If a picture is worth a thousand words, and if today’s Gospel lesson has at least five pictures of Jesus then this sermon should be only about five thousand words long.
Preacher humor is a sad thing.
But seriously Mark gives us quick pictures of Jesus today, five snap shots that say something about who Jesus is and about what it means to be human.
The first picture is Jesus taking the hand of Simon’s mother in law lifting her up and healing her. It turns out that Simon who would later be named Peter was married. We don’t know anything about his wife, whether she was still alive or not, but Simon’s mother in law lived in his house and she was ill. Jesus heals her. He lifts her by the hand. He restores her to her place of honor as the senior member and host of the household, and she serves them.
She is the first person healed in Mark’s Gospel. So far Jesus has been calling disciples, teaching in the synagogue and casting out unclean spirits, now he heals a woman. Interesting the connection between being healed and being a servant. To be healed is to be restored and to serve. Jesus brings healing.
The second picture is of Jesus being swarmed by people in need of healing and exorcism. The word got out. He not only casts out demons he also cures the sick. The whole city gathered around the door. Here is something interesting. The demons, he won’t let them speak because they know who he is. Earlier in the day Jesus had cast out the first unclean Spirit who had proclaimed who Jesus was, “the Holy one of God.” He never lets them speak again.
There is a secret.
Jesus silences, hushes, commends demons and people alike to be silent about who he is and what he does.
Why? Why try to keep the secret when he is literally swarmed by witnesses?
Here is the thing, not until the end of Mark’s Gospel, during the passion, when Jesus is arrested and bound and brought before the high priest does Jesus admit who he is. The High priest asks, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”, and Jesus answers, ‘I am.”
Its almost like he is telling us not to pay so much attention to the wonders and miracles, but rather to attend to Jesus as the one who is arrested, humiliated, beaten and tortured, crucified and dead. Don’t be fascinated by his power, rather be fascinated by his weakness, by the Messiah who suffers. What is strength? What is power? Do we attend to the right thing? Jesus before anything else is the one suffers.
The third picture is of Jesus sneaking out before sun rise to find a deserted place to pray. He has had a very busy first day of ministry. What is prayer? Silence before God? Gazing upon the glory? Looking for a vision of God? Looking for clarity? Offering up praise and worship and thanks? Is he praying for others? For strength to face the new day? Is prayer that lifting up of everything, a posture of openness, surrender, vulnerability ? Jesus seems to do this. It is part of his pattern. Crowds and solitude. Teaching and silence. Healing and prayer. Outreach and contemplation. Do we follow the same pattern of prayer and service? Over and over and over. The pattern of holiness.
The fourth picture is of Jesus being sought after, literally hunted down. The language is aggressive and irate. He is needed. He has important things to do. There are expectations to be met. Solitude and prayer are an extravagance for another time and place. How do we spend our time? Do we value solitude and prayer? Do we run from it? Are we too busy telling Jesus what he should be doing to pay attention to who he is being?
The last picture. Jesus leaves. He moves on. He began his ministry at Capernaum, but now it is time to go and to proclaim the message somewhere else, this is what he came out to do. What is the message? The story says that he heals and casts out demons and he proclaims the message. What is that message? All we know of what he said is that, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
He never stays for long. The message goes forth. Jesus is the message. Everywhere he goes God’s kingdom takes root and grows and spreads.
Five pictures. Like the stations of the cross these are five stations about Jesus ministry, about the work of the message. Healing, exorcism, prayer, being hunted down, and the message going forth.
Observe, attend the ministry of Jesus, study him, follow in his way, be the message.