Epiphany 5 February 6, 2000
Sermon by Rev. Laurel Bobb
Today's lesson is a continuation
of the account of the day we heard about last week when Jesus
cast out the demon from the man in the synagogue. The day had
been long. Jesus had preached to many, but his day was not yet
over. Jesus was once again to prove his authority, but this time
it was authority over physical ailments. He did this by healing
Simon's mother-in-law.
This healing was a personal one for Jesus. It affected someone who was close to him. He took her by the hand and helped her up. We know that the healing was immediate and complete, for she got up and served them. Jesus finally got a little break, but it was not to last long. Good news travels fast and soon the whole town was at the door. Jesus healed many diseases and cast out many demons before he was able to call it a day.
Finally the day came to a close; Jesus was spent. He got some well-deserved rest and then stole off early the next morning to get alone with God. He had been giving so much of himself that he was weary and needed a spiritual boost. He needed to get back to his power source and be rejuvenated by communing with God, his Father. Jesus was powerful, but he also knew his human limitations and from where his power came. He knew that God gives strength to the weary.
We can learn much about how a Christian is to deal with life from this Gospel text. First we see Jesus hard at work teaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God was at hand. So we are to work hard doing that which God has called us to do. Secondly we learn that it is okay to be human. We need to recognize our human limitations and take time for our families and friends, and we need to take time for ourselves to rest. Even Jesus didn't attempt to work 24 hours a day.
He also knew that sleep wasn't the only rest he needed. He knew he needed time to be alone with God. He needed to have his spiritual tank filled. Note that this took some planning and effort on his part. He had to get up early before anyone else was up so that he could get his quiet time alone with God. We may have to do the same thing, or we may have to carve out time at lunch or stay up later at night to get our time with God. We need to remember to do this because the demands of life and opportunities for service are endless. These are all good things; but sometimes doing good things detracts us from doing the best thing. The only way we discover the best thing is to seek God's will and ask for discernment.
Jesus knew he needed that time with the Father to discern God's will for his life. God must have revealed the fact that he was to go on to other places because when the disciples told him everyone was looking for him, he didn't go back to Simon's house. This could have been the easiest place to do ministry. He could have stayed with friends and let the people come to him, but Jesus was committed to following God's plan rather that taking the easy way out.
We also may suppose from our text that there were many in Capernaum who came seeking healing, but Jesus didn't return to heal everyone. There are many in our world today who need healing, but God doesn't heal everyone according to their time table. Only God sees the master plan and knows the reason for this. We know we are only human. We also know that there are many situations that could use our attention. We know that we cannot give attention to everything, and so at times, we too, will be forced to say no, there are other people and places to which God is calling us. It doesn't mean that God cares any less about those people or situations we can't handle, it merely means that God may not be calling us to deal with those things, or that God has some purpose for all those conditions at the present time.
By this I don't mean to imply that pain and illness were part of God's original intent for creation. They were not. They are but indications that something has gone terribly awry. Sin came in and spoiled God's perfect plan. Someday God will act to set everything right again, but in the meantime God works to bring about good in spite of and sometimes through the bad things that happen in life.
When unbelievers see that God is not healing or if we say that we don't feel God is calling us to minister in that way or meet that need, sometimes they accuse God of being powerless or cold and cruel. We see from our first esson that God is not powerless. God has authority over all creation. With a word things come into being, and with a word they can be destroyed. We are left with the question as to whether God is cold and cruel or not.
To answer that question we are pointed to the cross. There we see love personified. There we are convinced that when we suffer, God suffers. There we see God limiting his power, so the greater good of our salvation can be accomplished. God answered with the resurrection so we would know his power and faithfulness. So when we see a situation that looks to us like God should be doing something to solve the problem in a way we would like, we need to remember that we cannot see the big picture. We don't know how a "resurrection" experience may occur, which is to say we have no idea how God is even in that moment working things out for good purposes. I'm reminded of something a friend once said to me, "God can write straight with crooked lines." By this she meant that God can use even evil things to work out his good plan for us.
I'm also reminded of how limited my understandings are. When I was young someone gave me the poem "Faith Weaver." I'm sure some of you are familiar with it. What I remember of it goes like this:
- 'My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me;
- I cannot choose the colors nor all the pattern see.
- Sometimes he chooses sorrow and I in foolish pride
- Forget he sees the upper and I the underside.
- Not 'til the loom is silent nor shuttles cease to fly
- Will he reveal the pattern or tell the reason why
- The dark threads are as needful in the weaver's skillful hand
- As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern he has planned.'
We are the ones who need to remember this and share this understanding with others. We have the knowledge that God is faithful. That is the upper side. When we look at the back of the weaving we see all the knots and the crossed threads. It looks a mess, but from the perspective of the right side where the pattern can be seen it is perfect.
In the same way in our lives we don't know why we or those we care about are in pain, or hungry, or in need of something that would seem to us God is perfectly able to handle. All we can say is God knows best. We need to trust God.
We can think of being a parent and denying our children something they seem to really want, but we know is potentially dangerous. Or we could think of them having a choice of two good things, but the one would have a greater positive long-term influence even if at the time it were more difficult. Wouldn't it be silly for a parent to encourage the child always to take the easy way out rather than to struggle for something of more lasting value?
God deals with us in the same way, so what do we do about it? How do we respond? We need to be about the work of the ministry, always trying to discern what ministry God has planned for us. Then we put our best effort into doing what God is calling us to do.
So I charge you, "Go into the world to live out your ministry as followers of Jesus Christ. Listen for God's word to you. Pray. Then go out to heal the sick, cast out evil, proclaim God's victory, or whatever else God is calling you to do, celebrate the Good News, and may the peace and power of Christ go with you."
Copyright 2000 by Rev. Laurel Bobb