Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed"

 

 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 arisen 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 

 

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.   Here, Jesus heals by touch, taking Peter's mother-in-law by the hand and lifting her up.  Notice once again the use of the word immediately in Mark's Gospel, how her fever immediately left her.  Jesus restores her to her place of honor in the household, as who serves Christ and 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.  My study Bible notes that Mark tells us that Jesus did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  This is yet a second emphasis in Mark's Gospel of this need for His messianic identity to be kept a secret (the first was in yesterday's reading, when Christ cast out an unclean spirit who identified Him as "the Holy One of Israel").  

Now in the morning, having arisen 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 comments on this passage that here Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  It says that although He is God Incarnate, Jesus prayed continually, frequently finding a solitary place so that He is free from distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him.  Christ's ministry comes forth from that communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and it flows to people in their needs.  His praying in the morning, it says, teaches us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then will we be equipped to serve others.

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.  My study Bible tells us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  In Deuteronomy 24:8 we find the description of the purification of lepers and of leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  For this reason, Jesus tells the healed man, "Show yourself to the priest," as this was necessary according to the Mosaic Law for re-entering into the community.    Leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were therefore unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple, my study Bible says.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but here Jesus touched the leper nonetheless, and showed His compassion.  Moreover it shows also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean.  

In his Epistle to the Romans, St. Paul writes an extensive discussion concerning practices within the Church.  It's important to remember, in that context, that the early Church was made up of people who were Jews and also of people who were non-Jews, and all were living in a society that was nominally pagan in its codes and practices.  The discussion of eating meat found therein is important because virtually all meat available in the wider marketplace was from animals that had been sacrificed to idols, so therefore for Christians this presented a significant problem, as food sacrificed to idols was to be avoided (Acts 15:28-29).  In Romans chapter 14, St. Paul writes, "I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean."  In the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul has an extensive discussion based on what is good for the whole of the community, the importance of not scandalizing others in the faith, and preventing sin. All of this is based on and around what is called the Law of Love.  While his topic is ostensibly about food, this teaching clearly applies to other things as well, and here is where the comment in my study Bible, "to the clean, nothing is unclean," is used to frame Christ's touching of the leper to heal him.  Let us note that this saying is not used to justify or to permit just anything, but rather to teach us what it is to first begin -- as Jesus does in today's reading -- within our relationship to God, which is the basis for all else that we do in the world.  To be "clean" in this context is all about this inner reconciliation to God, as illustrated in today's reading by Jesus starting His day a long while before daylight, and finding a solitary place, in order to pray.  If we look carefully at the Torah and its system of sacrifices as established for the temple, we will understand that the entire root and aim of the practices was setting the community in right relationship with God, as community and as individuals.  (A very good book on that subject is Welcoming Gifts: Sacrifice in the Bible and Christian Life, by Fr. Jeremy Davis.)   As Jesus practices a day begun very early in prayer, He shows us how His ministry must flow from there.   It is our orientation to God that focuses us on what we do with our lives; and, as God is love (1 John 4:8), it is to God we turn to learn what it is to live love, to "do" love, so to speak, how to live in community in a proper and righteous and truly loving way.  It is in this right relationship to God that we find what is "clean," and that our sight is cleansed so that we view the world and our place in it properly.  This, of course, is an ongoing process, and full of change, as life is full of changes, and we are asked basically to grow as learners and disciples of Christ.  We are meant to learn to see by His light.  Psalm 36:9 reads, "For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light."  Jesus Himself, through His life, death, and Resurrection, and of course His own voluntary sacrifice on the Cross, and therefore in the Eucharist, becomes that reconciliation for us, and so He teaches, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12).  What we find with Christ is an ongoing relationship of love, and teaching, and learning, and growth toward God, deepening who we are and cleansing what we need to cleanse, making right our relationship with God so that we find how we need to walk in accordance with His light.  Christ's compassion teaches and instructs us, but without His guidance, we lose our way in abstractions and demands and self-flattering hypocrisies.  For we are those who, without that light, find all kinds of idols to worship, even things which seemingly are good but nonetheless lead to harm.  Let us have the humility to be cleansed by Christ, in order to find our way to see as He asks us to see.

