FIRST READING Deuteronomy 18:15–20
15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. 16 This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” 17 Then the LORD replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. 19 Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. 20 But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak — that prophet shall die.”
PSALM Psalm 111
1 Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation. 2 Great are your works, O LORD, pondered by all who delight in them. 3 Majesty and splendor mark your deeds, and your righteousness endures forever. 4 You cause your wonders to be remembered; you are gracious and full of compassion. 5 You give food to those who fear you, remembering forever your covenant. 6 You have shown your people the power of your works in giving them the lands of the nations. 7 The works of your hands are faithfulness and justice; all of your precepts are sure. 8 They stand fast forever and ever, because they are done in truth and equity. 9 You sent redemption to your people and commanded your covenant forever; holy and awesome is your name. 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who practice this have a good understanding. God’s praise endures forever.
SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 8:1–13
1 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; 3 but anyone who loves God is known by him. 4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth — as in fact there are many gods and many lords — 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. 7 It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not bring us close to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? 11 So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. 12 But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
GOSPEL Mark 1:21–28
21 They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching — with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
JESUS HEALS BODY AND SOUL
On the 16th of this month we’ll celebrate the birth of two of our greatest presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both men contributed greatly to this country and are remembered for their contributions. Washington will always be known for his military leadership and honesty. Lincoln will always be known for his influence in the abolishment of slavery. Another one of the things that Lincoln is remembered for was his sense of humor.
Abe Lincoln was a man who could laugh at himself; especially at his appearance. He was reportedly a very plain looking man. One story I particularly like is one that Lincoln told on himself. He said, “Sometimes I feel like the ugly man who met an old woman traveling through a forest. “The old woman said, ‘You’re the ugliest man I ever saw.’ “‘I can’t help it,’ the ugly man said. “‘No, I guess not,’ the woman admitted, ‘but the least you could do is stay at home.” It takes a great deal of character to laugh at yourself like that.
We give thanks to God for men like Washington and Lincoln. On days like President’s Day, we’re thankful for all the men and women who have given of themselves and had a significant impact on history and contributed greatly to the freedoms we enjoy today. However, as Christians, we recognize that all their contributions and influence combined, are dwarfed by a simple carpenter who lived in the little town of Nazareth more than 2000 years ago. To paraphrase Robert W. Youngs: “Human beings have always praised and honored certain people in their own generation; but Jesus they have considered as an object of devotion. People recite poems about Paul Revere, but they sing hymns about Jesus. They construct monuments in memory of their statesmen; communion tables are set in memory of Jesus. Before kings and queens, men bow and women curtsy; before Jesus they all kneel in prayer.” Some of the leaders in history past have tried to claim they were gods, Jesus proved it. Not with military might, but with compassion. Not with His ability to lead men into battle, but by overcoming the cross and grave.
In our gospel lesson for today, Mark illustrates why Jesus captured the devotion of the people of His time. It was the Sabbath. Jesus and His disciples had been in the synagogue where Jesus healed a man with an unclean spirit. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So He went to her, took her by the hand and helped her up.
Mark tells us, “The fever left her and she began to wait on them.” I guess one could say there was no rest for the weary; not for Peter’s mother-in-law nor for Jesus. As we find from this account, as soon as the sun went down, the whole town came to see Him. They came to Jesus to be healed and freed from the evil spirits that possessed many of them: Which of course is one of the three reasons this story is told.
As with everything Jesus did, it didn’t take long for word to get around about His wondrous acts of casting out demons and healing the sick. One person asked me the other day, why did the town wait until sundown to come to Jesus. The reason is simple, sundown marked the end of the Sabbath and the restrictions that Jewish law placed on what the people could do and on how far people could travel. However, once the sun went down, the people were free to travel and do what was needed without limitations. You would think that Jesus’ actions in the synagogue would have let people know that coming to Him no matter what day it was, was OK, but I guess old habits die hard.
This of course will come up again and in the 2nd chapter of Mark: Jesus will respond to His accusers by saying that, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (27b-28) The pastors and I were discussing this passage on Tuesday and Pastor David made the following point that I thought I’d like to share with you.
Pastor David said, the people had missed the point when they accused Jesus of “working” on the Sabbath. God rested on the 7th day as an example for us, that we too need one day a week to relax. So why would Jesus perform these acts of healing and deliverance on a day that God commanded that we refrain from our everyday activities? Again the explanation is straight forward; a day to relax is about giving the body what it needs to be whole. Isn’t that what Jesus was doing when He freed people from what possessed them and mended their bodies so that they were free of sickness and disease?
