Year B
Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-12, 21c
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There’s a saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi\u2026 Preach the Gospel constantly\u2026 use words when necessary<\/em>\u2026 and the words in our passage from Isaiah resemble images\u2026 some of which\u2026 are like readings from the Book of Job… there are similar motifs\u2026 like when God says… To whom then will you compare me\u2026 or who is my equal<\/em>\u2026 but instead of dealing with a test of personal faith\u2026 with poor Job used as a pawn between God and the Accuser\u2026 Isaiah is about corporate faith\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n This reading from Isaiah expresses the lament that so many of those who were taken in the Babylonian exile\u2026 felt\u2026 that the city god of Babylon\u2026 Marduk\u2026 had beaten the city God of Jerusalem\u2026 YHWH\u2026 but Isaiah reassures the people that because the LORD is the only true God… and the creator of the world\u2026 the LORD will be able to defeat the Babylonians and restore Zion… no other being in the universe could do so\u2026 the Babylonian gods are\u2026 after all\u2026 created gods\u2026 and not the author of all creation\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And v. 28 addresses the concern the Israelites felt that God no longer cared for them\u2026 either because God had simply grown tired\u2026 or had grown tired of them\u2026 but Isaiah said that\u2026 God never grows faint or weary\u2026 but gives strength to the weary\u2026 fresh vigor to the spent\u2026 youths may grow faint and weary\u2026 and young men stumble and fall\u2026 but they who trust in the LORD\u2026 their strength shall be renewed<\/em>\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n Psalm 147 was written after the exile was over\u2026 and it alternates between praise for the God who created\u2026 and praise for the God who restored the exiles and rebuilt Jerusalem\u2026 ] and because of how jubilant the Israelites felt\u2026 this restoration was to them like the first creation… it shows God’s power over the world\u2026 ] and the implication\u2026 is that in the same way that God has cared over creation and throughout history\u2026 God will continue to care for Israel\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Corinthians\u2026 Paul says\u2026 woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel<\/em>\u2026 and the way he does this is by being all things to all people\u2026 now it’s easy\u2026 and maybe even tempting\u2026 to be cynical about Paul’s words\u2026 and wonder if he said only what he thought people wanted to hear\u2026 that he acted under false pretenses by trying to trick people into becoming members of Christ’s community\u2026 but Paul embodied great empathy and compassion\u2026 not deceit\u2026 he met the people where they were\u2026 and spoke to them in ways they could understand\u2026 all the while staying rooted in the Good News\u2026 and he related it to what it was that people were dealing with\u2026 so that he could be understood\u2026 but still\u2026 Paul said\u2026 that I might save some<\/em>\u2026 he knew that not everyone would listen\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our recent readings from Mark’s Gospel\u2026 give us a glimpse into what Jesus’ days were like\u2026 but what’s interesting about today’s Gospel\u2026 is that we don’t tend to think about the disciples being married\u2026 perhaps because this mention of Simon’s mother-in-law is the only one in the Christian scriptures\u2026 and it’s not clear whether she’s living in Simon’s house because she’s a widow\u2026 because Simon’s wife has died and she’s keeping house for him\u2026 or for some other reason\u2026 but in this passage what we tend to focus on is the patriarchal aspect of servitude\u2026 here this poor woman’s been in bed with a fever\u2026 and as soon as Jesus heals her\u2026 she’s up and serving men\u2026 but this healing says more about God’s grace and love\u2026 than it does about just the healing itself\u2026 and we may tend to overlook that it can be an honor to welcome and serve special guests in one’s home\u2026 perhaps some of you have done that once or twice\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n So that evening\u2026 at sundown… that is… when the Sabbath was over and it was permitted to do work\u2026 they brought to Jesus all who were sick or possessed with demons\u2026 Mark wants us to understand Jesus’ healing power\u2026 and the hunger people had for him\u2026 and Mark makes a point of it when he says\u2026 the whole city was gathered around the door<\/em>\u2026 not a very private event\u2026 and in truth\u2026 the ancient experience of privacy was nothing like our modern experience\u2026 most dwellings had common walls\u2026 and there was no such