Raze The Roof (Mark 2:1-12)

What do you do when someone shows up claiming to be God? A fellow came here once and after we talked for awhile he let me know that he was both Elijah and Jesus Himself. I wasn’t too concerned – I was confident Jesus wouldn’t be actively smoking meth the way this guy was.

Recently, a church in Indiana was performing a baptism at one of their services and after being asked, “Have you played your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,” the man in the water said, “I am Jesus Christ. I’m back, boys.” The stunned elder simply responded, “…What?” Then after a moment of thought very wisely said, “Well, we’re gonna pause right now and have a conversation with Jared a little bit more.”^[1]

There is a profound, stunned confusion at the end of our text tonight. In a dramatic scene packed full of supernatural power, Jesus demonstrates that He is not just a teacher, He’s not just a religious leader, in fact, He’s not just a man. At very least, He claims to be a spokesperson for God with the full authority of heaven, and at most, He claims to be God Himself. The crowd watching it all unfold are shocked. They don’t know what to think, but it’s clear that something supernatural is going on.

By the way – two little things I’d like us all to tuck away: First, you don’t have to worry about Jesus returning and us not realizing it. In Matthew 24, Jesus said lots of false messiahs will show up and claim to be Him, but when He really comes back, it will be like lightning flashing from east to west.^[2]

Second, be very careful when a pastor or a Bible teacher or a religious leader claims or suggests or implies that they are speaking “for” God – as if they have a direct line or connection that you do not have. Be careful. God’s Word speaks for God. God can speak through His messengers, but when someone presents themselves as authoritative on spiritual things, it is absolutely essential that we evaluate their message, their methods, and the fruit in their lives.

But here in Mark 2, Jesus makes a claim to authority that no one saw coming. As a result, they didn’t know what to do. Was Jesus a criminal worthy of death or was He…what was He?

We remember this story because of the inspiring story of the men who stop at nothing to help their paralyzed friend. It’s a great account. But this is not a story about healing. This is about Who Jesus is, how His work goes deeper than what we prioritize, and how our human understanding of the Messiah is often not quite right.

Mark 2:1 – When he entered Capernaum again after some days, it was reported that he was at home.

This may have been Peter’s home or Mary’s home. At the time, Capernaum was Jesus’ ministry headquarters. In chapter 1, He left to visit other towns throughout Galilee, but now He’s back in this little fishing village.

His willingness to return demonstrates His patience and His grace and His compassion. Capernaum was a place where people did not understand Him, did not believe His message, and, in some cases, would not obey Him. But Christ is a long-suffering Savior.

Mark 2:2 – ² So many people gathered together that there was no more room, not even in the doorway, and he was speaking the word to them.

Sometimes thousands of people surrounded Jesus. With that said, the population of Capernaum at the time was around 1,500 people.^[3] It wouldn’t take much to fill up the space of this house. The largest excavated homes in that area are like 18 feet wide.^[4] Still, there were a lot of people.

For once, Jesus was able to do what He wanted to do: Teach the Word. No long line of people needing healing, just a crowd hearing the preaching of the Gospel. The Lord must’ve been excited.

Mark 2:3-4 – ³ They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.

The digging through the roof is one of the most theatrical moments in all the Gospels. What must it have been like? How long did it take? Were people frightened or laughing or upset?

It was probably not as difficult to make this hole as we might imagine.^[5] The roofs had wood beams covered with thatch and compacted mud. Sometimes they had some tiles, but not always.^[6] “One authority states that the roof could easily be broken up…and easily repaired, and that it was often done for the purpose of letting down [things like] grain [or] straw. Writing in the mid-1800s, [he said]: ‘I have often seen it done, and done it myself to houses in Lebanon, but there is always more dust made than is agreeable.’”^[7]

On the other hand, we shouldn’t have a topical, palm frond covering in mind. The roofs of these houses weren’t just to cover. They did stuff up there. There would be an external staircase or ladder and the roof would be used for work or drying laundry, prayer, or even sleeping.^[8] In Acts chapter 10 we see Peter hanging out on a roof like this, praying.^[9]

They wouldn’t have needed to jackhammer, but that doesn’t mean this happened quickly. And there would have been a tremendous amount of dust and debris falling on the crowd below, including Jesus.^[10] This is not a high-ceilinged home.

