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Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.
At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.
And a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.
- Mark 1:29-45
Yesterday we read that after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him. Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried, out, saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.
Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. Each of the Synoptic Gospels includes this account of Simon Peter's mother-in-law being healed by Christ. It teaches us, first of all, that Simon Peter is married with a family. Here is the matriarch, an important figure in the running of the household. I think it's important to understand the "honor" in serving them, and in playing her role in the household: she is restored by Christ to her place. We note that He takes her by the hand. Jesus' touch is important; it's not only a method of healing, but it is also intimate. In many ways in the Gospels, His touch breaks taboos -- to touch a woman, or others deemed "unclean" because of their conditions, is something He does for healing, despite social and religious prohibitions.
At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. We see many forms of healing here, and perhaps broaden out our definition of what it means to be healed by Christ. The dimensions of healing are not limited to the physical, but extend to the spiritual, and mental as well. We also note that Jesus' fame is already present this early in the Gospel. Jesus' healings are signs of the presence of the Kingdom, and God among us, but there is one thing not allowed to be revealed openly: His identity as Son, as Christ.
Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. My study bible points out here that Jesus sets an example to all of of us of the spiritual life. He is God incarnate, and yet He prays continually, frequently finding a solitary place to be free of distractions. And we really must understand that this happens despite the people's pressing need of Him. A note tells us, "Our Lord's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit and flows to people in their needs. His praying in the morning teaches us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then will we be equipped to serve others." As persons, we are not beings separated into body, soul, spirit: the wholeness of the state of health depends on our understanding of how all is integrated, and how reliant we are on God for each aspect of our lives. We may neglect one or another; but each is essential for real health.
And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You." But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth." And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. We see Jesus' primary aim, suffused into the practice of beginning everything with prayer: it is to complete His mission. Everything comes within this purpose, the fulfillment of the will of God. Father, Son, and Spirit are working together. All else is second to this and in fulfillment of it. This is the priority. He moves on to the next towns, despite the demand where He is. My study bible cites St. Ambrose of Milan: Jesus begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."
And a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed." As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. Jesus' act of touching the leper is an act of compassion. Strictly speaking, it's a violation of the Law to touch this man. But healing and community are the ultimate aims of the Law, the reasons the Law has been given. And we add, therefore, another aspect of healing to our understanding: community, right-relatedness. It is similar to the restoration of Peter's mother-in-law to her place in the household. This leper is excluded from community because of his disease; Jesus has restored him to his place. My study bible says of Jesus' touch: "To the clean, nothing is unclean."
And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction. Jesus' purpose is not to violate nor deny the Law: He instructs the healed leper to follow the Law in obtaining a certificate from the priest so that he may once again join the community. But again there is the note of what must remain hidden, and it's an important one: Jesus' identity as Messiah. There are so many expectations and previous understandings of what this means, and there will be increasingly problems with the leadership as well. It is Jesus who must reveal His mission and the fullness of Messiah or Christ, and in the proper time and way. Jesus goes to deserted places, as He can no longer openly enter the city. People then come to Him from every direction.
Let us think about healing, in every way connected with Jesus' ministry. We may think we know all about health, but the truth is that the neglect of one part of ourselves or another leads to poor health. The neglect of spiritual life means we're ailing in one sense, we're missing something -- we're not feeding nor nurturing an essential part of who we are. As persons, we're integrated beings, not separate. One can see images of physical health in which one aspect of personal care is neglected or another: eating improper food, not sleeping enough, not exercising in a healthy way, etc. We know -- because it becomes obvious to us -- what happens when we neglect an aspect of our physical health. Mental health is the same: as psychological beings (coming from psyche, the Greek word for "soul"), we need to take good care of ourselves. And we can also understand how lack of care in the physical dimension affects our psychological dimension: lack of sleep makes it hard to think, gives us a bad disposition, taxes our sources of energy. Too much stress, on the other hand, is going to deplete us physically and is connected to deterioration in physical disease as well. Spiritual well-being comes into play in each dimension of health also. Prayer as a habitual practice has a clear effect on mental health and our capacity to handle stress, which in turn has direct effects on bodily conditions such as blood sugar, cholesterol, and a host of illnesses or disease. The repeated practice of prayer, such as in the Jesus prayer practice for example, has a deep effect on the wells of strength we may bring to bear on our lives, the energy we feel in our capacity to cope with difficulties, and to let go of and put into perspective the things that ail us. It is impossible to calculate the effects such practice can have on our depths of resources and energy, even its healing effect on our bodies and capacity for restoration. Prayer also helps us within community, as we endeavor to learn what forgiveness is and what righteousness is, right-relatedness, even justice -- calling on grace to help us do so. It gives us an essential perspective. Jesus sets the example, and we follow. If it is necessary for Him, as God incarnate, then how meaningful and powerful a resource can it be for us? Prayer helps us have good direction in our lives, setting at rest the things we may stress over that are not that important. It may helps us, like Christ does, to put aside the secondary and set our eyes on the primary, to understand what is most important, of most value, of true necessity. Let us not forget nor neglect who we are: each is important, but we begin with what strengthens the whole. Like Him.