The healing ministry of Jesus was important to Mark as he penned his account; there are ten consecutive stories that tell about Jesus healing people of various diseases and conditions. This for Mark, is a significant part of the Gospel message: Where Jesus is, there is healing. And as we see in Mark’s account, the healing that Jesus brought takes place in one of three ways, physical, emotional or in a relationship.
Bible scholar Dr. William Barclay says that Peter’s mother-in-law was suffering from what the Talmud called “a burning fever.” “It was, and still is, very prevalent in that particular part of Galilee.” The Talmud actually lays down the methods for dealing with this malady. A knife made wholly of iron was tied by a braid of hair to a thorn bush. And then for four days, one would recite one verse a day from Exodus 3:2-5. On the fourth day, the bush was to be cut down, and a certain magical formula was pronounced, and thus the cure was supposed to be achieved.
It’s also noteworthy that Jesus completely disregarded all the paraphernalia of popular magic, and with a gesture and a word of unique authority and power, He healed the woman. As we see in the gospel accounts, where Jesus is, there is healing. In one of his books, Robert A. Schuller, the younger Schuller, tells about Lory Jones, the wife of actor Dean Jones. For those of you not familiar with the name, Jones starred in many Walt Disney films, such as The Love Bug (the original one) and The Shaggy D.A., and in the television show, The Teddy Bears.
In February of 1974, Lory and Dean Jones took a vacation to Mexico City. One day when they were sightseeing, they decided to tour a Roman Catholic cathedral. As they followed the tour guide, Dean began making offhand comments like, “This place must be impossible to heat!” To Dean, the cathedral was just another architectural site. He wasn’t prepared for the priest’s final remark at the end of the tour. “If some of you need physical healing,” the priest said, “now is the time to pray.” Nor was he prepared for his wife’s response to the priest’s suggestion. Lory Jones turned to her husband and said, “Let’s pray for my arthritis.”
Lory was taking about thirty aspirin tablets a day to relieve the pain in her hands. It’s a miracle her stomach could handle that many aspirin. That morning, Dean had massaged Lory’s hands to alleviate the cramping and pain so she could go sightseeing, giving her some temporary relief; but she wanted more. She wanted a permanent solution. Dean almost laughed when Lory mentioned praying about her arthritis. The only thing that kept him from laughing was the thought of Lory’s intense pain. He considered her suggestion seriously. “A man of great faith, I wasn’t,” Dean admits now. “But I couldn’t resist my wife’s request. What have I got to lose?” he asked himself.
Dean bowed his head. He prayed silently, “God, heal Lory’s arthritis.” Lory’s prayer was much longer than that; however, within five minutes they were walking out of the cathedral. “I think something happened in there,” Lory said as they walked away from the cathedral. “Great!” Dean answered as he thought, “If praying makes you feel better, that’s fine.” Three days later, Lory stopped taking aspirin. Dean watched her move her hands without wincing with pain. Surely this was a miracle. But would it last? They waited for the pain to return. Two weeks passed. A month. A year. Lory had truly been healed.
I wish I could say that every prayer for physical healing is answered in the same was as it was for Lory, but I can’t. If I did, many of you would surround me after the service and ask questions like, “why didn’t God heal my daughter, spouse, mom or friend?” “I prayed night and day.” The answer to these questions is complex and involves trying to explain or understand God’s providence, sin and faith. This is why the church is very cautious about prayer and healing. It’s a complex subject that none of us can truly understand. But the fact still remains that Jesus does heal. Even in our gospel lesson for today, Mark records that “Jesus cured many who were sick”. The passage however, doesn’t say all. And this can leave us asking the same questions of why not? The bottom line is we aren’t given all the answers, that’s where faith comes in.
I don’t have any doubt that God can and does heal. We must trust Him when we’re hurting just as much as we trust Him when we’re healthy. No one is ever sorry for praying and trusting, even if physical healing never comes. Jesus heals, even if that healing comes in the next life. Sometimes the healing we receive is physical. At other times the healing God gives is emotional.
