Nathan E. Lewis

Our text this morning is structurally part of the preceding text. Mark writes of Jesus expelling the demon from the man in the Capernaum synagogue, and then he tells us of his healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, finally reporting that he healed many of the sick in Capernaum casting out many demons. Mark writes his gospel to showcase the Son of Man coming into this world with visible and powerful authority over the spiritual and material realms. He not only combats the devil and his minions but he also eradicates the consequences of the common curse.
As Jesus enters the home of Simon, that is Peter, and of his brother, Andrew, we remember that the disciples of Jesus had families and property. Jesus had called them to follow him making it clear that they were to leave everything behind making his mission of the expanding kingdom of God their sole pursuit. How does such a radical call to follow Jesus sync with our responsibility as stewards of God’s gifts to us, including family and estate? Many a follower of Christ has struggled with this radical call. The great missionary pioneer, David Livingstone, who opened up the heart of Africa for the gospel proclamation wave that survived his death in 1873 and has rapidly grown to the present day, accomplished much of his trail blazing at the expense of his family. Biographer, George Seaver, documents the prolonged embitterment of Livingstone’s children, left behind in Scotland. After several tours into the heart of Africa, Livingstone’s wife finally consented to accompany him. He placed her on the back of an ox and drove her 300 miles into lion infested lands, through skirmishes between warring tribes and Portuguese slave runners. She returned to the Cape vowing to never accompany him again.
As we read of Jesus entering Peter and Andrew’s home to care for Peter’s mother-in-law, I offer this helpful first point: The call to follow Jesus is not a super responsibility relieving us of our stewardship, but a complete transformation of our way of life, a restructuring of time, property and relationships to serve the kingdom of heaven. This past week at my annual Stout Monks accountability group meeting, one of my fellow pastors asked me this question: Of these two choices, which would you desire to be chiseled upon your tomb stone? Nathan Lewis: Minister of the Gospel; or Nathan Lewis: Father of Five? I responded: Both. I would pay the extra money to have both chiseled along with another line: Husband of Glenda. We do not abandon family to serve the kingdom of God, but rather, we position and encourage our family to be citizens of the kingdom of God. We do not abandon our estates and vocations to engage in kingdom enterprise, but rather, we use our estates and vocation to serve the kingdom of heaven.
Consider this second helpful point: The authority of Christ not only expels the demons, the vile servants of the archenemy Satan himself, but also rolls back the common curse, the source of common maladies. As citizens of the kingdom of God we must balance our prayers and our efforts. The spiritual battle waged between angels and demons, ultimately between Jesus and Satan is a present, ongoing reality. But the kingdom of God is also intent on rolling back the common curse plaguing our loved ones with the common cold, fevers, broken hips, and hang nails. Some of us tire of our prayer lists given over to requests for the relief of Aunt Tilly suffering from the gout and try our best to balance our prayers, not soley praying, ‘Give us this day our daily bread,” but also “Deliver us from the evil one.” What an encouragement it is to all of us to read of Jesus, who expelled myriads of demons, entering the home of Peter to heal his mother-in-law of her fever. The kingdom of God has invaded our common lives to relieve us of the common curse. Not only has Jesus come to save us from our sins, but also from time to time, he lovingly employs his divine authority to relieve us of the pains of our human weakness, to heal our bodies deformed by insidious disease and maladies. Our bodies and our souls belong to God and he shall redeem us and glorify us body and soul.
Mark writes, “Jesus came and took her by the hand.” He could have healed her by the power of his authoritative word alone. Indeed, his touch, in this case was not a healing agent, but a tender expression of his love for her. “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up.” In her weakness he supported her, raising her from her sick bed. For some of us, the Christian Gospel music of our past prevents us from receiving the love of Jesus: “Precious Lord, take my hand/ Lead me on, help me stand/ I am weak and I am tired, I am lone/ Through the storm, through the night/ Lead me on to the light/ Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.” It may be that Thomas Dorsey understood this text better than I have in the past and was thus better able to receive the tender care of his Savior. “Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her up and the fever left her.”
Hendrick van der Loos, 20th century scholar refers to the first century rabbinic regulations for visiting the sick prohibiting rabbis from sitting on the sick bed or sitting on a chair for fear of contagion. Thankfully, today we have disinfectant hand gel dispensers installed every three feet on the walls of our public buildings. “Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her up and the fever left her.”
Consider this third point: Even a well-ordered society, governed by the laws of God, will be fraught with myriads of problems stemming from the common curse and the spiritual battle waged in this world. Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law on the Sabbath. Jesus entered the synagogue in Capernaum to find the community faithfully assembled according to the Law of Moses, “Remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” He then entered the home of his disciples to care for a woman who had a legitimate reason for missing corporate worship and he ministered to her the word of power able to heal her of her fever.
At sundown, the recognized end of the Sabbath day, the residents of Capernaum wishing to obediently observe the Sabbath laws, came out of their homes, bringing the sick and the demon controlled members of their community to Jesus. Some of us might be clinging to the myth of life free from spiritual oppression and physical suffering in a context of well-ordered obedience of God’s holy laws. If only our society observed God’s ways, then we would be free from all the miseries of this life! It is true that we would be freer, but it will take the complete unfolding of God’s redemptive mission in this world and the great and final judgment of all evil and curse to relieve us of all pain and suffering. “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!” There is a profound freedom we enjoy in our blessed union to Jesus Christ that bolsters us in the midst of this fallen world.
Consider one final point: As we follow Jesus we must not only know the truth but we must also employ the truth toward the glorious ends of the kingdom of God. “Jesus would not permit the demons to speak because they knew him.” Knowledge of God does not give the enemy the right to declare with authority the truth. The enemy would do this to rob the truth of its redemptive purpose. Satan and his demons use God’s truth for their own evil purposes, to pollute the very fountain of truth. The enemy often times begins its deception by speaking God’s truth to win our attention, then gradually spinning it until we no longer can distinguish between truth and lie. Endowed with divine authority Jesus protects the truth prohibiting the enemy from tainting it. Jesus, the Truth incarnate, not only proclaims the truth but he guards it. The apostle Paul instructs all of us who follow Jesus to “guard our minds and hearts…to conform our minds to the image of Christ…to think on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable…” As followers of Jesus we must cling to the truth and employ it toward the expansion of his kingdom. We must not invest in the fruitless and destructive endeavors of the kingdom of darkness, the words of God upon our lips for our own gain and ultimately for the pride of the devil. We must sell out for the kingdom of God. Every unit of our personal energy, every member of our families, every dollar, every minute, every opportunity must be invested in the glorious kingdom of God. Amen.