 

 

 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed

 

 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 

 

Yesterday 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.  This passage reveals to us the family life of Saints Peter and Andrew, and shows that Peter was married.  It follows upon the command of rebuke to the unclean spirit (see yesterday's reading, above), and reminds us that St. Luke tells us He rebuked her fever (Luke 4:39).  Simon's mother-in-law is then restored to her place of importance in the house, as she also may serve the Lord His ministry.  It's important that we understand the word served here means to "minister" in Greek; in fact, it is literally the word from which we derive "deacon" (διακονέω/diakoneo).  

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.  Here is yet more demonstration of Christ's use of His authority.  His healing power is linked to His authority over the demons and His capacity to disallow them to speak.  Christ is the One who may reveal what is hidden, and choose to hide what must not yet be revealed before its proper time of preparation.

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 comments that St. Mark's is the only Gospel that gives us a full 24-hour day in the life of Jesus.  It is a day built around prayer and ministry; Christ is the model for both, and He does not separate them.  His priority is prayer to His Father; in other words, there is prayer before service.  Although Jesus is God incarnate, He prayed continually, and frequently found a solitary place to be free from distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him.  My study Bible adds that Christ's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the holy Spirit, and flows to people in their needs.  It says that His praying in the morning shows us that we need to put first priority on commitment to God, for only then we will be equipped to serve others.

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.  My study Bible says that Christ's dialogue with the leper reveals that Jesus heals from compassion; it is not from a sense of duty or a need to prove Himself, or to gather a following. Once again we observe elements of Christ's authority, which my study Bible calls comprehensive:  we see it in teaching, over demons, and over sickness.  Altogether, a powerful testimony to His divinity.  And yet, this divine identity as Messiah must remain for now a secret.  But in some sense, this is a secret that cannot be kept hidden.

We may look at the final story in today's reading, the healing of the leper, and consider Jesus' repeated effort to keep His identity hidden.  But Christ's public ministry coming into the world is akin to the coming of spring.  The good news bursts open like flowers blooming from bulbs hidden underground until this moment.  It's not the only time we read that Christ tried to keep hidden, and could not do so.  In fact, in chapter 7, we will read that Jesus will journey to the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon, seeking to escape the multitudes who pursue Him:  "From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden" (Mark 7:24).  It's as if the good news of Christ's gospel is so full with its own energy that it must burst forth and cannot be limited.  Clearly Christ begins His public ministry with an understanding that He will need to reveal His identity as Messiah in a way that will not be confused with the popular expectations and demands for what is desired in such a figure.  He neither desires to be made a king, or to lead a political movement, or simply to give a new philosophy to the world.  Instead, the way in which Christ is revealing Himself shows us -- as my study Bible has pointed out so far in this Gospel -- just what His authority and power is all about.  Moreover, Jesus is ultimately obedient to the Father's will in all of this unfolding and public ministry that begins with healing, preaching, the casting out of demons, and calling of disciples.  Let us consider Christ's authority and power, and how it is rooted in love, for this is where our own highest loyalty must be, and what compels us forward toward Him.   St. Paul speaks of the glory shining in Moses' face, and covered by a veil -- a veil that is lifted by Christ for all to see.  He writes, "Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:16-18).  This is the power and authority to which we are drawn, and through which we are compelled only by love to draw closer.   Let us follow Christ's example, and start with prayer, for it is there where we begin seek the true image of glory.

 

 

So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them

 

 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 to 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 after speaking in the synagogue in Nazareth, 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 is this!  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.  My study Bible notes that this passage and also 1 Corinthians 9:5 (in which Peter is called Cephas) indicate that Peter was married.  It points out that Christ's healing miracles are diverse.  In this case, He heals by touch; in Matthew 8:13, He healed by a word.  This healing is immediate and complete, while others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25) or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of his loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  The passage in Matthew's Gospel which describes this healing adds the following:  ". . . that it might that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses'" (quoting from Isaiah 53:4).  As this indicates, my study Bible comments, all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.   St. Cyril of Alexandria comments on the phrase that tells us Christ rebuked the 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."

