Mark 1:29-39. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 03, 2019.
Last week we looked at two aspects of the power of Jesus: his powerful teaching, and his power over evil spirits. Today we will see the healing power of Jesus highlighted.
Of course, the more you think about healing, you will quickly realize that there are many different kinds of healing and a physical healing is not always the most important. Imagine a traumatized person who is emotionally and mentally broken, yet has had all their physical wounds healed. There may be nothing physically wrong with them, but they can still be a shell of a person, unable to deal with the world around them.
It is interesting that even today in 2019, while experiencing all that modern, medical technology has to offer us, we have not vanquished sickness. Should the Lord tarry, it is looking increasingly like we will not have all sickness conquered even in a hundred years (I mean definitely and not just for a period in which viruses mutate etc.). We still do not have the kind of power over sickness that Jesus displayed throughout His time on earth.
The Scriptures make it clear that the main purpose of Jesus was not to physically heal all maladies on the earth. When He later sends out His apostles, His instructions clearly highlight the focus and it is not on physical healing. Rather, Jesus ministered physical healing because it is tied together to emotional, mental, and most especially spiritual healing. People gave Jesus a true hearing about spiritual healing because of what they saw in the natural. Yet, no amount of physical healing can heal the sin-sick soul.
Today, as we meditate on this passage, let us come to Jesus and recognize that in His mercy He can heal us, but in His wisdom, He knows what truly ails us.
Jesus is still in the city of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. It is still the same Sabbath day on which He cast the unclean spirit out of a man in the synagogue. After the service, Jesus goes to Simon and Andrew’s house. It so happens that Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever. Now, Luke further describes this as a great fever, meaning that it was a serious sickness that could end in death. They immediately make Jesus aware of her condition. So, what does Jesus do?
We are told that Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her up. The fever instantly leaves her, even without a word from Jesus. Notice that there is no sense of a ritual, magic, or a crude, barbaric understanding of sickness. Jesus simply lifts her up and she is healed. Neither is there a modern sense of scientific knowledge or medical technology. Both methods are left with their mouths open, as Jesus simply helps her up. Is this coincidence? Please. Anyone who has had a very serious fever break knows that you don’t instantly feel good enough to get out of bed and serve everyone in the room. We see here the kind of power that Jesus has over sickness. He simply heals her with the thought.
Now we could turn this into a mind science, but the Scriptures do not open that door to us. We are never instructed to work on our mind power. Even the instructions to believe and have faith are all focused on believing Jesus and having faith in Jesus. It is not faith in our ability to wield faith like a medical instrument. Rather, it is faith in the One who has power over all sickness.
It often bothers us that God allows sickness on the earth. However, remember that God has a goal that is greater than humans not having any suffering. What would it profit us to live lives free from sickness and yet be spiritually like the devil, to go into eternity lost? God created us to be like Him, to dwell with Him, and to work with Him. Thus, sin is a huge barrier to all that happening. We want God to heal everything, but let us live anyway we want. Even when ailments are the result of sinful choices, we still want God to protect us from the consequences and yet not expect anything from us. This attitude is sinful.
So, we want healing and have turned to all manner of things throughout the years. There is something wrong with attempting spiritual or religious cures outside of Christ. We are warned in Scripture that only the Holy Spirit and the ways of Christ can be trusted. The many spiritual cures that exist are only the teachings of evil spirit that want to get permission to attach themselves to our lives.
However, there is nothing wrong with medicine and doctors helping us heal. The same God who can heal at will has also put things on the earth with which we can make medicine. Either way, He is the source of the healing. When our bodies naturally heal themselves, where did they get this ability? It was not the luck of Natural Selection. Rather, it was the design of a benevolent Creator. Yet, we must realize that medicine and medical technology is always limited and cannot take the place of God. This is why I think that we will have to deal with sickness until the resurrection occurs.
What amazing power that can will sickness away, even without a word. Christians do not need the proper prayer, or the proper verses to quote, or the proper mix of Christian “spell casting.” Rather, we simply need to be connected to Jesus and believe upon Him.
At evening time, we are told that a crowd gathers outside of the door where Jesus is staying. Word has spread about the exorcism done during the synagogue service and perhaps also about Simon’s mother-in-law’s healing. They show up at evening because all the Sabbath restrictions would now be over. Although Jesus had cast out the evil spirit on the Sabbath, there was no issue made of it. Most likely because they were all in shock and amazed. This was a new thing. Later, the religious would have time to realize that they should be offended and that Jesus was technically breaking their Sabbath laws.
Regardless, at this point in time it is technically Sunday in our reckoning, and we are told that many who were sick and others who were demon-possessed were healed by Jesus. This was an incredible day in the city of Capernaum.
If we hit pause on the scene, perhaps we should take some time to mentally digest what the Bible is presenting to us. Israel had been waiting for God’s Anointed One to come and fix everything in Israel and the world. The covenant that God made with Israel had many physical blessings. If they were loyal to God then He would bless their crops, their wives would be fertile, and the diseases of the Egyptians and the Canaanites would not come upon them. God’s people of Israel had the Creator’s word that He would keep them healthy and they would not need fear any evil spirits of the nations around them. However, when the Anointed One comes, Israel is filled with people who are sick and even demon possessed. The great people of God have not been loyal and faithful. They are a plundered people who have been taken captive by their spiritual enemies even more than by their natural enemies.
