Sunday, February 8, 2015: Mark 1:29-39
If you’re Jesus, demons will interrupt your mission of proclaiming the message of transformation and hope—even if they have to tell the truth to do it.
Once there was a woman who suffered the loss of her son. Her sorrow was so great that she finally went to a wise teacher to ask for guidance in her healing. The teacher told her to go from house to house until she found a family that had never experienced grief. She did this, and as we might guess, she never did find such a family. This did not take away her grief, but it relieved her sense of being alone in her suffering—and it caused a great compassion to rise up in her spirit. Her love for others softened her grief.
In this week’s Gospel lesson, the townspeople bring to Jesus all the people who are sick or demon possessed—and according to Mark, “the whole city” gathers near the door where Jesus is staying. Are they gathered to watch the healings and exorcisms? Or has every single one of them suffered from sickness or demon possession?
The people come to the door after Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law by taking her hand and raising her up. I love this image of Jesus taking her hand in order to heal her. It symbolizes for me the perpetual presence of God through Christ in our lives. When I think of healing, I think of healing from all kinds of brokenness, including grief-stricken and broken hearts.