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.  Here we're given this ending of a particular day in Christ's ministry, as we read that the events in these verses took place when the sun was setting.  Note how yet again, the demons recognize and seek to reveal Jesus' divine identity, calling Him "the Christ, the Son of God."  But it is not time for Jesus to reveal Himself in this way, and so He rebuked them and did not allow them to speak.

Now when it was day, He departed and went to 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 comments here that Christ's primary mission was to preach the kingdom.  It notes that miracles and healings testify both to the truth of the message and the identity of the Teacher (see Luke 5:24) -- thus they are often called "signs."   My study Bible says that this same pattern holds true in the Church (Acts 4:29-30).

Once again, as we've observed over the past few readings in Luke's Gospel, Jesus sticks to His mission.  He knows what He must be about, and the mission upon which He's been sent by the Father.  (It is in Luke's Gospel, after all, that we read of the twelve-year-old Jesus telling His frantic parents, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?" See Luke 2:41-52.)  Let's note that Jesus says He must go to other cities, "because for this purpose I have been sent."  There are also times when He is "moved with compassion" for crowds, and so stays to teach (Matthew 9:36) or to heal (Matthew 14:14).  But He knows His purpose (the purpose for which He's been sent), and to that He is dedicated above all.  Also, once again, in today's reading, we observe the demons making known His identity, and Jesus telling them not to speak.  So, while Jesus lives out His purpose, His mission in being sent, He is careful not to openly -- or perhaps we should say, literally -- declare Himself.  Jesus will show what it is a Messiah does, and reveal who He is in this sense, but not by declaring Himself openly as the Christ, until it is the proper time.  He must let the world know what that mission is by doing, by example, and by the signs that accompany His ministry.  He will not be a worldly king in the sense in which the people expect that of the Messiah.  In a sense there are three "rebukes" in today's reading.  Insisting that He move on to teach elsewhere is a kind of rebuke to the people who beg Him today; and we're told that He rebuked the demons.  But we began today's reading with the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, and that was facilitated by Jesus "rebuking" her fever.  As St. Ambrose of Milan observes, this would seem to indicate "some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it."  A dark force, able to "inflict harm on the human body" is certainly suggested by the word "rebuked" here, and so we must consider one more aspect of Christ's power and authority in this context.  In this case, we see a malevolent force:  the text literally says that the fever "afflicts" or "seizes" her.  This force oppresses, inhibiting the capacity of Peter's mother-in-law to hold her rightful place in the household.  Moreover that rightful place isn't just a domestic figure of a woman elder in the household.  That place is ministering to Christ, the same blessing Peter and his brother Andrew have as disciples, if we understand it in this sense.  She is one of the ministers to the ministry, to put it succinctly.  And therefore, when she is able to immediately arise and serve them, she becomes -- as the image suggests -- upright, holding her own proper place of authority and honor.  In fact, in the Greek, when it says that she "arose," this is the same word that is used  the Resurrection, even to "rise again."  It is this word Jesus uses in John's Gospel when He says, "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day" (John 6:39).  So what we see, in effect, is Christ restoring people to their rightful places, a fulfilled identity within the greater context of the salvation plan for the world.  This is true healing on its deepest level within us, spiritual deliverance, and a defeat for the evil that would afflict and keep us enslaved to ill health or other maladies, from the fullness of our capacity to glorify God with out lives.  Let us consider the power of Christ and His mission, already being revealed in this beginning of His ministry.  

 

 

 

 

Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed"

 

 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 and 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 t 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.   After they come out of the synagogue, Christ and His disciples go the family home of the brothers Simon and Andrew.  The presence of Simon Peter's mother-in-law tells us of his extended family, in this home that would become the headquarters of Christ's Galilean ministry.  The very personal and compassionate manner of Christ's healing is given to us here in that He took her by the hand and lifted her up.  By this healing, Christ restores Simon Peter's mother-in-law to her rightful position in the household, and she served them, a kind of minister to the ministry.  The root for this verb "to serve" is the same as that from which we derive the word "deacon" (διάκονος/diakonos), and is an indication of the honor to do so.  It is the same word translated as "ministered" in Mark 1:13, where we read that "the angels ministered to Him" in the wilderness.