thing as soundproofing\u2026 and unlike today\u2026 most people knew most everyone else’s business\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And in the morning\u2026 Jesus needed to get away\u2026 but unlike his retreat into the desert when he ignored Satan’s temptations\u2026 there was no desert at Capernaum\u2026 it’s on the Sea of Galilee\u2026 so he found a deserted place\u2026 to rest\u2026 to pray\u2026 to discern his next steps\u2026 it’s a little bit like the time\u2026 when as a child\u2026 he said nothing and just slipped away to the Temple to teach… while his frantic parents searched for him\u2026 but this time\u2026 Simon and his companions hunted for him\u2026 the NRSV softens the intensity of their search a little\u2026 because in the Greek\u2026 it says that they\u2026 pursued with vigor<\/em>\u2026 and when they found him\u2026 they were exasperated\u2026 and said\u2026 Everyone is searching for you!.. <\/em> but instead of answering them\u2026 instead of explaining himself\u2026 instead of even engaging them\u2026 he simply said\u2026 let’s move on so I can proclaim the message\u2026 since that’s what I came to do<\/em>\u2026 Mark’s Gospel is full of this sense of Jesus’ mission\u2026 of things happening immediately\u2026 in other words\u2026 Jesus does what Jesus does\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And later on\u2026 the scribes from Jerusalem use these healings and exorcisms as evidence that Jesus was a magician who used satanic powers\u2026 accusations which led to severe penalties\u2026 a charge which posed its own threat to Jesus’ life\u2026 but although Jesus has come to destroy Satan’s power\u2026 he has not come to do it by performing magic\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Gospel of Matthew\u2026 when Jesus asked Simon who he is\u2026 Simon answered\u2026 You are the Messiah\u2026 the Son of the living God<\/em>\u2026 and Jesus said\u2026 Blessed are you Simon\u2026 son of Jonah! My Father in heaven has revealed this to you\u2026 and I tell you\u2026 you are Peter\u2026 and on this rock I will build my church\u2026 and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simon… like Abram and Sarai and Jacob and others in scripture\u2026 is re-named by God\u2026 to fulfill a new purpose\u2026 and Peter becomes a symbol of the Church\u2026 ] and just as the disciples searched for Jesus around Capernaum… the church is always searching for those who will hear the Word\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n And I wonder\u2026 how do we go searching after Jesus\u2026 and when we find him\u2026 out in our own deserted places\u2026 and when he simply says\u2026 let’s move on<\/em>\u2026 do we follow like the disciples did\u2026 do we get caught up in asking questions and expecting accountability from the God\u2026 who blows upon us and we wither\u2026 <\/em> described in Isaiah\u2026 or do we\u2026 like Paul\u2026 bring our own empathy and understanding… and help form the community which gathers around our door for healing and wholeness\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike Paul\u2026 Jesus didn’t have to become all things to all people\u2026 Jesus already was… ] and instead of being called to live Jesus’ life\u2026 we’re simply called to live our own lives\u2026 authentically… to be who we are\u2026 to be community to each other\u2026 preaching the Gospel constantly\u2026 and using words\u2026 only when necessary\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Year B Isaiah 40:21-31 Psalm 147:1-12, 21c 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39 May the words of my mouth O God\u2026 speak your truth\u2026 There’s a saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi\u2026 Preach the Gospel constantly\u2026 use words when necessary\u2026 and the words in our passage from Isaiah resemble images\u2026 some of which\u2026 are like readings from the Book of Job… there are similar motifs\u2026 like when God says… To whom then will you compare me\u2026 or who is my equal\u2026 but instead of dealing with a test of personal faith\u2026 with poor Job used as a pawn between God and the Accuser\u2026 Isaiah is about corporate faith\u2026 This reading from Isaiah expresses the lament that so many of those who were taken in the Babylonian exile\u2026 felt\u2026 that the city god of Babylon\u2026 Marduk\u2026 had beaten the city God of Jerusalem\u2026 YHWH\u2026 but Isaiah reassures the people that because the LORD is the only true God… and the creator of the world\u2026 the LORD will be able to defeat the Babylonians and restore Zion… no other being in the universe could do so\u2026 the Babylonian gods are\u2026 after all\u2026 created gods\u2026 and not the author of all creation\u2026 And v. 28 addresses the concern the Israelites felt that God no longer cared for them\u2026 either because God had simply grown