February 7, 2021
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 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.
35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 38 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.” 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
I am reading a wonderful book by Sue Monk Kidd, The Book of Longings. You might know her best for The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid’s Chair. A friend recommended the book, but hesitated because it tells a fictional account of Ana, a bright, young woman who has a chance encounter with Jesus at the market. It is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman’s bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place, and culture devised to silence her. Kidd does a masterful job of weaving bits of biblical information into a gripping story, illuminating daily life during Jesus’ time. The reason my friend hesitated to tell me about the book is because Ana, an educated, beautiful, and spirited woman falls in love with Jesus and they marry. I know I was skeptical too when I heard that bit. Yet the years between 12 and 30 in Jesus life, for which the Bible is silent, is told through the eyes of his wife. I hope we can read this book together over the summer. I think it could lend itself to interesting discussions.
Having been embedded in this story this week, my encounter with the Gospel reading is seen through this light. A day in the life of Jesus. The ordinary things that would have happened, but that we often do not think about. There was a rhythm of life much like we have a rhythm of life. Especially during Covid, I think rhythms are important. The ways we keep balance when so many things seem out of balance.
There are five things highlighted in this account of Jesus that I think might help us find our own rhythm: Faith Community, Friends and Family, Illness and Healing, Service and Prayer.
Faith Community – After baptism, wilderness and calling disciples, the first thing Jesus does is go to the synagogue. The faith community has primacy. Yes, he is teaching with authority, yet Jesus is doing so within the community of faith, does not try to go it alone. His teaching astounded those hearing, and his casting out of demons was part of this new teaching. So Jesus’ day, the sabbath, started with being with people of faith. I think that is why we have maintained a good core group who continue to worship on Zoom, because we know the value of our faith community. We too feel the power of joining with believers to find strength in unusual times. So we gather to worship, to study and to have a party on Zoom, because we are strengthened by our shared faith, our faith community.
Friends and Family- In seminary I was assigned to a teaching church a place I got to practice what I was learning. The church was more than an hour away from Princeton and so after church a family would host me and my seminary friend for Sunday dinner. It was a great way to get to know people. We often had pot roast, or a hearty casserole gathered around their dining room table. Maybe you grew up with Sunday dinners too. Here it seems like Jesus went to church and then came back with Simon and Andrew for Sunday dinner. (Of course it would have been a Saturday sabbath, but you get the idea). We do something similar; we just call them lunch clusters. Something I am looking forward to resuming. Breaking bread connects us with our family and friends who are so important right now. Staying connected, reaching out, is vital as we continue to shelter in place. I know we can’t share a big Sunday dinner, but I encourage you to pick up the phone and call someone you don’t usually talk to, a member of the church or a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while. Nurture your connections with family and friends. Today we will be strengthening the ties that bind us together through communion.
Illness and Healing- Illness is a big part of our lives with COVID always on our minds and knowing people who have been infected. It appears their Sabbath dinner was interrupted by illness. Simon’s mother-in-law, a woman expected to help with the meal, had taken ill with a fever. Jesus “takes her by the hand” a practical action to help her up and a connection of touch that is an element in the healing. Jesus does that in two other healings as well (5:21, 9:27). Interestingly, it says Jesus “lifted her up” but that word is really he “raised her up.” As Jesus healed her, he raised her. That is important because Mark does not tell of a resurrection of Jesus, rather of Jesus’ ministry of resurrection when he raised up people in healing stories (1:31, 2:9, 2:11, 3:3, 5:41, 9:27). The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law is the first resurrection story in the gospel.
One commentator wrote, “Mark’s gospel invites us to look for experiences of resurrection in everyday life in the lives of families and in the social and political order. A debilitating fever is equivalent to death if one cannot do what is human to do, to serve, to feed, to provide for. To be released from illness and restored to oneself means one can fulfill responsibilities to others. Repair of the bonds of family is a dimension of resurrection (Working Preacher Cynthia Briggs Kittredge). Let us cling to the bonds of family as we seek healing and resurrection. As we are taken by the hand and raised up by our Lord.
Service – Once healed, Peter’s mother-in-law served. At first that might seem odd. Why was she up and working so soon? But the fact she could serve speaks to the fullness of her healing, a healing that was immediate and miraculous. She needed no recuperation at all. This speaks to how we respond to our encounters of resurrection, our moments of healing. So often when we are healed, we want to praise God and be thankful for our restoration of health. Yet we are shown that a response of healing is to serve. Of course, we could serve Christ with renewed faith. And we might donate to help others by giving to the American Cancer Society after we are healed of cancer. Healing often leads to service.
This simple story of some 24 hours of Jesus’ life shows us the importance of Faith Community, Friends and Family, Illness and Healing, and Service. Things we all treasure now more than ever.
Prayer is the final element, reminding us of our need for prayer. Jesus makes time for prayer getting up while it was still dark to pray. He also starts his day with prayer, encouraging us to do the same. The hope is we will find our deserted place, our quiet place to be with God in order to re-energize and charge our spiritual batteries.
In The Book of Longing, we read this account of Jesus praying. “The next morning as the sun stirred awake, Jesus trekked into the hills to pray. It was his daily habit. At other times I would find him sitting cross-legged on the floor with his prayer shawl drawn over his head, unmoving eyes closed. It had been so since we married, this devotion, this feasting on God, and I’d never minded it, but today, seeing him walk away in the half-light, I understood what until now I’d only glimpsed. God was the ground beneath him, the sky over him, the air he breathed, the water he drank.” (Sue Monk Kidd, pg. 162).
Soon we will be united with Jesus at table to get our own glimpse of the glory we know to be of God made known to us through Jesus. May this feast be one that fortifies your daily life, helps you to place God at the center of your daily rhythm as we each seek to find resurrections in the stories of our lives. Amen.