For their part, the four friends show a wonderful, active love and compassion. It’s not easy to carry this kind of dead weight across town, let alone up a staircase or maybe a ladder! Then to keep pushing past obstacles, even the physical impediment of a roof. These guys are great examples of love in action. When Paul tells us to “carry one another’s burdens” in Galatians 6, we would do well to consider this illustration of a faith that can be seen.

Mark 2:5 – ⁵ Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Let’s imagine the strangeness and the realness of this scene. The house is absolutely full – standing room only. For a significant amount of time, some dudes have been digging through the roof. Undoubtedly people had shouted things at them. Finally, this frail body is awkwardly lowered down. I’m guessing there was a close call or two where they almost dropped the guy.

Jesus finally gets to teach the people of Capernaum but He’s interrupted yet again. He’s got dust and mud chunks in His hair and beard. Everything is bedlam. But in that moment, the Lord is not annoyed, He doesn’t rebuke anyone or storm off saying, “I can’t work like this.” Instead He fixes His attention on this helpless man and uses a term of endearment, calling him “Son.”^[11]

And then He says something amazing: Your sins are forgiven! They’re dismissed. Gone away. Left behind.^[12] Immediately and freely. This forgiveness required no sacrifice or ritual. He didn’t have to wait for the Day of Atonement. He didn’t have to bring a lamb. He had been pardoned.

That’s the difference Jesus makes. He pardons our sin. Pardons are in the news a lot these days. People get very upset and say, “That person is guilty, they shouldn’t be let off the hook.” But that’s what a pardon is! We are guilty. Guilty of a lifetime of sin against our Holy Creator. And He offers us a full pardon, not based on what we do, but based on what He has done, by His love and grace.

To the people in the audience, free forgiveness was totally outside how they understood a relationship with God.^[13] Jesus’ statement would’ve been absolutely shocking.

But of course, the paralytic and his friends didn’t bring him that day with the goal of having his sins forgiven. They came to have his body healed. But the Messiah, Who loves best knew that forgiveness was the most important issue. That was what this man needed. Of course, Jesus never turned away someone who asked for healing in the Gospels. He knew He was going to also physically heal this man, but He wanted to take this opportunity to teach the people and some special guests in the audience and us about what is more important.

Mark 2:6-7 – ⁶ But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: ⁷ “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The story changes focus to this group of scribes. Actually, Luke lets us know that this was not only a group of Pharisees and scribes, but that they had come from “every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem” to scrutinize this Jesus people were talking about.^[14]

Already they are in sharp contrast to the faith-filled friends of the paralytic. They are shown sitting. Not only are they not helping others get to Jesus, they’re taking up extra space in this standing-room only meeting. They refused to make way for those in need. And rather than faith or humility, their hearts are full of criticism and dismissal at the words of Jesus.

This story is the first of five in a row that involve conflict between Jesus and the Jews. More and more they did not like what He said or did and their opposition against Him became more formal and more sinister.

Blasphemy was a capital offense in Judaism. So, why didn’t they pick up stones in this scene? They were totally confused about what was happening. Some linguists think they were asking themselves, “Wait, is He blaspheming?”^[15] You see, blasphemy laws were very specific. And Jesus hadn’t used the Divine Name. He was somewhat vague in what He said. At very least He was claiming to speak for God or to know what God had and hadn’t done. And that was very close to the line, if not over it in their minds.

Because, they were right: Only God can forgive sin. You can’t buy it, you can’t merit it, you can’t borrow it or steal it. Only God Himself can pardon you for your sin. At the time, the Jews did not believe even the Messiah could forgive sins.^[16]

Mark 2:8 – ⁸ Right away Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were thinking like this within themselves and said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?

Jesus is omniscient. He knows everything. He knew everything about the physical malady of the crippled man and knew everything about his past and knew everything going on in the hearts of the scribes. He knows everything going on in your heart and life, too.

Often the Lord will ask people questions like this. It’s not because He doesn’t know. He asks for our benefit. He asks so that, perhaps, we will realize we’ve been missing something.