tired\u2026 or had grown tired of them\u2026 but Isaiah said that\u2026 God never grows faint or weary\u2026 but gives strength to the weary\u2026 fresh vigor to the spent\u2026 youths may grow faint and weary\u2026 and young men stumble and fall\u2026 but they who trust in the LORD\u2026 their strength shall be renewed\u2026 Psalm 147 was written after the exile was over\u2026 and it alternates between praise for the God who created\u2026 and praise for the God who restored the exiles and rebuilt Jerusalem\u2026 ] and because of how jubilant the Israelites felt\u2026 this restoration was to them like the first creation… it shows God’s power over the world\u2026 ] and the implication\u2026 is that in the same way that God has cared over creation and throughout history\u2026 God will continue to care for Israel\u2026 In Corinthians\u2026 Paul says\u2026 woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel\u2026 and the way he does this is by being all things to all people\u2026 now it’s easy\u2026 and maybe even tempting\u2026 to be cynical about Paul’s words\u2026 and wonder if he said only what he thought people wanted to hear\u2026 that he acted under false pretenses by trying to trick people into becoming members of Christ’s community\u2026 but Paul embodied great empathy and compassion\u2026 not deceit\u2026 he met the people where they were\u2026 and spoke to them in ways they could understand\u2026 all the while staying rooted in the Good News\u2026 and he related it to what it was that people were dealing with\u2026 so that he could be understood\u2026 but still\u2026 Paul said\u2026 that I might save some\u2026 he knew that not everyone would listen\u2026 Our recent readings from Mark’s Gospel\u2026 give us a glimpse into what Jesus’ days were like\u2026 but what’s interesting about today’s Gospel\u2026 is that we don’t tend to think about the disciples being married\u2026 perhaps because this mention of Simon’s mother-in-law is the only one in the Christian scriptures\u2026 and it’s not clear whether she’s living in Simon’s house because she’s a widow\u2026 because Simon’s wife has died and she’s keeping house for him\u2026 or for some other reason\u2026 but in this passage what we tend to focus on is the patriarchal aspect of servitude\u2026 here this poor woman’s been in bed with a fever\u2026 and as soon as Jesus heals her\u2026 she’s up and serving men\u2026 but this healing says more about God’s grace and love\u2026 than it does about just the healing itself\u2026 and we may tend to overlook that it can be an honor to welcome and serve special guests in one’s home\u2026 perhaps some of you have done that once or twice\u2026 So that evening\u2026 at sundown… that is… when the Sabbath was over and it was permitted to do work\u2026 they brought to Jesus all who were sick or possessed with demons\u2026 Mark wants us to understand Jesus’ healing power\u2026 and the hunger people had for him\u2026 and Mark makes a point of it when he says\u2026 the whole city was gathered around the door\u2026 not a very private event\u2026 and in truth\u2026 the ancient experience of privacy was nothing like our modern experience\u2026 most dwellings had common walls\u2026 and there was no such thing as soundproofing\u2026 and unlike today\u2026 most people knew most everyone else’s business\u2026 And in the morning\u2026 Jesus needed to get away\u2026 but unlike his retreat into the desert when he ignored Satan’s temptations\u2026 there was no desert at Capernaum\u2026 it’s on the Sea of Galilee\u2026 so he found a deserted place\u2026 to rest\u2026 to pray\u2026 to discern his next steps\u2026 it’s a little bit like the time\u2026 when as a child\u2026 he said nothing and just slipped away to the Temple to teach… while his frantic parents searched for him\u2026 but this time\u2026 Simon and his companions hunted for him\u2026 the NRSV softens the intensity of their search a little\u2026 because in the Greek\u2026 it says that they\u2026 pursued with vigor\u2026 and when they found him\u2026 they were exasperated\u2026 and said\u2026 Everyone is searching for you!.. but instead of answering them\u2026 instead of explaining himself\u2026 instead of even engaging them\u2026 he simply said\u2026 let’s move on so I can proclaim the message\u2026 since that’s what I came to do\u2026 Mark’s Gospel is full of this sense of Jesus’ mission\u2026 of things happening immediately\u2026 in other words\u2026 Jesus does what Jesus does\u2026 And later on\u2026 the scribes from Jerusalem use these healings and exorcisms as evidence that Jesus was a magician who used satanic powers\u2026 accusations which led to severe penalties\u2026 a charge which posed its own threat to Jesus’ life\u2026 but although Jesus has come to destroy Satan’s power\u2026 he has not come to do it by performing magic\u2026 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