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 and throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  My study Bible notes that Christ's primary mission was to preach the kingdom of God, "because for this purpose I have come forth."   It notes that miracles and healings testify both to the truth of the message and the identity of the Teacher (see Luke 5:24).  To this we may add that they also testify to the presence of the Kingdom.  This same pattern, my study Bible adds, holds true in the Church (Acts 4:29-30).  Note also that the pattern of variously healing and casting out demons; both are acts of healing for human beings, depending upon the cause of the ailment.  Jesus did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. My study Bible notes that Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4). It says that the reasons for secrecy include His anticipation of the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders; the people's misunderstanding and expectation of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and our Lord's desire to evoke genuine faith which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  In the midst of this glimpse we're given of Christ's busy and varied ministry, we are told that in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. This gives us an example of the spiritual life.  My study Bible notes that although He is God incarnate, Christ prayed continually, often finding a solitary place in order to be free from distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him.   It notes, most importantly for us, that our Lord's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and flows to people in their needs.  That He prays in the morning teaches us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God, and only then are we equipped with what is needful to serve others.

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.  My study Bible explains that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 is a description of the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests; hence, Christ's instructions to "show yourself to the priest."   It adds that leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus here is characteristically moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him.  In addition to expressing Christ's compassion, this shows also that Christ is not subject to the Law but over it.  My study Bible adds that "to the clean, nothing is unclean" (see Romans 14:14; Acts 10:15).

We see how quickly Christ's ministry grows in today's passage (and how swiftly Mark's Gospel moves forward).  By the end of the events of today's reading, we're told, Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction. We know from John's Gospel, and its inclusion of three Passover Festivals, that Christ's ministry was approximately three years long.  The action in Mark's Gospel, the shortest Gospel, takes place seemingly quickly.  But this is enforced by the language used in a deliberate way.  As we read in yesterday's reading and commentary, the word "immediately" occurs nearly forty times in this Gospel, nearly all of them before Christ enters Jerusalem for the final week of His human life.  So the emphasis on "immediacy" in this Gospel is not an accident, nor is our impression of the urgency with which Christ's carries out His mission and its depth of involvement in purpose.  This immediacy gives us a sense of the work of God in the world, the presence of the Spirit, and the ways that the mystery of holiness can manifest and express presence, working seemingly through unseen networks of connections that are made without our own intellectual understanding or explanation.  Indeed, we can look at the spread of Christianity in its early centuries and marvel that, without empire or military, it was carried throughout the known world in a relatively short time.   In Christ's prophecy of end times, and specifically in Matthew 24:14, Jesus teaches that all manner of calamities and opposition cannot stop the spread of the gospel message, and my study Bible comments that persecutions against the Church often increase the  number of souls being converted.  It adds that St. John Chrysostom marveled that while the Romans subdued countless Jews in a political uprising in the Siege of Jerusalem in AD 70,  they could not prevail over twelve Jews unarmed with anything except the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In hindsight so many centuries later, we may consider how many ways we can observe attacks upon this gospel message from all kinds of directions, precepts, philosophies, and vantage points, and yet it continues, endures, and spreads with the same sense of immediacy.  For the words of truth have a depth of response in us that hits its mark where the soul needs and receives it, a healing balm specific to what ails us in times of loss and difficulty.  Certainly there are those for whom it is not missed nor understood or sought for, but this does not seem to be the concern of the gospel nor of Christ's ministry.  The gospel is for those who will respond to it.  As St. Peter will eventually exclaim to Christ as others desert Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).  It is the fire of these words in which we find the greatest immediacy.  As Jesus taught in the same passage, "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).  So we may, at this time, turn again and again to the spirit and the life of the gospel, and find the immediate need met for today, for the ways in which this mysterious fire responds to what it is we're seeking.  It continues to illuminate and inspire where other things fail, like a light shed on yet another facet of a gem we haven't fully seen.  Even so, Jesus remains to us compassionate and personal, in ways that may touch us all, like the wind that blows where it wishes.