Where are you, Adam and Eve? Sarah, why did you laugh? What are you doing here, Elijah? Where were you when I established the earth, Job? Hagar, where have you come from and where are you going? Do you have any right to be angry, Jonah? Why are you crying, Mary? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? These are questions meant to lead people to deep truth and restoration.

Why were they thinking these things in their hearts? Because their hearts were closed to the idea of a Suffering Savior Who forgives freely out of His mercy and grace.

Mark 2:9 – ⁹ Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat, and walk’?

It’s easier to say “your sins are forgiven,” because there’s no way to prove or disprove whether it happened. If you say to a paralytic, “Get up and walk,” your legitimacy is immediately audited.

Mark 2:10-11 – ¹⁰ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he told the paralytic—¹¹ “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Normally Jesus was very upset when people said, “Show us a sign to prove why we should believe you.” No one asked for a sign here, but Jesus says “I’m gonna give you one.” He was proving He was the real deal. He wasn’t unsure about His mission or Who He was. He has made it abundantly clear that He is the Christ.

But He doesn’t use the title “Christ,” or “Anointed One” in this scene. He uses a different name: Son of Man. This was Jesus’ favorite self-designation in the Gospels.^[17] It’s used 14 times in Mark.

This title comes from Daniel, chapter 7. There we read:

Daniel 7:13-14 – ¹³ I continued watching in the night visions, and suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. ¹⁴ He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

This title was not one the Jews commonly used for the Messiah. They would more often use titles like, “Son of David,” which were culturally wrapped up in a nationalistic or militaristic context.^[18] But Jesus did not let culture define Who He is or what He does. He doesn’t conform to our ideas.

This title should make a listener go back and say, “What does that name mean?” Well, He is the One Who comes with clouds – that’s God. He is the One Who will rule and reign forever – that’s the Messiah. He is Human and Divine. Not only is He allowed to speak for God, He is God, and He is in charge, with all authority, all dominion, all glory, and all power.

Mark 2:12 – ¹² Immediately he got up, took the mat, and went out in front of everyone. As a result, they were all astounded and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Luke tells us the man not only got up and left, but he went out glorifying God.^[19] Jesus, still will dust in His hair, probably got to work fixing the roof. Do you think He told the other guys, “Hey, fix that?”

The people didn’t know what to think. Mark uses a very strong verb – that people were beside themselves.^[20] They didn’t know what to think about Jesus, even after what He just said and did!

So, Who is He? He’s the King of kings. He’s the Savior. He’s the Lord of all, including our lives. He’s the GodMan Who has commanded us just as He commanded this previously crippled man.

So, what has the Lord commanded you to do? Notice, that no matter what Jesus asks of us, we can do – even the impossible things. Jesus told the paralytic to do something that was impossible. But God enables us to do anything He commands us to do. Anything. And as we obey Him and walk in His new life, we get to go wherever He sends us glorifying God and enjoying the new creation He’s made us to be. Living out a living faith in front of everyone.

Your Will Is My Command (Mark 1:39-45)

In 1904, Russia was at war with Japan. That October, Russia’s Baltic Fleet set sail for the far east. The warships didn’t even make it out of European waters before making a terrible mistake. In the distance, they sighted what they thought were Japanese torpedo boats. They were, in fact, simply British fishermen who had no way to escape an attack or defend themselves.

The Russians ignored proper naval identification procedures and opened fire. Then, in the confusion and chaos, they also started firing on themselves. The only thing that kept this from becoming a major bloodbath was that the Russian sailers were so inept, they could barely hit a target. One of the battleships fired more than 500 shells without hitting anything.

In the end, three British sailors were killed, six others wounded, and on the Russian side, one sailor and a chaplain were killed, with damage to multiple ships.^[1]

This terrible error led to the weakening of the Baltic Fleet and the delay of their mission. It also very nearly sparked a separate war with England. All because, in their haste, they would not follow the procedure they had been given. In the moment, they were convinced they knew what to do.

Many of us aren’t that worried about “instructions,” are we? I can assemble that bookcase. I can get this piece of tech up and running. I can find my way from here to there. How hard can it be?

