I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent

 

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

 

- Luke 4:38–44 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, 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 demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 

  Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.   From this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5, in which Peter is called Cephas, tell us that Peter was married and had a family.  His family home became a "headquarters" for Jesus' Galilean ministry.  My study bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria regarding Christ's rebuke of Peter's mother-in-law's fever:  "That which was rebuked was some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it, for it is not reasonable to rebuke a thing without life and unconscious of the rebuke.  Nor is it astonishing for there to exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."  So once again, in light of St. Cyril's commentary, as in yesterday's reading, this healing serves as another example of Christ's power and authority.  

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Again, these healings and exorcisms confirm Christ's power and authority.  We note how the demons know Him, but are muzzled by Christ and are subject to His permission and commands.  Again, the word rebuke is used for what are living and oppositional forces.  My study bible also points out the diversity of Christ's healing miracles.  With Peter's mother-in-law, He simply stood over her and rebuked her fever with a word.  In the case of those who are sick with various diseases who are brought to Him, He heals by touch, laying His hands on every one of them.  These healings are immediate and complete, but others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of their loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  But all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.  And in the case of healing by "rebuke," it is clear His power and authority work to oppose forces that oppress human beings.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.  My study bible notes for us that Christ's primary mission was to preach the kingdom.  It says that miracles and healings testify both to the truth of the message and the identity of the Teacher (see 5:24).  This same pattern holds true in the Church (Acts 4:29-30). 

The many ways in which Christ heals must make us pause to answer questions why this is so.  After all, He is the Christ.  Presumably He could heal all with a word.  Perhaps the means by which He heals also have to do with the particular ailments that afflict the different people who receive healing in the Gospels.  After all, each one also depends somewhat on the individuals concerned.  There is first of all no healing without faith, or at least the capability of faith.  Some healings take longer or are done in steps, in which case we also witness the growth of faith in the person being healed, such as with the man born blind in John's Gospel (John 9).  Jesus first makes a paste of mud and His own saliva and applies it to the man's eyes, but then He tells the man he must walk to the pool of Siloam and wash -- quite some distance away in Jerusalem.  There is a parallel to this time it takes for the healing, and the steps of walking to the pool (the name of which means Sent), and that is in the development of the faith and the capacity to testify of the formerly blind man as He is questioned by the religious leaders.  Some healings are performed via the faith of the friends of the afflicted, such as for the paralytic who was lowered down to Jesus through the roof of the place in which He was preaching (Mark 2:1-12).  At first Jesus tells the paralytic that his sins are forgiven; we can conclude that it is through the faith of his friends that this healing of sin has happened.  But then the scribes present reason in their hearts that no one but God has the authority to forgive sins.  And in response to what He knows of their hearts, Jesus tells the paralytic, "Take up your bed and walk."  Thus, through this strange and seemingly roundabout process, healing includes the friends of the paralytic, the scribes, and the paralytic as well.  In yet a third example, Jesus heals the centurion's son in John 4:46-54 in such a way as to convey that neither time nor space are obstacles to healing, but in the meantime it is the desperate centurion's faith that has been tested and rewarded by finding the precise time of his son's healing.  Each unique expression of Christ's power has meant that not only healing but also faith was involved.  Each healing impacted the faith of those present in particular ways and worked upon their particular needs -- even the doubts of the scribes were responded to through Christ's healing miracles.  So every healing has a story to tell, and each one also involves the impact on and evolution of the faith of those involved, even friends, loved ones, and bystanders present.  It's important that we understand how deeply faith is involved in each healing, as in today's reading Jesus says, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  Jesus' primary mission of healing is not simply about putting right our physical ailments, but about faith in the presence of the kingdom of God.  For this is where true healing begins and this is what true healing and salvation rely upon.  No healing takes place without faith first; but all healings involve faith, and its shoring up, deepening, and restoration.  They all teach the presence and work of the kingdom of God.  Indeed, again in John's Gospel, the people ask, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  And Jesus answers them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (John 6:28-29).  Ultimately, when we really study the Gospels quite closely, each sign is not so much about healing as it is ultimately about faith.  Christ comes to kindle faith in the world, to preach the kingdom of God, to remind us of God's presence with us.  This is the mission for which He is sent, for which we remain the recipients, and we must remind ourselves that it is for our faith that He has come, and through our faith that He saves and heals.  We may be said to be healed when our physical body is working well, but the ongoing nurturing of faith is the substance of health in body, soul, and spirit.