Go your way; your son lives

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  

 

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 

- John 4:43-54 

 

Yesterday we read that, while Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (just after His revelation that He is the Christ), at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee.   John reports Jesus' testimony that a prophet has no honor in his own country; this statement is present in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).  Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover (John 2:13-25), when Jesus performed many signs, my study Bible explains.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom gives greater credit to the Samaritans (see the readings from Wednesday and Thursday) based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  My study Bible comments that Christ is admonishing the people in general (you in Christ's statement is plural both times) and not merely the nobleman.  Faith based on miraculous works only is insufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (John 19:15).  

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak, my study Bible says.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, nor does he sense that Jesus would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  He finally asks about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting in the authority of Christ.  It's only after everything is confirmed that he and his whole household believe.  My study Bible concludes that thus, in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not just the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.  

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.   As the text tells us, the story of the nobleman's son in today's reading is the second sign of seven reported in John's Gospel.  My study Bible remarks that having revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (see the story of the calling of Nathanael, John 1:45-48), Christ now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance, showing us that His divine power knows no earthly limits.  There are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle recorded in Matthew 8:5-13, but there are also many crucial differences, which make clear they are two different encounters.  

Why is ti important for us to know that Christ can heal from a distance?  This revelation must be given to us for a reason.  It not only reveals Christ to be divine, but it also adds certain perspectives on our faith to us, that are relevant to our own lives and how we experience faith itself.  We need to understand Whom it is with which we engage in communion and relationship.  My study Bible comments that Christ's action in today's reading shows that His divine power knows no earthly limits. This is a theme which appears in many of the miraculous signs in the Gospels.  But if His power is not bound by the worldly limits to which we're subject -- that of distance, in this case -- then it means that His power can also effectively reach us.  It means that when we enter into worship and prayer, we're not just practicing something alone that we do from a distance.  Rather, this "unlmiting" of earthly limits mean that Christ can be present with us, too ("I am with you always, even to the end of the age" - Matthew 28:20).  And not only Christ enters into communion with us, but when we worship there also present that great cloud of witnesses to whom St. Paul refers in Hebrews 12:1.   In the readings involving the Samaritan woman of the past two days, Jesus revealed that "the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."  To worship in spirit and truth indicates a lack of earthly barriers; not only does it mean that as temples of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), God's spirit may dwell in us, but it also means that there are no barriers within our participation in the life of Christ, and Christ in us.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus says to the disciples, "Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:28-31).  Therefore we are to understand that our unlimited God sees everything, and is with us in all the details, even to the number of hairs on our head.  So everything that Christ does tells us of Gods' concern and care and presence with us.  From a distance He heals this nobleman's child, and in so doing, He heals the nobleman as well.  This is another aspect of what it means that Christ's power is unlimited, for it reaches into all aspects of our lives and can heal in ways we don't even understand that we are broken.  Our lives intersect with God's power and love which reaches everywhere, but so often we don't understand how God cooperates with us in our lives and requires our cooperation as well.  Building on even a weak faith, Christ can come to us and dwell with us (John 14:23).  Our expectations of life are one thing, and also what we call perfection, but there are times when even an infirmity or sadness may be used by God to help expand our faith (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Let us consider, at each moment of our day, in every tiny place in our lives, how Christ can be present with us, for our God is the God who sees, who is with us even when we are abandoned (Genesis 16:7-13).  Today's passage tells us that when Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives," this man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  We don't all know what it would be like to speak to Jesus face-to-face, as human being, but let us seek to take confidence in His word, in our time with Him in worship, and in private prayer.

 

 

I am willing; be cleansed

 

 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 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.  So far in this first chapter of Mark's Gospel, we've been given one healing act by Christ, and that was an exorcism.  In Saturday's reading, above, He commanded an unclean spirit who recognized Him as the Holy One of God, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  But here we have the first healing of an illness:  Simon's mother-in-law has a fever.  This is in the family home of Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew.  In Matthew's Gospel, we're told that Jesus "rebuked the fever" which implies, in the words of St. Cyril of Alexandria, that there "exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."  But here, Jesus acts through touch, in that He took her by the hand and lifted her up.  If we think about it, this seems to be quite a symbolic act of restoration to her place in the household, an image of the fullness of Christ's Incarnation, in which He will be lifted up in order to lift up others (John 3:13-15, 12:31-33).