When we bring that self-reliant, I-can-do-it-my-own-way attitude into our walk with the Lord, we are most definitely going to cause problems for ourselves and for others and for the work of God.

That’s exactly what we see in tonight’s text. Here we’re witness to an amazing miracle – the healing of a leper. Our hearts are stirred by his boldness and his faith. We are captivated by the powerful, personal compassion of Jesus. But then, as the story ends, we are shocked at the disobedience, not only because of how brazen it is, but at how detrimental it is to Jesus’ work and purposes.

Mark 1:39 – ³⁹ He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

In the very last verse, Jesus specifically said that this is why He had come – to preach the Good News of salvation not just in one place, but all over the region. His primary goal was not to heal people physically. He did a lot of that, but that wasn’t why He came. His aim was to set people free with the truth of His word and to prepare them for the future Kingdom, which was at hand.

Mark 1:40 – ⁴⁰ Then a man with leprosy came to him and, on his knees, begged him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

When we read about leprosy in the Bible, we think immediately of what we call Hansen’s disease today, but it refers to a variety of skin diseases. At the time, leprosy was one of the most dreaded afflictions.^[2] It was essentially incurable. And not only was this a terrible physical plague, most of you also know that it was just as lethal to the social and religious aspects of a Jewish life.

A leper could not worship in the temple. They could not live among the “clean” members of society. They would be outcast, isolated, desperate, living out a prolonged and agonizing death.

As word of Jesus spread, this leper heard whispers and tales of what this Nazarene might be able to do. To him it was more than gossip, it was hope. Certainly this Man Who commanded demons and drove out fevers and healed all manner of sicknesses and sufferings could also help a leper.

We should be inspired by his faith here in verse 40. It is brave. It is humble. It is sincere. It is bold. He broke with convention and came to find Jesus. Lepers like this weren’t supposed to mix with healthy people. Rather, they were to go about wearing torn clothes and letting their hair hang loose as they shouted out, “Unclean! Unclean!” to people passing by.^[3]

But he found Jesus and dropped to his knees. He believed Jesus could heal him. The question was whether Jesus would or not. That’s not a question of ability, it’s one of empathy. One commentary put it this way: “It is sometimes easier to believe in God’s power than in His mercy.”^[4]

We still struggle with this question. We know God is merciful, but sometimes doubt creeps in. Does God actually care enough about me to help? Is He concerned with my life?^[5] Do I matter to Him?

You do matter. You are one of His beloved. You are a special, chosen object of His unending, unyielding, hands-on love. His eyes are on you. His affection is toward you. You are not abandoned.

The leper asked the Lord to make him clean. It didn’t just mean fix his skin problem. In this case, it meant to make him physically clean, ceremonially clean, and socially clean. A comprehensive purification that would impact every aspect of his life. Not just a treatment, but total transformation.

That is what God wants to do for us, by the way. Not just fix one problem or two in our lives – not just solve the heaven/hell problem – but to transform our entire existence for this life and the next.

Mark 1:41 – ⁴¹ Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him. “I am willing,” he told him. “Be made clean.”

The question was, “Are You willing?” And Jesus’ answer was, “Yes, I am willing.” To us, what we’re “willing” to do is usually something we’d rather not do, but we compromise and go ahead. But that is not what Jesus was saying. The word He used is defined in Bible dictionaries as something someone desires, something they take pleasure in, their will for a situation.^[6]

Christ wanted to heal him. It was His Divine will that it happen. That willingness flowed from Christ’s compassion – a powerful outworking of His lovingkindness. Now, if you’re reading the NIV, your text probably says that Christ was “indignant” in this moment. There are a few manuscripts that use that term and linguists spend a lot of ink arguing over it, but the vast majority of copies speak of Christ’s compassion.^[7] And even if Christ felt righteous anger at the effects of sin in this situation, clearly His compassion is still on display as He reaches out to touch this diseased, repulsive specimen.

Notice the personal nature of Christ’s willingness in this situation. He was “moved with compassion” not to delegate, not to grandstand, not to paper over the problem, but to reach out Himself – to do the unthinkable: Touch a leper! This was an absolutely unheard of act of sympathy and grace.^[8]

Did touching a leper make Jesus unclean? Nothing can defile the Messiah. He takes our sin and bears it away. We do not defile Him, He delivers us.

