In response to those who are unable to attend my
weekly Bible study on the Gospel According to MARK (Sunday’s at 10 am at
Hollywood United Methodist Church), I share my thoughts and notes from previous
sessions. While I’m not a scholar, I am an enthusiast. Enjoy!
MARK 1:29-34
After quite an eventful
morning at the synagogue, it was time for some nosh (lunch). Simon Peter and Andrew invited
Jesus, James and John to join them at their place.
It’s interesting to
consider… why would you invite someone to your house when a loved one (Peter’s
mother-in-law) is sick and in bed with a burning fever? Weighing out the
possibilities – maybe the mother-in-law became ill after Andrew and Peter left
that morning for the synagogue; or… she was not feeling well when the men left
the house.
If it’s the second
scenario, and it could’ve easily been the first – just saying – I wonder if the
brothers had been so enraptured by what Jesus had done to the man with the
afflicting spirit that they thought, “Why not give this a shot?” It makes
sense, plus maybe they wanted to test Jesus’ healing powers – as in “I can’t
quite believe he did what I think he did. Let’s see him do it again!”
Well, we know how it turns
out. Jesus had the healing touch.
This story is covered in
the other Gospels as well. In MATTHEW, Jesus touched the woman’s hand; in LUKE,
Jesus spoke to the fever and it left her; and in MARK, Jesus helped her up.
Taking it a step further
though, what Jesus did was clearly unusual. “The Talmud actually lays down the methods of dealing with it
(the fever). …Jesus completely disregarded all the paraphernalia of popular
magic, and with a gesture and a word of unique authority and power, he healed
the woman.” [i]
I got a chuckle out of Bev
Freeman’s comment when she said, “Wouldn’t you know it? Jesus heals the woman,
and she gets back to the kitchen!” Humorous comment aside, it reminds us...
Take your troubles to
Jesus. He will help.
In a matter of hours it
goes from personal/in-house to a much larger scope – at the conclusion of the
observance of Shabbat – when many will be allowed to come to Jesus. Allowed?
Healing was not to take place before the end of the Sabbath.
So when does the Sabbath
conclude? According to “halakhah,” Shabbat officially ends when three
medium-sized stars become visible. [ii]
Now you may be wondering,
“Didn’t Jesus heal the man at the synagogue? What about Peter’s mother-in-law?
Wasn’t that a healing, too?” …And you’d be correct. However, there are some
instances of healing that are actually permitted on Shabbat.
“On Shabbat, healing to
save life is not only permitted but a duty. Caring for the seriously ill (e.g.,
those with a high fever or pain affecting the whole body) is allowed, within
certain constraints. Treating minor ailments though is prohibited by rabbinical
decree – the reason being that most treatments require grinding to prepare
medicine, and grinding is a prohibited form of work.” [iii]
In both instances – at the
synagogue and at the house – just in case someone wanted to cause a stink that
Jesus was disobeying the law – he had only used speech and a gesture. Nothing
more.
Hours pass,… the three
medium-sized stars have become visible,… and the “knock, knock” on the door
begins. A lot of “knock, knocks.” How did a whole town come to know about Jesus
and what he could do?
Going back to verses 27
and 28, those who attended the synagogue and witnessed what Jesus had done
spread the word. As we know about communication, word on the street will move
fast. Ask anyone from a small town. Plus, I’m sure a few jaws dropped at the
healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. Somebody from that household probably shared
the news with a neighbor and that just added to the excitement and the buzz in
the air.
“Knock” and the door is
opened. Norma Corral, part of the study group, remarked how wonderful it was
that “Everyone was equal in being healed. Everyone was welcomed at the door.”
Jeffrey Banks added, “And it showed Jesus had dominion over the demons” which
leads us to verse 34.
“He cured their sick
bodies and tormented spirits. Because the demons knew his true identity, he
didn’t let them say a word.” [iv]
The question was
discussed, “Why didn’t Jesus want the demons to reveal who he was?” Wouldn’t
that accomplish part of his mission? Wouldn’t that add to his glory?
Jesus wasn’t in it for the
glory. “Jesus wanted the people to believe he was the Messiah because of what
he said and did, not because of the demons’ words.” [v]
Also, he wanted to keep his true identity in check – to not reveal this
important piece of information before it should be.
What the people realized
at this moment in time was… this was a man who could do things. Bring it to
Jesus.
NEXT…
Recouping some energy; the
“connection”.
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