Fifth Epiphany
LIsaiah 40:21-31; Mark 1:29-39; I Corinthians 9:16-23
Who is the most famous person in the world today? Whose face is most recognized? Whose name most easily identified. The answer depends, of course, on where you live? How long you've lived? What interests you have.
In the 1930's here in the United States a survey of the American public found that the name and face of Shirley Temple was better known by far than even the President of the United States (who was FDR). I have a sinking feeling that a survey of this congregation today would find the former child star and ambassador relatively unknown. A survey last year of Europe, Africa and Asia found the most recognizable face to be that of David Beckham whose name many of us may know as a great soccer player but I suspect whose face would probably fail to be identified easily.
The list of famous figures from history depends on where your interests lie--sports, arts, politics, sciences. The founding figures in most national histories are known to those of that nationality but often not beyond the borders of the country. The Einsteins, Gutenbergs, Shakespeares and Mozarts of the world have their historic places, as do Alexander the Great, George Washington and Suleyman the Magnificent. Fame also comes in the form of darker forces casting a lasting scar on humanity's history--names like Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and Bin Laden.
Ultimately though, of all the names known around the world the ones associated with religion and faith stand above all others. Throughout all time we find huge segments of the world able to identify the names of Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed and most well known of all names, that of Jesus. While some historic figures pass in and out of the history books and the collective human memory, there are some names that endure. Clearly the name of Jesus tops that list of almost eternal identity. Yet, there was a time when no one yet knew this Jesus. It is hard to imagine a time before fame but our Gospel lesson for today captures just such a moment.
Our readings for the last few weeks, the Sundays after Christmas and the Epiphany, have focused on the beginnings of Christ's ministry on earth. The idealized Christmas images that we assign to December 25 have set in motion a series of stories about the beginnings of Jesus' ministry. It begins with his baptism by John the Baptist followed by his first proclamations of a new way to see the world and know God. We are told Jesus preached with great authority which we saw last week led him into a new role relating to the world and those around him. Today we come to the full meaning of the word epiphany, the moment when the name of Jesus begins to shine forth into the world. Having proclaimed his new vision for humanity in relation to God, Jesus leaves the synagogue where he had been preaching and encounters the truth that every preacher learns sooner or later. The best sermon is lived not preached.
The Gospel of Mark is a very stark and straight forward version of the story about Jesus. We can only guess at certain details and motivations, but it appears that following the morning's activity at the synagogue, one of Jesus' new disciples, Simon, invited Jesus to his home. Archeological digs in the old village of Capernaum have uncovered the floor of the ancient synagogue where Jesus stood and preached. The excavations have also found the foundations of most of the old houses that stood between the synagogue and the Galilean Sea shore including one that is traditionally assumed to have belonged to Simon Peter. We can almost imagine the energy that the young disciples felt as they walked with the Rabbi Jesus, talking with him about the events of the morning. They had not doubt been inspired by the authoritative preaching and the miraculous moment of Jesus casting out a demon from a possessed man in the synagogue itself. As they walked the short block or so from the synagogue to the house, they were probably still trying to figure out exactly what to make of all they had heard and seen. When they arrived at Simon and his brother's house they found that Simon's mother-in-law is sick in bed. So much for the good Jewish home cooked meal that Simon had probably been telling Jesus and the other disciples they could expect. With apologies and maybe some anxiety about his mother-in-laws condition we are told that Jesus was informed of her illness.
Now this is where the encounter with Jesus gets interesting and yet impossible to be sure of our interpretation. Jesus goes to the woman, takes her by the hand and lifts her up. And we are told the fever left her and she began to serve them. To be touched by the hand of God--lifted up. How do we explain this to the modern mind? Well, what if following the worship service this morning you head home to find that the President of the United States or some famous singer/social activist like say Bono or some corporate wonder like Bill Gates or some sports authority like Mike Ditka had just happened to stop by for lunch or better yet, to watch the Super Bowl with you. Now let's also assume that you are feeling a bit tired or under the weather. As you meet this famous personality, you extend your hand, they smile at you and say how much they have been looking forward to spending the afternoon with you. Suddenly you feel a bit better. The adrenaline kicks in--the mind triumphs over the body. Every parent has known the moment when they had to step up and take care of the sick child even while they felt terrible themselves. Every responsible adult has had the experience of rising to the occasion at work or in some special setting in spite of how you felt three minutes earlier. This afternoon when the referee blows that whistle and Super Bowl XL kicks off there will be many who rise up from their previous condition. If Jesus were to take you by the hand would you be able to remain in bed? Not to dismiss the miracle, but there is much more going on here than we at first suspect. To be sure, there is a certain part of me that feels bad for this woman. She had been sick--with a fever --and Jesus heals her so she can make lunch, do the dishes and take care of the visiting disciples? Part of me says that is a ridiculous idea, while another part of me recognizes that this is the all too real part of life. Once the hand of God has touched you there is a sense of call to something more--to serve.
And Jesus could no more say no to those around him than the woman he had healed could stay in bed. We are told that as the sun set on the Sabbath and people were free to get out of their homes and get on with their lives, the word began to spread about the events at the synagogue and Simon's house. There is nothing that brings us to faith faster then need and adversity. Just look at the prayer list in the bulletin. Each name on that list has a story that involves some need.