Mark 1:42 – ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

All the way. His body was healed. His future restored. Now he had hope. He could go back to family and friends. He could return to the family of faith, bringing offerings to the Lord in His house.

Bible teachers are quick to point out that leprosy is a good illustration of sin in the Bible. Sin defiles us, slowly destroys us, isolates us, separates us from fellowship with God and others. It numbs us and shames us, but we’re powerless to overcome it. God must intervene and He has. Just as Christ cleansed this man from his leprosy, He cleanses Christians from their sin.

Titus 2:14 – ¹⁴ He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.

We are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb – redeemed from an empty and hopeless way of life to enjoy grace and power and the presence of God day by day so that we can serve Him.

If you’re a Christian here tonight, your cleansing was accomplished by Jesus, but now you participate in the ongoing cleansing of sanctification. The Lord continues to do His work in us – He continues to wash us and purify us and make us whole. We participate by submitting to the washing of the word. 1 John tell us we participate in the cleansing process as we confess our sin. Paul explains in 2 Corinthians that we cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and the spirit in the fear of God.^[9] The cleansing continues as God’s work in us continues.

Mark’s wording suggests that the people watching this healing could actually see his symptoms vanish.^[10] Hopefully we can look at our lives and see the symptoms of sin dropping away from us, as well. Maybe not as dramatically or immediately as this man experienced, but growing in holiness, growing in Godliness, becoming more and more Christlike is the work Jesus wills to do in us.

But what else did Christ will?

Mark 1:43-44 – ⁴³ Then he sternly warned him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ telling him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer what Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

This was a very clear directive. Jesus gave him a four-part assignment: Say nothing to anyone, go, show, offer the prescribed sacrifices for this very situation.

Why? Because this had maybe never happened in all the centuries of Israel’s history! Perhaps this happened in Miriam’s case, but it’s not very clear. What an opportunity! What a unique chance.

Jesus asked this man to do this so that he could be a living testimony for the priests. He wanted him to be a martyrion to them – proof that God was doing a new thing, that the Messiah was here.

Jesus also wanted to demonstrate that He was not against the Law. When interpretations and regulations concerning the Law conflicted with the Law of Love, Christ always sided with love. But He was not anti-Law. Here He said, “You’re healed, but you need to go do the ceremonial stuff in order to be fully restored to Jewish life and worship.”

And the Lord was really serious about it. That word, “sternly” is a term that refers to the snorting of a horse.^[11] Part of why He was so serious was because He did not want to bring the pandemonium of endless crowds if they heard Jesus was there to do miracles. Miracles were not what He wanted people to focus on. But, let’s be real: Would you rather hear a sermon or be able to have your diseased family member healed? Our desires and the Lord’s desires often don’t run parallel.

Mark 1:45 – ⁴⁵ Yet he went out and began to proclaim it widely and to spread the news, with the result that Jesus could no longer enter a town openly. But he was out in deserted places, and they came to him from everywhere.

The man did the opposite of everything Jesus commanded him. He didn’t go to the priest, he didn’t bring his offering, he didn’t keep his mouth shut. No, he decided that instead of being a martyr, he was going to be a preacher. He went out proclaiming, which is the same word used of what Jesus had been doing at the start of this passage. But he had his own message and his own method and his own priorities that mattered to him.

We sense that he thought he was really helping out Jesus – that he was this great missionary, spreading what people needed to hear. One source says he was going out, “blazing abroad” with his message.^[12] But what was the result? What did his choice to go his own way lead to?

At the beginning of the passage, we see Jesus going in to the towns of Galilee to proclaim eternal life them. Now, after this man does his thing, Jesus is seen being driven out of the towns, pushed out into deserted places. The opposite of what Jesus wanted.

It’s so astonishing that a few verses ago the man was so concerned with what Jesus’ will was. “If it’s Your will.” And now, he had no concern at all about the will of Jesus. The Lord specifically and directly revealed His will to this man, and off he went to do what he thought was best.

