For this purpose I have come forth

 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.

Now 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 not longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction. 

- Mark 1:29-45

 On Saturday, 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.   Here we learn that Peter is married, and this family home will become Jesus' ministry headquarters.  This story also appears in Matthew and Luke.  It strikes me that for Christ there is no barrier between the personal and the public; that is, when it comes to healing, each sphere receives His attention.  Healings happen in public in the synagogue, before all the people, and in the public square as well.  They happen when He is traveling and also when He is speaking.  And here, this significant healing takes place in Peter and Andrew's family home.  It gives us a sense that Peter's mother-in-law's place in the home is every bit as significant as the compelling need of any other healing done by Christ.  She is, importantly, restored to her place -- a place of honor to serve, and Christ included -- in the home.  We notice the intimacy of the healing itself; Jesus takes her hand and lifts her up.  Even this display of intimacy is possibly unusual; Jesus is not her blood relative and He is also the Teacher.

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.  In contrast to the private healing of Simon Peter's mother-in-law, here we have the whole city gathered together at the door of the home.  Everybody seems to be coming to Him for healing.  He heals the diseases and casts out the demons.  But in contrast to this great public display, there is one thing He keeps silent:  His identity as Messiah, the Christ.  My study bible tells us that this need for secrecy is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  Instead of declaring who He is, Jesus' ministry itself will teach about the Messiah.  My study bible suggests that reasons for secrecy include (1) the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders; (2) the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and (3) the Lord's desire to evoke genuine faith not based solely on marvelous signs.

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.  In going out to pray in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, and departing to a solitary place for prayer, Jesus offers us a clear example of a spiritual life.  Although He's God incarnate, Jesus prays continually.  In the Gospels, He often finds a solitary place in order to be free from distraction, despite the great needs of people who come to Him from all quarters.  His ministry doesn't come in response to the crowds, but rather comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit -- and from there it flows to the people in their needs.  My study bible also tells us that His praying in the morning shows that we must put as first priority our commitment to God.  This is what, in fact, prepares and equips us to serve others.  In His response to Peter, we note His first emphasis on preaching; His first emphasis is in teaching about the Kingdom.

Now 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 not longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.  The Law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses.  This was a duty entrusted to the priests.  By tradition, leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins.  As lepers were unclean, they could not live in community or worship in synagogues or the temple.  Their ostracization was complete.  To touch the unclean also was forbidden, and so Jesus' touch in this healing is an even greater example of a kind of intimacy that breaks all norms.   As the text indicates, Christ shows His compassion this way.  He also shows that He is not subject to the Law bur rather over it.  My study bible says, "To the clean, nothing is unclean."  We note that Jesus doesn't cause undue scandal; He tells the healed leper to show himself to the priest, and make the offering which Moses commanded.  But all this will be a testimony to Christ and His presence and ministry.

Jesus' ministry unfolds in a particular way and for particular purposes.  What we find is that as it does so, He always is teaching.  In every act, He is teaching.  The Gospels, by recording what He does, how He lives, and how He teaches, describes for us the manner in which He conducts His life and ministry, and gives us also a record for teaching how we are to conduct ourselves through all things.  In today's reading, Jesus -- among several other things -- sets the example of going out early in the morning for prayer, by Himself and to a solitary place where He will not be disturbed.  As my study bible says, this is a way not only to begin the day in the right way, but to focus on the central thing which defines how we are to live and teaches us how we are to encounter all things and people that come our way:  we focus on the prime commandment of our relationship to God.  God, who is love, teaches us how to receive life, in turn, and all the circumstances and relationships in which we find ourselves in life.  It's also essential for us to see that Jesus is teaching who and what the Messiah is by conducting Himself the way He does.  If we expected a political Messiah who was going to liberate Israel from Roman rule, we might expect the tremendous news of God incarnating as human being to be given to the world with explicit fanfare, unmistakable glory and power, a kind of extraordinary and unmistakable moment of undeniable awe.  But instead, we're given the very human Jesus, who has no place to lay his head -- in a world where even foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests.  The humble suffering servant teaches us what it is to be truly God-like in the world, and to find and seek God above all things.  As my study bible says, His ministry flows out of this basic relationship to the Father, and so we should understand our lives as flowing out of our relationship and participation in the communion of Father, Son, and Spirit -- and the entire communion of saints, the Church that comes out of this.  The ground and root of being for the communion of saints, the whole body of the Church, is simply love.  It must be so:  all glory, honor, might, power, extraordinary miracles and healings, and every gift -- it all comes from this.  This is why there is no distinction in Christ between the healing of Peter's mother-in-law in the privacy of the home to the extraordinary and amazing healing of the leper in defiance of all logic and history and even spiritual understanding of the history of Israel and the Mosaic Law.  And in each case, let us note the intimacy, the touch, the compassion.  This ground of being is the one in which all may participate by virtue of the law of love, and yet so many choose to opt out, because love places its demands on us for what we are and how we live and to whom we have the greatest loyalty.  Its perspective changes our perspective, and this is the plan whereby salvation comes in the Person of Christ and gives us our liberation, the gift of participation in His very life.  Let us learn from Him!