We celebrate the good moments in life, the births and baptisms, graduations, weddings and anniversaries. But we turn to God with our wants and needs. And the first need we have again and again is for health and wholeness--the need for healing brought people to the door of Simon's house. People needed to be served and Jesus could not say no. As the sun set Jesus healed those who came to the door.
This is one of the mysteries of scripture to the modern mind. All these healings and miracles. Even today religion, for some people, is best defined as the last alternative for those who are about to give up all hope. When all else fails, pray. Until then we try to figure things out for ourselves. We order our lives. Educate our children and ourselves. Develop our talents and skills with the best coaches and training we can find. We invest our lives carefully to the best of our ability and use the best doctors we can find. But there come moments that no one can control. There are accidents, disease, failures, reversals that are simply beyond our control. And that is the moment when you head for the house in Capernaum where you heard the one named Jesus is visiting, the moment when you stop by the church or call the pastor.
Mark tells us "the whole city was gathered around the door" all because Jesus went to a friend's house and healed his mother-in-law of a fever. Of all the miracles Jesus could have done to begin his ministry and make a name for himself, and we know the possibilities, dead to raise, blind to give sight, lame to walk, lepers to make whole, Jesus begins with a miracle that any first year medical student can do, any of us can do for our children with a bottle of aspirin or a simple antibiotic. But that is the way with the kingdom of God that Jesus was bringing to the world. This was a kingdom that did not come by force--not by power and might. The kingdom of God entered the world in the form of an infant child trusting and loving. The kingdom of God was revealed not in fire and lightening, not in great swirling clouds and wind or the best dramatic special effects Hollywood can produce, but in the simple touch of a hand that lifted a woman from her fever bed to service in the world.
Jesus and his disciples went to bed that night in the knowledge that a celebrity had been born. Fame was Jesus' for the taking. The crowds would continue to surround him. He could settle down and build himself a synagogue community that would rival the reputation of any preacher in the area. But the next morning the disciples had to hunt Jesus down in the surrounding country side where he had taken a quiet walk. Jesus had taken the time to be alone to think and pray and find the wholeness he needed to take the next step in his life. "Everyone is searching for you." He was told, and he knew why. He could have returned with them. The miracle worker, the magician with power, the God of the gaps who makes life easy. But Jesus knew that there really are no miracles if they are based on power and command. That is magic not miracle. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God breaking into our world and then he began to live in the kingdom way. To this day we don't fully understand what that means. For starters, the world does not expect nor understand why one life is to be given the same value as every other life. We evaluate and calculate, assess and grade. Jesus never appraised or evaluated the life of any he healed. He simple served those who he met in whatever way and manner he could. The hungry were fed. Fed before the budget was balanced or appropriate criteria to receive aid had been met. The weak made strong. Assisted without determining political or economic allegiance. This is not the way of our world. We reward and punish. We get angry and get even. We use power to please ourselves rather than to serve others. Jesus told the disciples it was time to move on to the next town. Time to take his message of God's kingdom and love to people who were not yet even looking for him yet. People who might not even recognize him. People who would hear his words with open hearts and wonder at the miracle of grace that brought him to them. It still happens today. We see it in the healing that comes to one who prays while they are receiving all the care and treatment modern medicine can offer. The hoped for but unexpected miracle because that is what miracle is all about. Prayer is not magic. Not our power to command God to do our will. Prayer does not make God do what we want but it does open us to the possibility of the miracle of grace that takes our circumstances and gives to them purpose, meaning, direction and maybe room for a miracle. Not everyone who was sick in Capernaum was healed nor was everyone who was sick or lame or blind in Israel in those days. Only those who were touched by Jesus. That is what our worship each Sunday is about, placing ourselves in the presence of the one who can touch our lives. That is why baby Jaimie is being baptized this morning, to place her within easy reach of Jesus' hand. That is why our children come to Sunday school and to worship, to be placed within easy reach of Jesus' hand. There is not a person among us who does not need to be able to grab that hand at some time in our lives. Sometimes it happens too soon. For others it is a long, long time in coming. But there will come a day, of that we can be sure.
And let us not forget what it means to be taken by the hand. Simon's mother-in-law arose and served them. The power of God is a gift given through us for others. The kingdom comes not for us but through us. Faith and religion is not something we learn for the good of our souls and personal well being. A woman enthusiastically told some friends about the value of a first aid class she had just completed. "Why, only yesterday," she said, "I was driving down the street when I heard this awful crash behind me. I jammed on the brakes and ran back to find a car wrapped around a telephone pole. When I got to the injured driver, I saw a horrible sight. My knees went limp and I didn't know what to do. But then I remember my first aid training. Immediately I bent down and put my head between my knees and it worked! I didn't faint!"
Many view religion as that which we have to make us feel better in the midst of the troubles and trials of life. But faith is not intended to be an escape from the world. Jesus went forth to preach and teach and heal. Our church is filled with programs and activities but they come after the Word has been preached and heard. First we are touched by Jesus--first we receive his presence. Gathered in worship, children and adults only here can we fully hear, only here is his presence fully revealed--revealed to us in the bread and wine, his body and blood. Faith sees beyond the visible to the miracle of the eternal. Faith recognizes the name above all names. Faith invites us to put forth our hand to be lifted up and begin to serve.
Amen