This isn’t a problem unique to this man. We read of Moses and how he struck the rock. Hezekiah thought it would be a great idea to show the Babylonian envoys all his treasures. But what was the Lord’s will in those situations?

We suffer from this same affliction. We recognize that we’re helpless without God’s intervention in our lives. But so often we’re then tempted to go our own way. After all, who could know better about how I should do things than me? Well, ask the seven churches Jesus wrote to in the Revelation. How many of them had wandered off onto some path of their own design, just like this healed leper. And when we do that, it does not honor the Lord, it does not benefit us or others. In fact, it clearly delays the progress of God’s will in our lives and our communities! Jesus would say it plainly to Peter: “You are a hindrance to me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”^[13] And when we do that we are not helping God, we’re helping the Devil!

But even in this moment of failure, look at the shining grace of Jesus. He, of course, knew that the leper would disobey. It was no surprise to the Lord. He knew that this act of supernatural compassion would result in His having to go out to the deserted places – to be delayed in the mission He was so focused on. And yet Jesus healed the man anyway.

The aftermath was an stunning irony: A leper was doomed to slowly die out in deserted places, apart from friends and family, apart from fellowship with the Lord. But the Lord took that on Himself so this man could be made whole.^[14] Jesus took this exile on Himself willingly. Just as He was willing to bear your sins and my sins as He carried the cross to Calvary. To be tortured and killed so that we could live. He was willing. Because of His compassion. Because of His grace. Because of the love that He has for us. He was willing. And despite our failure, He still has a love and gracious will for us.

So what is God’s will for your life? We don’t want to be off on some trail that hinders God’s work in and through us. His will is what matters. Not what I want or what I think is best but His will. Do you know what God’s will is for your life generally? What about specifically? In each example of Scripture, we don’t see God saying to Christians, “Just do whatever and I’ll catch up with you later.” We see that He has specific plans, specific callings, a life of faith tailored for you. Our job as Christians is not to do what we think is best, not to be self-reliant, but to be Spirit-reliant. Transformed by the cleansing power of God so that we can discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

For One Night Only (Mark 1:29-38)

What’s the longest shift you ever worked? Whatever it was, I’ll be Ludwig Van Isterdael has you beat. In 2023, the Flemish bartender served customers for 120 hours straight through, with little breaks here and there, and set a world record for longest shift tending bar.^[1]

Mark is showing us a day-in-the-life of Jesus and His disciples. It’s a sabbath Saturday. Tonight we’ll see Jesus on a marathon tending and serving shift, as He spends the evening in Capernaum healing many sick and suffering people, before take a quick prayer break, then heading out the next morning to preach the Good News in other towns.

The people who saw these events did not truly understand who Jesus was and what the point of His wonders were. They focused entirely on the miracles, while failing to consider His message.

Mark 1:29 – ²⁹ As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John.

The Jewish sabbath started sundown Friday and ended at sundown Saturday. This is still Saturday before sundown, and so the legal and traditional rules about not working and the exact way you must conduct yourself would still be in effect.

Jesus became a local celebrity overnight. His fame was spreading everywhere. When your friend meets a celebrity, usually one of the first questions you ask them is, “What are they like in real life?” Mark wants us to see that Jesus is the same in the synagogue and in the fisherman’s home. Full of grace and truth and power. He was never putting on an act, never inflating Himself or posturing.

The Gospels show Jesus in many different situations. And they always reveal that our Lord is always the same no matter where He goes. We see Him in synagogues and in the temple, in gardens and in deserts, on hilltops and in ships at sea, in humble homes and Roman Praetoriums. He is always the same, always consistent. Always good, always true, always righteous.

But the Gospels also reveal that Jesus has authority and jurisdiction in every one of those places. Not just the sea and the mountains, but also the temples, the palaces, and your home and heart.

Mark 1:30 – ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once.

Fevers are not usually a big deal to us – though if you’ve ever had a really high fever, things get scary real quick. But Peter’s mother-in-law was in trouble.

