Mark Chapter 1 Verses 29 – 30

• Notice who it is that is sick. Simon’s wife. Now later in Chapter 3, Mark will tell us that Jesus gave the name Peter to Simon. Now here is the interesting point that I want to draw your attention to before we move on. Peter is acclaimed by the Catholic Church as the first Pope. See any inconsistency here?   Whose wife is this? You got it! Peter’s…just an interesting Biblical fact to consider…why? Because the Pope of course is to be celibate…

• So after church Peter took Jesus home with him, which is a very good thing to do, and what we’ll see is that with bringing Jesus home, he brought healing home also…

Mark Chapter 1 Verse 31

• This is got to be one of my favorite scenes in the Bible. What? Booooring! Why? Well because of what it literally says there in the descriptive Greek. The Greek language is so much more in depth, in the details, than the English language. Here, this scene, what Mark describes is a person “burning up” with sickness. The translators assign “fever” to that which is appropriate. And this person, burning up with sickness, is introduced to Jesus.

• And then Jesus comes and He does something so very personal. He takes her by the hand. Now this is comforting to me. Because I often find myself talking with, meeting with, praying for folks that are burning up their lives.   Burning up their marriages. Burning up their careers. Burning up their futures…sick with sin. And I get anxious. Nervous. Waves of fear man…these moments where my stomach shoots into my throat when I think about “what will I say?” “Will I remember and apply the right scriptures.” “Will I even help them?”

• But then I read of a scene like this, where Jesus is simply brought to this person and He takes her by the hand and I am so very comforted. Fear flees and love, power and a sound mind enter as I rest in the fact that no matter what, if I go, if I take Jesus, the rest is up to Him.

• And I love how He doesn’t just speak to her here. “Thelma,” (I have assigned that name to Peter’s wife), “Thelma, get up and make Me some unleavened bread!” No. He touches her. He doesn’t have to…with His Word the nations are healed. But He touches her. And Mark says that He lifted her up. In the Greek literally He woke her and reconstructed her…putting her in order, fixed her on the inside man…And without His command, demand or requirement, she served…

• That strikes a chord in me because this is my story. Maybe yours too. I was burning my life down, day by day and I had years under my belt man…To the point that the smoke had choked me out and I was spiritually unconscious. Unaware of reality, living in a false world where every decision I made, every way I spent every moment, was inherently and automatically destructive. Destroying me, destroying those that I cared about and destroying hope man. But someone brought Jesus to my home…and He didn’t yell at me, preach at me, scold me, spank me…that’s what I expected, and I was ready to fight back, just like I did to everyone in my life that told me I wasn’t good enough…

• But that’s not what He did. He touched me. He offered me His hand, like a proposal…”Your choice, son. Take My hand. I’ll show you the way.” And then He caused me to rise. To wake up, to be reconstructed…the Bible would call that born-again…and the fires burned but day by day, little by little, here a little, there a little, they began to go out and by His power and love in my life, all that was burned was that which bound me…

• And my response? “Thank you?” That just doesn’t get it man. It’s what we see here in the Greek. Diakoneo. Where we get our word Deacon. Servant, attendant, waiter…I’m at the feet of Jesus not talking about “what am I not supposed to do” but “what CAN I do for you!” Exploding with joy, purpose and endless energy to give my life to the One who saved it…just like we see here in this wonderful scene…

Mark Chapter 1 Verses 32 – 34

• The medical system there in Capernaum located on the sea of Galilee was not like what we experience today. Today you sneeze, you got a headache, sniffles, snorts, hives, sweats, shakes, aches, whatever! You have whatever, head on down to Walgreen’s man…maybe go see a doc-in-the-box but not here in Mark Chapter 1. Not now in the first century! You sneeze and snort…get out! Unclean! People would get away from you real quick because a) they don’t want to get it and b) you’re under some sort of judgment and therefore in some way you’re unclean!

• But notice…Jesus is healing…and not only those sick, not only those that are demon possessed…but what do we see? The whole city gathered together! The Savior’s gracious presence not only heals, not only soothes but it also unites man. Those that may have 1,000 reasons to hate each other, 1,000 offenses and 1,000 disappointments, the presence of Jesus covers it all…and all gather together to be healed. Why? Because in truth, we’re all sick man. None any more sick than the other. And the depth that each one of us will draw near to God is precisely equal to the depth that each one of us will be healed…and one of the marks of that healing…unification man…

• And notice Jesus commanding those demons again…we looked at this last week. How even the demons know Him and obey Him and let that sink in…I hope it has since last week…if the demons obey Him, how much more those that proclaim to be His family? His followers!

