Sunday's Sermon

Mark 1:29-39

Raised Up and Freed for Service

James Sledge February 8, 2009

Perhaps because of when I attended seminary, perhaps because of my own personal tendencies, or perhaps because of both, I tend to be very sensitive about gender issues in the Bible and the church. I go to great lengths to avoid using exclusively masculine terms for God since God is clearly neither male nor female. And I will take any opportunity that arises to point out the ways in which the Bible lifts up the role of women, from Deborah as prophet and judge in ancient Israel to women portrayed as disciples in Luke’s gospel to Priscilla depicted as the leader of a house church in Acts and in Paul’s letters. I point out that many Christian stereotypes about women arise more from the Bible’s use by the males who ran the church over the centuries rather than from what the Bible actually says.

Still, it does seem that the Bible was written entirely by men. And while these men were certainly inspired by the Holy Spirit, that doesn’t mean that their own prejudices and biases don’t show up in the words they wrote.

And so my first reaction when I read today’s gospel lesson was to cringe just a bit. We are in the opening chapter of Mark, where Jesus has been baptized by John, and has then begun his ministry of teaching and healing, and he has begun to call disciples, all male of course. And now Jesus returns from teaching and healing at the synagogue and arrives at Andrew and Simon’s house.

Inside this house, we meet Simon’s mother-in-law, although meet is probably too strong of a word. We learn nothing about her other than the fact that she is in bed with a fever. Now considering that Simon has just shown up with a bunch of male guests, this presents obvious problems in the male dominated society of that day. But fortunately Jesus heals her so that she can get up and wait on the guys. And that’s the last we hear of Simon’s mother-in-law. You can see why I cringed, can’t you?

Except that first impressions are not always correct. And when I gritted my teeth and began to listen to this passage, I discovered that Simon’s mother-in-law was not at all the stereotype I had supposed.

I think I missed this at first because I looked only at those few verses you heard me read a few moments ago. We often read the Bible this way, little snippets at a time. A lot of devotional materials are laid out this way. And when I’m thinking about a sermon, I tend to focus on the verses for that day. But in the process the reading sometimes gets separated from the larger story. That is certainly true today. Jesus going to Simon and Andrew’s house is part of a larger story that began earlier that Sabbath day when Jesus went to the synagogue where he taught and healed. And it is still the Sabbath day when Jesus arrives at the house and heals Simon’s mother-in-law.

Now just in case you’re not up on your Jewish Sabbath regulations, you weren’t supposed to work on the Sabbath. Jesus seems to be breaking those rules when he heals, both at the synagogue on now in our reading today. And Simon’s mother-in-law also seems to be breaking those rules when she hops up and begins to serve them.

This word “serve” is a pretty important one in the New Testament. It is the root of our word “deacon,” and it also means “to minister to.” More importantly, it is what Jesus says he comes to do, something his male disciples have a hard time understanding. Toward the end of Mark’s gospel, when these disciples are jockeying for position, wanting important places in God’s coming kingdom, Jesus says, “Whoever wishes to become great among you must become your servant… For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” Simon’s mother-in-law seems to realize what those male disciples are still struggling to understand at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry; encountering the healing, transforming power and touch of Jesus naturally issues forth in service, in ministering to others. She does not wait for the Sabbath day to end. She begins to minister to Jesus right then and there.

Despite her oh so brief appearance in Mark’s gospel, Simon’s mother-in-law seems to embody a true understanding of the Christian life. She seems to understand it better than the crowds or Simon or the other disciples do. The setting of her healing—in the house—seems to illumine this further. In the first century, when Mark wrote his gospel, church and house were nearly synonymous. All churches were house churches. And so, in the story centered on a house, it is interesting to contrast the behavior of Simon’s mother-in-law with that of the crowds and with Simon himself.

The crowds rightly are fascinated with Jesus and recognize his power to heal. When the Sabbath has ended, they come in huge numbers to the door of the house, hoping to he will help them, but we hear nothing about how they respond to this encounter.

On the other hand, we do hear how Simon reacts when he discovers that Jesus has slipped away from the house in the darkness of early morning to pray. Our reading says that Simon hunted for him, but those words do not convey the full emotion of Mark’s original words. The word translated “hunted” is a word that implies hostility such as an army hunting for the enemy. Simon clearly is agitated at Jesus’ absence, as though he expects Jesus to be on call at the house. Simon seems to anticipate a church that possesses the power of Jesus, that is able to set up shop and wait for folks to come.

But Jesus has other ideas. The house, the church, is only a base of operations. Jesus’ ministry of preaching and healing must go out, must reach out to serve those in need. As Simon’s mother-in-law has already sensed, the good news of Jesus contains within it an impetus, a compulsion to share and serve, to reach out, to minister to others.

In the house, Jesus reaches out and takes the hand of a sick woman. He lifts her up, healing her, freeing her from that which confines her. And with no prodding from Jesus, and in violation of Sabbath regulations, she responds in loving service.

In the church, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is present to us in Word and Sacrament. In the waters of baptism we are washed and made as pure as the new fallen snow. At the table, Jesus once more reaches out to feed, to nourish, to grant us the grace that opens us to true life. And in the words of scripture, Jesus’ life giving Word is proclaimed once more. By this Word, Jesus reaches out and touches us with healing power, freeing us from all that confines us.

In Word and Sacrament, Jesus reaches out to each of us, takes us by the hand and lifts us up, saying, “You are mine. Be made whole.” Jesus raises us up by the hand and we are filled with his healing power, his power to make new and transform, his power to grant full communion and fellowship with God. Just as he did with Simon’s mother-in-law, Jesus takes us by the hand, raising us up to full and abundant, new life.

By water and the Spirit, by Jesus’ touch, we are healed, made whole, transformed. By water and the Spirit, we are joined to Christ and he dwells in us. By water and the Spirit, we become the body of Christ, his living presence in the world. And all around us, people are longing for us to share his touch.