The Gospel writers use phrases like, “[she was] laying prostrate, burning with fever.”^[2] That she had been sick for some time.^[3] In his book, Dr. Luke used a technical, medical phrase of the time, saying “she was holden with a great fever.”^[4]

Not only was she in medical trouble, there could’ve been some societal trouble as well. At the time, fevers were often associated with God’s judgment for disobedience,^[5] or with demonic activity. In fact, some rabbis taught that you could catch a fever from pagan dancing in the moonlight.^[6]

The disciples do something great here: They told Jesus about Peter’s mother-in-law right away. Their swiftness is contrasted with how the rest of the townspeople delay until the sabbath is over to bring their suffering friends and family to the Lord. But Peter and the others did not hesitate, did not delay, did not think Jesus shouldn’t be bothered. They told Him about her at once. They believed Jesus cared and that He had power and that He wasn’t only concerned with battling supernatural entities, but also in bringing hope and help to regular people in regular life.

A biographical note here: Peter was married. Here we see his mother-in-law. Paul also references Peter’s wife and indicates that she traveled with him from place to place in his work as an apostle.^[7] Church history records that Peter’s wife was martyred while he was forced to watch and that as she faced death he called out with comfort and encouragement for her to “Remember the Lord.”^[8]

Mark 1:31 – ³¹ So he went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

There are several sabbath traditions being broken here. I say traditions because it’s important that we understand that Jesus never broke God’s Law. He was often accused of breaking the Law by the Pharisees, but Jesus absolutely fulfilled the Law.^[9] What He didn’t do is abide by the man-made traditions that the leaders of Israel had added on to the Law. He refuted the human interpretation of God’s Law. And He tried to show the people just how badly they were interpreting it.

This still happens today in our own legal system. We see a judge or a circuit court make a ruling about what must be done and how the law should be followed, and then the higher court or judge takes up the case and says, “No, no, you’ve misinterpreted that law and your ruling is reversed.”

Jesus didn’t break God’s law concerning the sabbath. But the people around Him at the time often couldn’t tell the difference between God’s commands and man’s traditions. In this scene there are several traditions being violated.

First of all, they would say Jesus should not be touching a sick person. Second, the fact that He touched a female who was not a relative would be offensive to Pharisee types.^[10] But then, after being healed, Peter’s mother-in-law gets up and prepares the sabbath meal! It seems that she had been unable to prep the food Friday afternoon. Isn’t that a big no-no? Well, remember – as Jesus points out in Matthew 12 – the priests work in the temple on the sabbath and are deemed innocent, because they are serving God. And Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath. Like David and his men who were hungry and received the showbread, Jesus and His disciples receive a meal from a grateful and sanctified servant in the form of Peter’s mother-in-law.

We are saved to serve. It’s not the only reason, but it is a reason. Of course, there is an endless list of ways that we could serve the Lord whether it’s now or later, near or far. So which things does He want us to do? Well, that’s what walking with God is about. As you walk with Him you discover where He wants you to go, what He wants you to do, how He wants you to be His hands and feet.

But using this example, an important way we serve the Lord is by identifying the needs in front of us. God brings us into relationship with certain people, into a specific time and place, so we can help one another and love one another and bear one another’s burdens. So each Christian should be sensitive to needs right in front of them. God has positioned you where you are for a reason.

Mark 1:32 – ³² When evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick and demon-possessed.

Maybe they thought Jesus wouldn’t help them before the sabbath ended.^[11] Maybe they were afraid for their own standing in the eyes of the religious rulers.^[12] Either way, this huge pool of suffering people had to suffer a little longer even though Jesus was ready to give tender mercy.

Mark 1:33-34 – ³³ The whole town was assembled at the door, ³⁴ and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

This is a long night seeing a large number of people. The whole town came out. When it says in verse 34 that He healed “many,” it doesn’t mean there were some He couldn’t heal – the term means all those brought to Him were healed.^[13]

These people knew where Jesus could be found, they knew what He was able to work miracles, and yet there is no discussion at all about them listening to Him or believing in Him as disciples.

They wanted physical help. It’s great that they brought sick loved ones, but there are no questions about eternal life, about what they must do to be saved, about how they might follow Him.

And it’s not speculation on our part. Jesus would later call out Capernaum by name as one of the most unresponsive towns He had been in when it came to faith and belief.

Matthew 11:23 – ²³ ”And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today.