Let’s take some time to contrast this with the New Covenant that Christ makes with whosoever will believe in Him. The Mosaic Covenant was heavy on physical blessings and had some spiritual blessings. However, the New Covenant was heavy on spiritual blessings and had some physical blessings. We have no nation on this earth, are not guaranteed crops and fertility, and are not even guaranteed defense against physical enemies. Yet, we have something greater. We are guaranteed spiritual fruitfulness, and spiritual offspring. We even have the Spirit of God Himself dwelling within us. Yet, if Jesus were to walk among the churches of today, what would He find? Would he not find a multitude who are still spiritually bound and not walking in the fullness that God has for us? On one hand we fall far short of the intentions of God and His Savior, Jesus. On the other hand, we see Jesus, loving us, and touching us in order to set us free from what binds us. We need to come to Christ and seek to be free from those things that hold us back from walking in faith and trust in Him. We need to find the leading of the Holy Spirit in our life and trust Him.
Back in Capernaum, there are now 100’s of people who have witnessed the power of Jesus. Think of the countless numbers of people through the years who can give testimony to the power of Jesus in their life. Instead of walling ourselves off from God in unbelief, we must learn to hear the testimonies about Him and learn to walk in faith. Jesus can be trusted, even when I don’t get exactly what I want. However, He still works powerfully in our lives today, and we need to be good witnesses of it to others.
It had been a busy day. Yet, the next morning, Jesus gets up before dawn and seeks out a “solitary” place to pray. The pressure and busyness would no doubt begin anew that Sunday morning. It is typical for us as humans to allow the times of pressure and busyness to squeeze out spending time with God the Father in prayer and seeking His understanding and purpose for our day. Here Jesus in the busiest of times, takes time to meet with His Father.
It is good to pray in public. However, if we do not have times of secret prayer then our public prayers are hollow and empty of any real meaning and power. Jesus was powerful in these other areas because He also had a strong and powerful relationship with God the Father through prayer. He is unique in His Sonship, but He is not unique in having a relationship with God that is both private and public. We must follow His example. It is secret prayer that makes public prayer meaningful and powerful.
Jesus has many more people to heal and set free from evil spirits. However, He also needs to keep focused on God the Father and His plan. When people are desperate and see you as their answer, they will take hold of your life and set the agenda for you, if you let them. We must always guard against letting others set the agenda for our life. Take time to seek God about His agenda for your life each day. That can only happen in times of secret prayer and on days other than church day.
So, we see Jesus who is not “going it alone.” He is doing what He does with the Father. You too were never intended to be alone in what you are doing. Jesus is up before dawn because those hours are more spiritual. He is up that early because everyone else is asleep. Carving out time is not just about one time a day for a certain amount of time. It is about finding a way to get alone and talk with God. This should not be the first thing we sacrifice when we are busy, but the last thing.
Meanwhile, the disciples wake up and realize that Jesus is not in the house. While they begin looking, people are showing up at the door hoping to find Jesus. This gives us a picture of Christ that we must not miss. Jesus is not always where you think He will be and is not always in an easy place for us to find Him. Jesus offers Himself to the world, to whosoever will, but He also has His own agenda. If we are always thinking that Jesus is in the noisy, loud, public places (perhaps even a church service), we can miss this intimate side of Jesus. Sometimes we need to get to the solitary place and there we will find Him. Yes, we need Church and Fellowship with other believers, and Jesus is truly there. However, He is also in the solitary place with the Father that we can only go to by faith and through prayer in our own secret place. You do not have to travel all over the world to find Jesus. He is right here, right now, wherever you are.
Everyone is looking for Jesus because they all want a piece of Jesus. Yet, Jesus has received instructions from the Father. He explains God’s purpose. He must go to other towns and do the same thing. His purpose is about reduplicating what just happened in Capernaum in the other towns of the Galilee. Blessed Capernaum would keep slurping up the blessing as long as they could. If they were allowed to set the agenda and purpose then a huge compound would be built in Capernaum where Jesus would stay and all the world would come in order to be healed and set free, but that is not the plan. The emphasis is not on such plans. Rather, Jesus is going out to the people wherever they are. In fact, you actually have both things happening. Wherever Jesus went He was seeking people to touch and people were coming from far and wide to find Him. So, we have this beautiful sense that while we are seeking for God, He is seeking for us. By the grace of God, we shall meet up! He cares about you and He wants you to find Him.
Even then, Israel’s greatest need, our greatest need, is not physical healing. What a tragedy it would be to be healed physically by God, but not to be healed spiritually. The miracles that Jesus did were not the main thing. They served the purpose to get people’s attention, but the teaching of Jesus pointed people to a spiritual healing from sin and a healing of our relationship with God the Father.
If you truly believe in Jesus as your savior today then you truly are a Child of God. And, if you truly are a Child of God then God has a purpose for everything that you are going through today and went through yesterday. He has a present and a future for you. That knowledge should become the foundation of our relationship with the Father through prayer.
We live in a desperate world, but in its desperation, it is grabbing on to all the wrong things, things that cannot save. Humanity cannot heal itself. We must humble ourselves and come to Christ so that He will heal us as only He can. We cannot tell Him how to heal us, but must humble ourselves and allow the good physician to apply the balm according to His knowledge, not ours.