Because 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 no 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 the Baptist 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.   In the synagogue at Capernaum, Jesus has just amazed the people with the authority He has expressed and commanded (see Saturday's reading, above).  Afterward they go to the family home of brothers Simon and Andrew, together with his other first disciples, James and John Zebedee.  Simon's mother-in-law is ill with a fever.  Again, Jesus acts in a commanding manner, and with authority He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up.  She is immediately healed, and she is restored "upright" to her place, which is a place of honor and dignity (to serve Christ and those in His ministry).

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.  The day continues, into the next day (in Jewish tradition, and in the tradition of the Church, the new day began when the sun had set).  In Capernaum, so many have heard what happened in the synagogue that they gathered at the door of Simon and Andrew's house, where all know Jesus is staying.  Once again, Christ does not allow the demons to speak (see Saturday's reading), keeping the Messianic secret of His identity.

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.  My study bible notes here that Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Although He is God Incarnate, Christ prayed continually.  He frequently finds a solitary place so that He is free of distraction, despite the need of the multitude.  Christ's ministry comes from the communion as Son with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and it flows to people in their needs.  My study bible adds that His praying in the morning teaches us that we must put as first priority our commitment To God, and only with such preparation will we be equipped to serve others.  Notice also how Christ sets His priorities based on the fulfillment of mission as given through His relationship to the Father and the Holy Spirit, as He says, "because for this purpose I have come forth."  This despite the fact that "Everyone is looking for you."  He does not merely respond to demands of those around Him.

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 no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.   The biblical law regarding leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 gives the method of purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study bible comments that leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they weren't permitted either to live in community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Christ touched the leper, as He is moved with compassion.  My study bible says that this shows He is not subject to the Law, but over it, and comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean. 

One thing that is not often commented on is the discipline of Christ.  It may seem to an observer that there is not a whole lot of forethought and planning going on here, not a lot of rules for Jesus to follow, no strict schedule.  But, in fact, that would be mistaken, and greatly so.  For Christ's planning and "timetable" (if you will) comes from His communion with the Father and Holy Spirit.  His discipline in rising in the early morning for prayer, before all things, is one that we should all endeavor to follow.  Moreover, there is a kind of strict discipline in the way that this man of compassion follows His mission.  He does not simply respond to every need that appears to Him, moved here and there by the demands of the crowds and even the needs of the sick.  His compassion is acted upon in concert with the needs of His mission, and the grace of God the Father.  It is not simply a response to human demands.  This is great mission activity, a strict discipline in response to a deeper and greater need than the individuals who look for Him everywhere.  We notice also that because of the leper's proclamation regarding his healing, Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places -- and still they were coming to Him from every direction.  The decision to remain outside of the city in deserted places is one that does not simply respond to the demand inside the city, but takes into consideration the mission and and the greater needs of His overall ministry.  Even Christ's great compassion -- He who will die on a cross for all of us -- is subject to the discipline as given through prayer and communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Our faith is not one of mere sentimentality -- it is not even one simply of pity or of compassion.  It requires of us a discipline to know ourselves, to bring out and respond to the best of ourselves and the care of our soul.  But everything comes under the heading of the discipline of communion, of response to the promptings of God.  Grace -- despite God's infinite mercy -- is not something that happens simply because we have demands and ways in which we want grace to be at work in our lives. Everything is designed for a kind of healing that surpasses anything that you or I understand about healing.  As cited frequently in this blog, St. Paul's prayer to be relieved of a "thorn in the flesh" was not answered in the way that St. Paul prayed for it to be answered.  He was, instead, given an answer that surpassed his own demand for a fuller understanding of right-relationship to God, and a more full revelation of grace, which indeed required discipline for acceptance on the part of St. Paul.  Here is St. Paul's testimony of God's response to his prayer:  "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Our faith operates within a type of discipline that it may be hard to understand to those who observe from outside.   From the Cross, there is one thief who confesses to Christ, and the other does not; it is to the first that He replies, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).  Christ's forgiveness is extended to all (Luke 23:34), but in order to realize that forgiveness and grace for ourselves, there is a process to go through, a kind of discipline, that has to do with our own repentance and "change of mind."   Let us notice, also, that Christ commands the demons to discipline; He does not allow them simply to reveal who He is to others, and have His mission defined in that way.  Similarly, He tells the leper not to speak to others, although human beings with free will do as they think is best!  Everything begins with prayer, and His rising early in the morning for prayer teaches us where discipline starts, begins, and ends.  Everything -- all healing, all mercy and forgiveness, and all grace and righteousness -- begins within this relationship and communion with God, and Christ's example is the one for all of us.  Too often we are tempted to abstract from Christ's ministry things which leave out the full picture.  Grace works hand in hand with a kind of discipline and process; it is not given at random or through whims or demands.  There is, instead, an overarching obedience at work, always.   Just as we raise a child to learn the true discipline of self-care and self-love, so Christ's love and compassion is not a mere response to human demand.  Instead, it falls within a continuum of what it means to be a disciple or "learner" in the Greek:  we are always brought to a higher love, a higher understanding, a greater knowledge and communion with God.  For it is in this that we are truly and fully healed, and in which we will really "find ourselves."  Let us not forget that the love of God has for us a purpose, a higher calling, a greater picture than that of which we are personally aware.  For that we are children who learn good discipline and obedience, a right way of being in the world and in communion with our Father, a sense of ourselves that is structured and deep within us, so that it does not fail us in times of trial and uncertainty.  We are prepared for something bigger than our daily woes, something greater than the demands we know and understand.  Let us be raised as good children, who grow to become mature and competent, and capable of responsibly sharing the infinite love and grace of God with the world, His way, by imitating Him.