

We are given profound acts of grace, in our lives, but especially in our community. In the life of Skander Nasser, whose eternal life we celebrated on Friday. In the service of wonderful volunteers who made the Nasser family feel not only welcome, but for many of them, as if they truly returned home. In our meetings and in our fellowship gatherings, in which the Spirit’s presence can go so easily unnoticed; but most especially for us, when we gather as we do this morning, sharing in word and prayer, confession and absolution, we reunite with our friends in other pews offering the peace of reconciliation; and then, as if we could ignore the Spirit’s presence, and the grace that comes with it, we come and share at the table as one people, one body, eating from the same wafer, drinking from the same cup (or usually cups) and we receive the physical reminder of the grace given to us by GOD.

And when we do this, we are called to serve. To give of ourselves as an expression of our thanks. Serving in the overt ways we serve: at the Salvation Army and at the homeless shelter, but also in the quiet ways of bringing the donuts and telling stories to our children. We serve.

We serve because that’s the only way Christ is known. Christ’s grace comes when we lift each other up, and we lift up our hearts to receive, as a servant of a gracious GOD; as a follower of the holiest servant.