Sermon – February 7, 2020 – Epiphany 5

Printable PDF:  2-7-2021 Epiphany 5 Sermon

Pastor David R. Clark  ~  Mark 1:29-39  ~  February 7, 2021  ~  Epiphany 5

Jesus Cares!

²⁹As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. ³¹So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. ³²That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. ³³The whole town gathered at the door, ³⁴and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. ³⁵Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ³⁶Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” ³⁸Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” ³⁹So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

 

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Do you care about who wins the Super Bowl this afternoon? What we care about is one way we define ourselves.

Or maybe a better question is, “Who cares about you?” That question can seem a little self-serving, like no one matters but me, but we are living in a different time. Are you depressed? Are you afraid? Are you lonely? Do you feel isolated?

If you ask those questions, you might also ask: Does Jesus care about me? Where is God when I need him most? Perhaps Jesus’ time in Capernaum can help.

 

1. When you are sick

²⁹As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. ³¹So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

Peter had been with Jesus and seen him heal, probably more times than he could count. I’m sure he rejoiced that people’s lives were changed in such a significant way. But what must it have been like when it was his own mother-in-law? His wife’s mother was sick. That’s a lot more personal. Jesus healed her so completely that she was back to full health.

Sickness always seems worse when it is someone close to you. COVID is bad when you know someone has it. When you see someone in your own house struggling with it, it seems a lot worse. That’s not just true of COVID. It’s true of every trouble in life.

That’s why it is so comforting to know that Jesus heals us, too. Our great Physician has the ability to heal all of us just as miraculously. He usually does that through doctors and nurses, and vaccines, nutrition, exercise, and moderation. And every time we are healed through those things, we can know that Jesus is working through them. In fact, that is true of all difficulties in life. Every time there is a solution, we can know Jesus cares for us.

 

2. At the appropriate time

The problem we usually have though, is that it doesn’t happen as fast as we would like. ³²That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. ³³The whole town gathered at the door, ³⁴and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

When you are sick or you have one of those problems that really seems unsolvable, there isn’t much comfort in knowing that it will be better “someday”. We want it to happen right now. That’s what happened with all of the people who came to the door in Capernaum where Jesus was staying. People came and brought sick and demon-possessed and Jesus fixed it – right there on the spot. But when the demons would want to blurt out who he was, he wouldn’t allow that to happen.

The reason Jesus wouldn’t let them blurt that out is that Jesus wasn’t ready to be seen as the Messiah on that day. It would happen, but it would happen when it was best for God’s kingdom. Sometimes the reason our sicknesses and problems linger is the same thing. Jesus is using them to serve his kingdom. By serving his kingdom, he serves you and me who are members of that kingdom. It may be difficult to see but the delay is actually an act of love to ultimately bless us.

 

3. For your soul

In this instance we know why it was not the appointed time for people to know who Jesus really was. ³⁵Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ³⁶Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” ³⁸Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” ³⁹So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

As much as he cared for people – and there are so many instances – the greatest need at that time was to proclaim the gospel. There were people outside of Capernaum who needed to hear the promises of God before they knew Jesus was the fulfillment of them. A day was coming when he Jesus would heal the greatest sickness, death, by raising himself from the dead for the sins of the world, but it wasn’t this day. On this day, he needed to share the message of God’s love with other people. It was even more important than healing more sick people in Capernaum.

As much as we all want to be healthy and problem free, we must admit that all of us have a much greater need. That need is spiritual. We can be sick in our bodies but we dare not be sick in our souls. We need the inoculation of the great Physician all the time so that we are prepared to deal with those temptations of impatience and lack of trust. We need the medicine for our souls, the assurance that our sins are forgiven and that even though our bodies may be weak or sick, our souls can be strong. And we know we have them because we know and believe that Jesus cares for us. Amen.