Matthew also explains that Jesus’ miracles in Capernaum directly proved He was the One Isaiah prophesied about. And it wasn’t that the people couldn’t believe, it’s that their hearts were hard. In fact, it was in Capernaum that a centurion has faith that astonished Jesus and caused Him to remark that He hadn’t found that kind of faith in anyone in the whole nation of Israel.^[14]

Mark 1:35 – ³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.

This is the third time we find Jesus out in the wilderness. At His baptism, at His confrontation with the Devil, now here in prayer. It speaks to us of His fearlessness and His sufficiency and His authority everywhere. In context, we see He didn’t want or need the praise of men. He wasn’t looking for the biggest crowd. He was nourished by intimacy and communion with His Father.

Jesus had a lot of discipline and focus. It seems silly to say that, but think about it: There are no alarm clocks, no GPS maps or Yelp reviews for best praying rock in the desert. But He purposed to spend time praying here in the last watch of the night – sometime between 3am and 6am.^[15]

Our Lord spent a lot of time praying. Mark references Jesus taking time to pray at the beginning, the middle, and the end of His ministry. Mark always shows Him praying at critical moments.

We need to pray. Don’t worry about the “best” method of prayer, just start praying. Use the guidance provided in the Word of God and get to it. Begin praying and learn as you go.

Mark 1:36-37 – ³⁶ Simon and his companions searched for him, ³⁷ and when they found him they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

Notice how these verses are from Peter’s perspective – “Simon and his companions searched for Him.” Scholars and church history agree that Mark’s Gospel was compiled from Peter’s testimony.

The disciples tell Jesus, “Everyone is looking for You.” And they did more than just look for Him. Luke says they actually tried to stop Him from leaving.^[16] The question is: For what reason? Why did they want Jesus around? It wasn’t so they could hear heaven’s truth, it was to receive physical benefits. In fact, linguists explain that this term “looking for” is usually used with hostile intent.^[17] They were hunting for Him – hunting, not following. They had demands for Him, not devotion.

The people of Capernaum had their own ideas, their own priorities, their own designs of what the Lord should do for them. He could just hang out in the area and they would come when they needed something. He would fix the skin disease, the deafness, the physical problem they wanted resolved. Meanwhile, they had no concern for the healing of their hearts. They didn’t do what Peter’s mother-in-law did after her healing, which was begin to serve the Lord in response.

Mark 1:38 – ³⁸ And he said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.”

This is a very important moment. Why did Jesus come? Did He come to fix ruined bodies? He did a lot of that, but He came to preach the Gospel and to give His life as a ransom so that our souls could be saved. He came to restore all creation under His perfect Kingdom.

The miracles He performed were not the point of His coming. They were meant to prove He was telling the truth – that He was, in fact, the Messiah. But the message of salvation was His primary focus. In fact, as one Bible scholar points out, we do not see Jesus going out of His way to find someone to heal, but He regularly goes out of His way to preach the Good News.^[18]

And the number of miracles He performed weren’t that important to Him. Rather, He was looking for faith, for belief, for obedience to His word. He was not working so that everyone could be physically healed. He worked so that people everywhere could hear the message of salvation, which He would accomplish not by healings and exorcisms, but by His death on the cross.

The people of Capernaum thought, “Jesus is a miracle worker.” But they were wrong. He is the Messiah. And that misunderstanding led to the greatest failure of their spiritual lives. But they were content to say to Jesus, “Do for me,” and go no further. They did not consider Who Jesus is.

For our part, we are reminded that we want Jesus to work in our lives – to help us and deliver us and bless us – but we must also realize Who He is and what He has said. And we must cultivate a desire to hear what He has to say to us. The Lord wants to work in our lives, absolutely, but God has things He wants to say to you and me today and tomorrow and the next day. Eternal truths He wants us to apprehend so that we can spread the message of salvation to a lost and dying world.

Jesus invited Peter and Andrew and James and John to go with Him to spread the word. “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages.” You and I are invited, too. To be a part of the ongoing preaching of the Good News. Preaching with power, yes, but the Word of God going out to us and through us. Because the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. That’s why He came and that’s why He sends us.