Mark Chapter 1 Verse 35

• A long day of ministry in the synagogue, a long night of ministry at Peter’s house and so how does Jesus recharge? He gets up earlier! HA! Seems so counter to logic but notice, there’s a lot of ministry to do…much work to do…and so when is the only time that He can spend time with the Father, feed Himself, that will not take away from what God the Father has sent Him to do? You got it. While the others slumber!

• We saw this in David. We’ve seen this in Paul. This is a Biblical truth and a must for those that desire to be used of God…being renewed in strength and refreshed is not to serve the physical needs like sleeping in but by getting out early to commune with the Father, when it costs you dearly…a worthy sacrifice and a clear training-type message to your flesh that it does not rule. The spirit does…

• And notice they come looking for Him, for the work set before Him for that day and watch His response…

Mark Chapter 1 Verses 36 – 39

• “Oh guys, I’m a little sleepy here…got up a little early to pray for you…so I’m catch a little nap…take it easy today…” HAHAHA NOT! PSYCHE! (I’m bringing that back by the way!) No, He says let’s get after it! Amped, focused, ready…

• Now, next scene…

Mark Chapter 1 Verse 40

• What a beautiful approach! Like a plane coming in to land man…like a golf ball chipped onto the green from 150 yards out and you hear the commenter, “Beauuuuuutiful approach! He’s sure to sink this putt…it’s a gimmie!” And here is the spiritual gimmie! “Jesus, You’re God, I’m creation therefore heal me because it’s Your duty! I’m entitled!” NO! But, “Lord, if it be Your will…You have the power, will you make me clean?” Such humility. Such submission! And then the response…

Mark Chapter 1 Verse 41

• I love that response. “I am willing!” The translators take a little liberty here…its actually just one word in the Greek. “Thelo.” Literally it means. “I will.” You could extrapolate on it to “I am willing,” or “that’s My very intention!” I will Jesus promises…anyone, anytime, anyplace…beautiful approach…God’s response…”I will.” That’s the very reason I came man!!!

Mark Chapter 1 Verses 42 – 44

• Now this man is a leper. And leprosy is always used as a type of, a picture of, sin in the Bible. It’s a slow, horrible disease that begins by attacking from the outside and moves its way in. It lands first on the nerve endings of extremities, like fingers and toes, and quickly feeling is lost…and then extremities are lost…hacked off unknowingly…because they’re numb…the person doesn’t even know what they are doing…much like sin man…and the result is total deformation and eventual…isolation, loneliness and then death…precisely what sin does to a heart and to a life.

• But God makes provision for a miraculous cure in the Levitical Law and sets out a process by which a person may be healed and may be returned to their families…and so check this out…a few reasons why Jesus sent him to the priest and told him to say nothing of Jesus healing him. First, so that God the Father would get the glory! Jesus was all about pleasing the Father, glorifying the Father, honoring the Father and carrying out the will of the Father…as one of us man…He showed us the Way, the Truth, and the Life…and that is it!

• Second, so that Jesus would maintain a bit of freedom of movement. When folks heard of this…they all came and pressed to be near Him. We find Him teaching from a boat just a bit off shore because of this getting out…

• Finally, Jesus was making provision for this man even after he was made clean…even after he was completely healed. Making provision for him to return to society, to his family, to his job, to his life man…as he goes through the socially and culturally and even religiously accepted ritual of the law to show himself clean and therefore be accepted back into his lost world…

• There is always so much more going on than what we see when God works in our lives…best to trust Him…but this guy can’t be contained…and Jesus doesn’t condemn Him for it…this guy just runs leaping through the city…

Mark Chapter 1 Verse 45

• Emotions flare, excitement bursts and Jesus is forced outside into deserted places…a thought to keep in mind when emotions and feelings begin to rile up…what has God commanded you to do in this situation? What does the Word of God say? Will you obey or will you take the One that has healed you and by your lack of self control and weakness, will you force Him out…

• But notice, Jesus does not condemn Him. He serves Him. He graciously goes to the deserted places…and I don’t know if you caught this…but really what happened here…He traded places with this Leper. He loved Him, manifested in His compassion…He healed Him…He instructed Him and then as the man went free, Jesus took his place. You see that is the very gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ.

• He has taken your place upon that cross, healed you, set you free and now He instructs you…receive the gospel of Jesus Christ today…hear His voice and respond and indeed, see His love, feel His healing…and go free.