She Waited on Them

February 5, 2006

Epiphany 5B

Mark 01:29-39

[Mk 1:29] And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. [30] Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they *spoke to Jesus about her. [31] And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.

[32] When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. [33] And the whole city had gathered at the door. [34] And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

[35] In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. [36] Simon and his companions searched for Him; [37] they found Him, and *said to Him, Everyone is looking for You. [38] He *said to them, Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for. [39] And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.

Mark 01:29-31

She Waited On Them

What an incredible day this must have been to those original disciples of Jesus. First, the Messiah comes to their synagogue for a visit. He sends a demoniac screaming and kicking out of the worship service. Then this, Jesus comes to their home to heal the mother of Peter’s wife (no wonder Peter’s wife let him spend so much time with the Lord); then, the Prince of Creation sticks around for dinner.

Mark tells this story quoting it from the lips of his mentor, Peter. Despite the fact that the story is written perhaps twenty to forty years “after the fact” (55 to 70 A.D.), it loses none of its urgency. In fact, the entire Gospel of Mark is oriented towards the “immediate” and “urgent” actions of Jesus (he uses the term for those words thirty-nine times). John Mark speaks to eighteen of Christ’s works and only four parables in his rapid-fire account of the life of Jesus Christ.

Here, in this story, Jesus immediately leaves the synagogue and responds to the immediate request to visit Peter’s sick mother-in-law.

How immediate and urgent does the Lord respond to my cries? Perhaps I should ask how immediately and urgently I am responding to him! Just look at the immediacy of the apostle’s response:

Mark 1:16-20

[Mk 1:16] As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. [17] And Jesus said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. [18] Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. [19] Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. [20] Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

We always seek urgent responses to our prayers; but how urgent is our response to follow Jesus?

And what is the right response? How should we “wait” for Christ’s reply? Peter’s mother-in-law instinctively displays the proper attitude of waiting:

Mark 1:31

[31] And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.

We often talking about “waiting on the Lord” but do we understand it in its truest perspective? Do we look at it from the perspective of Peter’s Mother-in-Law? To Mark (and it should be similar for us); waiting is a contact sport. The term itself [GSN1247 diakone] means to minister, administer, care, contribute support, or do the serving. How often does our response to a prayer request include impatient foot tapping and looking up while saying to God: “I’m waiting!”

Waiting means serving!

If we want a response from God we need to give him our all in service. Nine times out of ten, I find that the response I receive from “waiting in service” is the realization that what I was asking for really was inconsequential in light of the lives that I am serving. God’s answer to my prayers (as shallow as I am) is to reveal my smallness, to liberate me with a new sense of humility before him.

Peter’s mother-in-law was liberated from illness and into service. Pray that we, too, might all be liberated in a similar manner.

The kind of waiting that God responds to is best illustrated in Isaiah:

Isaiah 58

6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke?

7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into the house; when you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn, and your recovery will speedily spring forth; and your righteousness will go before you; the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

10 And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness, and your gloom will become like midday.

11 “And the LORD will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12 “And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will raise up the age-old foundations; and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”

Here is the primer for; “How to pray an effective prayer.” We must pause and reflect (Selah) on these verses from Isaiah and then immediately practice the “waiting by service attitude” of Peter’s mother-in-law; then we will call upon the LORD and he will answer.

Mark 1:32-34

“The whole city had gathered at the door.”

Here’s another great trait of Mark’s writing; when people respond to Jesus it is never just some of the people, it is ALL of the people. It is never just a neighborhood; it is the “whole city.” Are we this enthusiastic in our evangelism (which literally translates into “an angel on the street”)? Is that how others describe us; an enthusiastic “angel on the streets?” Does my sharing of the Gospel brim over with “an urgent immediacy for all people?”

Here should be the phrase that describes our churches, our pastors, and all Christians today. They were out on the streets with an urgent immediacy to share the Great News of Jesus Christ.

“He was not permitting the demons to speak...”

We see Jesus taking three actions with those who come to him:

1. He heals

The term for healing [NT2323 therapeuo], has three wonderful translations: A) To wait upon menially; B) to adore God; and C) to relieve disease. This is indeed the daily commission of all disciples of our Lord: Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. [Mt 10:1]

Will we spend the majority of this day bringing Christ’s healing to others? Will we commit to our commission by acts of menial service, faithful adoration, and the relief of disease?

2. He casts out demons

To cast out [NT1544b ekball] demons [NT1140 daimonion] would be similar to the act of a bouncer throwing a drunk out of a bar or a king returning to kick an imposter off his throne. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus casts a demon from the synagogue which was brutally symbollic of the state of religion in Israel at that time.