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.  Once again, the text emphasizes Jesus as one who heals, or sets aright.  As Logos, or the Word (John 1:1-4), Jesus is the One through whom all things are called into order.  And here we observe that action, and the people's response to it, as the whole city was gathered together at the door of Simon and Andrew's home.  He healed many who were sick with various diseases, He cast out many demons.  Christ did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  As in yesterday's reading, when in the synagogue He told the unclean spirit to "Be quiet!" so here He commands silence for the same reasons.  His identity must as yet remain secret, as the hostility of the religious leadership will grow, the people's expectations are for an entirely different type of Messiah who will be a worldly political leader, and His desire to evoke genuine faith which is not based only on the signs He performs.

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 comments here that Jesus sets forth for us an example of spiritual life.  Though He is God incarnate, He prayed continually, frequently finding a solitary place in order to be free from distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him ("Everyone is looking for You").  Christ's ministry, my study Bible tells us, 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 are we equipped to serve others.  

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.  Jesus tells the leper to "say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest" and offer the proper things "commanded by Moses, as a testimony to them."  Leprosy was a terrible scourge of the time, which brought people severe hardships.  My study Bible reminds us that the biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13, 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, which was a duty entrusted to the priests.   My study Bible says that leprosy was considered to be a direct punishment for sins -- as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  To touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), but Jesus touched the leper, showing His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law, but over it.  My study Bible comments that to the clean, nothing is unclean.

The issue of touch is significant in today's reading, as it appears twice during healing.  First there is Peter's mother-in-law, who is sick with a fever.  The fever itself does not render a touch by Christ strange, but then there is the issue of a Man like Christ with a respected woman of Peter's household.  Certainly there were public restrictions regarding male and female conduct and familiarity which were part of the contemporary society. (and that included regulations regarding touch).  But the emphasis here on Jesus' taking hold of her hand is on healing.  In some sense, this is a scene between Peter's mother-in-law and Jesus which is reminiscent of a doctor attending a patient at the bedside.  His touch is respectful; neither does He sit on her bed where she is laying with fever.  But most of all, His touch is healing and accompanies the healing.  She is at once restored to her place in the household, a very important place indeed.  Not only is she likely the eldest female, but it is her privilege (not a drudgery) to serve Christ and the disciples which have begun to gather in their home.  But then the Gospel magnifies indeed this understanding of a touch from Jesus Christ.  For in the healing of the leper we find Jesus acting contrary to the prohibition against touching what was unclean, but this is also in the service of compassion and healing.  Let us note immediately that Christ's respect as a devout Jew is also for the Law given by God, and He tells the leper to go and follow the Law as given to Moses in making the proper offering and presenting Himself to the priest.  And so, in the image of the healing of the leper is contained another summing up of Christ's ministry:  He is the Physician who heals from compassion, and His expression is for compassion as a way of true fulfillment of God's law.  He will show this over and over again when He heals on Sabbaths, and is finally persecuted for doing so by those overzealous for their own traditions over and against the Law and the true intent of the Law.  What we can take from Jesus is an understanding that compassion and healing are ways of upholding the prime commandments of God.  Jesus will sum up all the Law and the Prophets in two commandments:  the first and greatest is to love God with all one's heart, and soul, and mind, and strength; and the second is to love neighbor as oneself (see Mark 12:30-32).  We become more "like" what we love; therefore this set of commandments is a way to learn love from God, and to share that with neighbor, whom God has also made in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).  But, importantly, and to distinguish how this love works, it is not a love which is expressed in sentimentality or romanticism.  It is not a love that infantilizes others, nor does it smother them or disrupt their growth if they need to stand on their own.  It does not diminish others by discounting their own capacity or responsibility.  This is a love that works above all to heal.  And the compassion Jesus expresses is always to heal, to set aright, to cleanse, to restore (especially to proper order).  Let us remember that even a rebuke from the Lord is an act of love; Revelation 3:19 reads, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."  Those whom Jesus loves are called "disciples" -- they are those who will learn from Him.  All of this is compassion with intent to heal, to set aright, to put in order.  Mark's Gospel is the one which will report to us that Jesus taught, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).  Let us continue on the journey of the good news of Jesus Christ, the One who saves and heals, and who teaches us about the compassion to do likewise.

