Jesus is Busy                                                       Mark 1:29-39

This morning we see another account from the very beginning of Jesus ministry. If you read about this time in his ministry, you will see Jesus hit the ground running. He was baptized, picked his disciples, drives out demons, heals people of illness and starts preaching in synagogues and to the people that have started to follow him.

In the scriptures just before today’s reading we see Jesus was in the synagogue and he drove out of a man what the Bible calls an “impure spirit”; a demon. And after this Jesus leaves the synagogue and within a short time he is healing Simon’s mother-in-law. By doing all this Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy written about him in Jeremiah 30:17; “For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord.”

Notice that Jesus starts in the synagogue and then leaves but his work didn’t stop once he left.    This is a lesson for all people in all churches. There are many all through history and many today that say they believe in Jesus; and I won’t say they don’t. They go to church. They pray and sing and worship. They may participate in missions such as Sunday school or the welcome committee. They express their faith while in church but when they leave, they leave God in church. When they get home they put God up on a shelf with the other knick-knacks only to be taken down again before church next Sunday.

In church they listen and confess they want to live like Jesus. And then they leave and go back to working solely on their own goals and desires. They leave church and don’t see the waitresses in the restaurants, or the cashiers in the stores. They leave church and drive past the elderly couple with a flat tire. God’s work does not end when we leave here; it begins when we leave here. We are called to do God’s work wherever we are.

There’s something else to see here. In the synagogue there was a crowd, but here; in the house there are only a few people. Jesus wasn’t interested in wowing a crowd. He was just as compassionate, just as loving and just as willing to come to this woman’s aid when there was almost no one to witness it.

We know we are supposed to do God’s work, but we are also supposed to do it without the desire for accolades or recognition. If we want to be patted on the back or told what a good job we do when we do God’s work, then we probably aren’t doing it God, more than likely we’re doing it for us. Luke 6:34-35, “…do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back…(then) you will be children of the Most High god because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

Back to Jesus in the synagogue. When he is confronted by the possessed man Jesus tells the demon in verse 23, “Come out of him.” And the impure spirit left the man.

Our reading describes the first time Jesus heals someone of an illness, and firsts in the Bible are important, so what is important here?

One thing we already noticed is there is hardly anyone around. This shows us that Jesus isn’t interested in making a point here; he wasn’t trying to show the Pharisees some deep theological lesson. He was interested in this person simply because she was a person in need and he had the ability to help. It shows us that Jesus is interested in this woman solely because she is a creation of God. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you…”

On second thought, maybe I’m wrong; Jesus is teaching us a lesson here. We are in need,     need of redemption with God and Jesus has the means of helping us in our need, and he offers his help to us all simply because we are creations of the Most High God.

As we continue to look at our reading I think there’s more buried in its layers; verse 30, “Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever.” Remember back to when we talked about Mary and Elizabeth meeting when they were both pregnant, we saw that in that day and time women were second class citizens. Jesus here, just like Mary and Elizabeth did before his birth, is turning the world on its head. Jesus, by showing concern, charity and love for this woman shows those with him; right from the beginning of his ministry; when he talks about coming for all people, he means all people; social standing, wealth and power mean little to God.

Because Jesus comes from God this episode shows us that true discipleship means we serve others no matter their nationality, family, social standing or their lifestyle. Yes, we can disagree with the way someone lives or with their beliefs but that should never stop us from acting in their behalf. All people are precious to God and they should be to us too. Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”

I have to be honest with you since we’re working in this scripture; I’ve always kind of felt sorry for Simon’s mother-in-law, partly because the Holy Spirit doesn’t even make her name known but mostly because of what happens right after she is healed. Verse 31, “…she began to wait on them.” Come on, she was just so sick she couldn’t even get out of bed, and now she’s getting food and drink for everybody. Didn’t she deserve a break?

I’ve found that when the Bible doesn’t record someone’s name it’s so we don’t get caught up in who they are, they can represent all mankind. That is what this woman is doing. Jesus healed her and now she is getting him food and drink; she is basically working for him.

Jesus heals us all when we turn to him. And like this woman we should all turn around and work for Jesus. Colossians 3:23-24 tells us how we should react after we are redeemed by God’s grace through faith in Christ, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Last, let’s look at verse 35, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Jesus didn’t go out in the dark to hide, he went to be with God. He went to shut off the distractions of his surroundings and to be alone with God.

We all have difficulties in our lives and it’s during those times everyone seems to have advice to give us. These people mean well but these times are when we need time alone with God. We need to get away from the noise and distractions of life, sit quiet and pray. Being alone with God is the best thing we can do. Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father.”

Today’s reading comes from the beginning of Jesus ministry and we can see that he jumped in with both feet to start teaching us right from day one. Our reading has several lessons embedded in it.

Jesus is here offering his help to us simply because we are a creation of the Most High God, we are loved and cherished simply because we exist.

We need to understand that when we accept Jesus as our savior we are redeemed, glorified and saved by the Father’s grace; but it also means we give our lives to Christ to do his work. And when we work for Christ it doesn’t matter who needs our love, help and charity; we can disagree with someone of a different lifestyle or faith but it should not stop us from working for their benefit.

 Mark 12:31,”Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Notice there’s no “but” there’s no “except”, Jesus statement ends in a period. We are to work for all people simply because they are God’s creation. And when we do God’s work, we should do it with our best effort, expecting no reward.

And last, we all need to take time to sit alone with God in prayer. It doesn’t mean we need to push others away to do it, some of my best conversations with God happen when I am driving to work in the morning. Spend time in conversation with God, it doesn’t matter when or where you are, just do it and you will find your life transformed.

Amen.