However, the term for demon has a broader implication as well. At its root is the meaning “the manipulative one.”

In light of this definition we can certainly see how the commission to heal disease and cast out demons is vastly expanded in our lives. Manipulators run rampant in our society, and yes, even in our churches. A manipulator is someone who uses emotional, physical, spiritual, or financial means to influence another’s behavior towards his or her own ends and often at the expense of the individual being manipulated. Christians who use their religion and guilt to influence those around them would fall under this category. Ideologies that use economics, legal, or political means to control entire populations could also be labeled demonic. The dealer on the corner, the alcoholic or abusive father, the person who uses martyrdom to “guilt” others into compliance; all could be said to “possess a demon” if they are using their behavior to manipulate others.

What is it that sends demon scattering?

John 8:31a-32

[Jn 8:31b] If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

John 3:21a

[Jn 3:21a] But he who practices the truth comes to the Light...

John 1:17

[Jn 1:17] For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

It is the first act of manipulation to hide the truth or to manipulate half-truths around a false perception. Perhaps the greatest lie of Satan is the catchphrase: “The ends justifies the means.” With that phrase in hand governments have mislead people and people have mislead themselves into all sorts of reprehensible behavior. Other favorite sayings of the demoniac might be: “What about me?” Or, “I deserve...”

It is Christ’s liberating truth that exposes the potential for manipulation in each one of us. Our response to the revealing truth of Christ is the indication of our possession.

· We can hate the truth-sayer (as exemplified in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus);

· We can justify our compulsive or addictive behaviors with more half-truths—in both of the above situations we are merely denying truth for our own reality;

· Or, we can change our behavior and our perspective in light of the truth. This is the liberation of Christ. It is the liberation of humility and the joy of service. It is the Way of Jesus; the path that leads to the Kingdom.

3. And he does not allow the demons to speak

Finally, Jesus does not permit [NT863 aphimi] the demons to even speak [NT2980 lale]. Think of a judge striking the testimony of a false witness. Even if what they say gives credence to the truth; the very nature of the false witness will undermine and compromise the respect of the court. So Jesus “throws out their testimony.” He “strikes their very existence” from the court as if they never even existed.

The Lord of Hosts needs no platitudes in his testimony; he will have no false speaker admitted to his final report. He has the testimony of the Holy Spirit, his own works, and the one great God himself.

Neither do we the platitudes of man!

We need no compromise on our means to justify our ends. If we do not control the means we will have no direction over the ends either. We would gladly sacrifice our ideology if it compromised the truth and we believe that God works all things to his good even if the present looks difficult because of our beliefs. Even if the world is not fair; we must be—for we are called to a higher knowing (metanoia, repentance, it would actually mean a “deeper intimacy with God”).

Mark 1:35-37

“Went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.”

It was customary of Jesus to seek a secluded place [NT2048 ermos] to pray [NT4336 proseuchomai]. In fact, the word for prayer can be found fifty-eight times in the Gospels alone. Rising early, seeking solitude, and praying were not coincidences for Christ; they were committed habits. It was a source of direction, comfort, and strength for our Lord to spend intimate time in his Father’s presence and he encourages the same intimacy in us:

Matthew 6:5-6

[Mt 6:5] When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. [6] But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

In fact, just previous to this verse, Jesus tells us that our intimate acts of justice are the natural outcome of our intimate relation with the Father:

Matthew 6:1-4

[Mt 6:1] Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

[2] So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. [3] But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

Does that sound like my life? Intimate acts of justice highlighted by intimate acts of prayer; a humble outward life supported by an intimate inner life with God? That is “oneness in being with the Father.” That is the “way of Jesus.”

Mark 1:38-39

[38] He *said to them, Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for. [39] And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.

“That is what I came for...”

Look at the incredible sense of purpose here. The disciples race out to find Jesus because, as Peter said, “Everyone is looking for You.”

Their humanness could not possibly let them understand that despite “everyone seeking him” Jesus would not stay in Galilee. Yet, the entire ministry of Jesus was not focused on “come to me,” but instead, “go to them.” That is what he came for!

How strong is our sense of “Jesus’ ‘go-to-them’ purpose” in our lives. We may not feel called to go out. We may not feel comfortable with that purpose; but once we give our lives to him we do not live for our purposes anymore.

Have we accepted Jesus without accepting his purpose? Are we like the disciples, trying to hold Jesus back to our village, our church, or even our ideology?

To be a Christian, a Christ-Follower, is to assume his purposes—not our own: “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for. And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.”

Will tomorrow find us going “throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons?”

If we call him Lord, we must go.

Copyright Notice

“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988. Used by permission.”

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