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in His own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

On Saturday, we read the final section of the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, and her encounter with Christ.  (See the readings of Thursday and Friday for the earlier parts of the story.)  At this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So, when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in His own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  So central to the Gospels is this understanding that a prophet has no honor in His own country that it appears, in one form or another, in all four (see also Matthew 13:37, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).  Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover festival reported earlier in John's Gospel (2:13-25).  This is the second time that John has disclosed to us that Jesus performed many signs at that feast, although we don't know specifically what they were.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, my study bible says, St. John Chrysostom gives more credit to the Samaritans (see Saturday's reading, above) for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also 20:29).

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."    Jesus is admonishing people in general here and not specifically the nobleman (you is plural both times).  My study bible tells us that faith based on miraculous works alone is insufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn if the miracles cease (19:15).

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  My study bible remarks that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand the true Lordship of Christ:  that He is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Neither does he understand that Jesus would have the power to heal even should the child die.  He inquires about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting in Christ's authority.  But after all is confirmed he and his whole household believe.  In healing the child from a distance, therefore, Jesus not only heals the body of the child, but also the soul of this nobleman.

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This is the second of seven signs that John's Gospel reports to us.  (We note that John also tells us Jesus did many other signs which he does not report in his Gospel.)  My study bible says that having revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (1:45-48), Jesus now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  This shows that His divine power knows no earthly limits.  While there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle that is recorded in Matthew 8:4-13, there are also crucial differences.  These, it concludes, are clearly two different encounters.

The fact that there are no limits to Christ's power should tell us something very comforting, and also in which we can put our trust.  That is, there are no worldly obstacles to His power.  There is only the determination that God's will is to use power and authority in particular ways and for particular purposes.  By definition, God is so far beyond our own understanding and ways of being that what these purposes and ways are will remain mysterious to us.  Revelation is all about what it is that God chooses to give us and to teach us, both about ourselves and about God.  In today's reading, we're given to understand not only that God's ways are not our ways, but in particular that by applying a worldly way of thinking to Christ, we fail to know Him.  We fail to grasp what we are dealing with.  This is why faith is essential to our relationship and participation in the life He offers.  It is by faith that we begin to grasp something of God.  It is by faith that we are capable of sustaining this kind of relatedness and communion with Someone who is so far beyond what we are.  The demand for proofs is quite an interesting thing to think about, because there are indications here in this reading that reply to our constant demand.  John tells us clearly, in the words of Jesus, that "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." Proofs put Christ down at our level.  We demand that God conforms to our expectations and judgment.  He will say to all who demand one that "a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign" (Matthew 12:39, 16:4; Mark 8:12; Luke 11:29).  The connection through faith asks for something more and something different.  The food we desire is participation in Him, in the love and grace of God, in the work of the Spirit, in the communion of saints.  When we pray for our daily bread, this is a direct plea for the Eucharist and all that it means and adds to our lives and forms of community for us.  If we desire only proofs, we will never get enough to satisfy an impossible and spiritually infantile demand that does not recognize the love that is offered, nor the life it contains.  What is the work of faith?  How does it pull us and draw us?  What does it give us?  This is what we're asked through the Gospel today, and Jesus' words and teachings.

Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him

 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

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.  Jesus' ministry has begun with finding disciples and teaching in the synagogue.  There an "unclean demon" unwittingly testified of His presence, and the demon was cast out by Jesus.  Here is the next event:  Peter's mother-in-law is healed of her fever.  Christ comes "setting things aright" in some sense.  The woman who was laying sick with fever is now restored to her place, upright.  We note this personal and intimate place; Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her up, something unusual for a man (not a relation) in His time and place.

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.  My study bible says that our Lord's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  It lists the following reasons for secrecy:  (1)  the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders; (2)  the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and (3)  our Lord's desire to evoke genuine faith not based solely on marvelous signs.  We note that "setting aright" here -- healing -- includes the casting out of demons.  Everything that Jesus does is based on a spiritual reality present in our world and working through or behind all things.  He is here for a purpose, to redeem or ransom those held captive to that which is "not God" or "against God."  In other words, to free us from what is not good for life, to set aright our orientation for complete health on all levels of who we are as human beings.

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 points out that Jesus sets forth for all of us an example of the spiritual life.  It says, "Though God incarnate, He prayed continually, often finding a solitary place to be free from distraction, despite the multitude's need of Him.  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."  Again, what is put first here is the spiritual reality of what Jesus' mission is about; that is the foundation of our lives.  Even as we are created by God, the rest of what we are is manifest from this beginning.  The spiritual life isn't a kind of appendix we think about or don't think about.  Rather's it's the foundation of all that we think of as part of our lives:  mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.

 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 healing of a leper is a tremendously important act in the context of Scripture; Moses was able only to pray and appeal to God's mercy that Miriam be healed from leprosy, and that happened gradually and over a period of seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  The biblical law concerning leprosy is found in Leviticus 13 and 14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty entrusted to priests.  My study bible says, "Leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins, and as lepers were unclean, they were not permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  Touching the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21), yet Jesus touched the leper, showing His compassion, and showing that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  To the clean, nothing is unclean."

We observe Jesus in so many different ways already at the beginning of His ministry.   Aspects of His ministry already include His baptism in the Jordan, His temptation in the wilderness, the choosing of disciples, teaching in the synagogue, casting out an unclean spirit, healing Peter's mother-in-law, and becoming known as healer and teacher -- even to the point of healing a man with leprosy.  And in all this, there is the personal, intimate touch that makes Him so radically different:  he lifts Peter's mother-in-law by the hand, He touches even the leper to heal and clean him of this horrible disease, a death sentence via awful suffering.  All the while, Jesus maintains the righteousness asked in the law, and yet His hallmark and distinction is His compassion.  But everything is done with the spiritual basis of His ministry; there is nothing Jesus will do that is outside of this basic understanding of what He is here for:  to set aright, to free, to heal.  It's all one, of the same picture, because the spiritual life is the foundation of all life.  God, who is love, is the root to which we return.  Whatever the problem we encounter, we can always dig deeply into what we experience, and find a spiritual reality awaiting our attention.  Often one may find that time spent recuperating and healing from an ailment is actually a period in which we are invited to dig more deeply into our own hearts, our perspectives -- to find a place in which we walk with Christ through the experience of illness of one form or another.  There's quite a powerful book that has been written by Henri Nouwen, chronicling a journey during a time of crisis and despair, and the voice of love that came to him through that experience.   It's called, appropriately, "The Inner Voice of Love."  It's one example of a time of healing, and the opening to that deeper journey within that truly had to accompany his illness.  Jesus' healing isn't just about fixing up what hurts via miracles.  It's a setting aright, a making whole -- giving health to the whole of what life is about for us.  In this sense, the spiritual life really is the basis for the whole of our lives and the fullness of what we are on all levels.  True health can be thought of as setting aright, or setting in balance, the fullness of what it means to be human, with nothing neglected:  spiritual, physical, emotional, mental -- all the things that go into what makes a human being, the true whole of our lives.  As such there is nothing to be kept from God, no secret too shameful to tell and to explore with prayer and spiritual help.  There's no shameful past that makes us unclean in the sight of God.  There is only what needs to be healed, mended, tended to, and the heart that opens to what love and life can be received.  We may never have "perfect lives" in the sense that we think of as perfect.  But the message here is the good news that God is with us, and that for our own well-being and health, we need to remember that this One who sets aright has to be with us for true healing, even for our true recognition of what it means to be fully a person, and what makes for our own personhood.  Without it we don't have the fullness of real health, the wholeness of a life that acknowledges all of who we are.  It is the spiritual that contains the physical, and not the other way around.  It fills all things, gives life meaning and purpose, and maybe -- just maybe even more importantly -- gives even our suffering meaning and purpose and opportunity for the loving grace in which we share with Him. In our struggle to be free, liberation comes through His word about what we need to have, and about the things that ail us and need to be cast away.   His is the way of life, and love.  Let's not forget the personal touch, the intimacy, the One for whom nothing is unclean -- in Whom is truly included all of life.