Robert H. Schuller, young Schuller’s dad of Crystal Cathedral fame, once told an important story about former Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Rusk held his high office during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Global tensions called for high level meetings between our government and other leading governments. The Cold War was still very real. When Rusk’s plane landed and he walked down the steps to meet the press, the first reporter shoved a microphone in his face and shouted, “What are the chances for peace, Mr. Secretary?” The world waited and listened. After a strong pause, Dean Rusk answered, “It all depends on whether man is a rational or emotional creature.” That’s an unusual answer for a government official: “It all depends on whether man is a rational or emotional creature.”
Schuller admitted he scoffed at the Secretary of State’s answer. Schuller had just graduated after receiving an advanced academic degree. “We all know man is a rational creature,” he thought self-righteously to himself. This was the view that was shared by many during that era. But after forty years of ministry, Schuller changed his mind.
The subconscious, Schuller decided, is ahead of the conscious. The head may lead the way, but it’s the subconscious, the emotions, the heart that will ultimately have its way. The brain, he determined, has an unlimited ability to rationalize any position. Therefore, he concluded, human beings are first and last emotional creatures. I agree. There are people who carry around hurts that last a lifetime. I bet all of us can recall an influential person in our lives that made a statement to us that still informs us today.
For example, when I was in Junior High school I used to play the clarinet in the school band. One day the band teacher came up to me and simply said, “do you know why you sit 3rd chair? I expected a lecture on not practicing enough, not having my heart in it or some other negative form of encouragement but what he said next has informed my musical desire and abilities to this day. He said simply, “it’s because we don’t have a 4th chair”. And with that he walked away. That was also the last semester I spent in any kind of a fine arts class. Friends and family can say, “Get over it! It’s been forty years. Let it go.” People know with their brain that they should let it go; if only they could. It would be better for them if they could, but somehow that experience or statement still informs who they are and what they feel they can do. You could easily say the hurt won’t heal. So instead of saying get over it, the better advice is to turn it over to Jesus. Pray daily for His healing power.
I ran across something recently that some might find helpful in seeking healing for emotions. Tanya Marie Luhrmann, Ph.D. is a Stanford psychological anthropologist. She wrote a book titled, When God Talks Back. For her book she studied evangelical Christians who claim to have two-way conversations with God. She discovered that these believers had three prayer techniques in common.
First, they used imagination. When praying Psalm 23, for example, they not only saw the Lord as an actual shepherd, but also felt themselves lying down in green pastures and being led beside still waters. They used their imaginations to make the scripture real. The second technique they used was emotion. While immersed in Psalm 23, again for example, while walking through the valley of the shadow of death, they recalled losing someone they loved. Letting themselves re-experience that sorrow made the scripture personal. The final prayer technique they used was connection. They imagined God as their shepherd walking beside them through the valley and having an actual conversation. That’s when they said God spoke to them. It’s something you might try in your prayer life. Imagination, emotion and connection. Of course, hurts aren’t always from the past. Sometimes we need help going through current situations.
I once read about a mother with an adopted teen-age daughter. The girl had experienced a great deal of emotional trauma and was doing her best to spread her hurt around by verbally abusing her adopted mother. When things were at their worst, this mother would sit on a meditation cushion, light a candle in the darkness, and wrap herself in what she came to call her prayer shawl. With the help of these concrete aids, she was able to continue loving someone who at the time was difficult to love. We all have to find what works for us. But the testimony of scripture remains consistent, Jesus heals.
Jesus healed lepers, cripples, the blind, deaf, the mute; He cast out countless evil spirits including the seven demons that tormented Mary Magdalene. We don’t know what those demons were. They could have even been seven hurts from the past, perhaps times when she was abused. It isn’t an easy subject, but healing can come when we bring our hurts to our compassionate God whether they’re physical ailments or emotional hurts. Finally, sometimes the healing that Jesus gives is relational.
Relationships are delicate, whether they’re relationships at the office, at school or primary relationships in the home. I won’t ask how many of you are right now praying for your marriage. One night at the dinner table, a wife commented to her husband, “When we were first married, you took the small piece of steak and gave me the larger. Now you take the large one and leave me the smaller. You don’t love me anymore.”
“Nonsense, darling,” replied the husband, “you just cook better now.”
It’s easy of course to joke about marital problems, but they’re a source of heartache for many adults, and a crushing blow to many more children who are affected by those problems. There was a study years ago in Psychology Today. It was a study of marriages that last. Most studies are done on why marriages come apart. This study was on why marriages last. Some of the conclusions were surprising.
For example, this research showed that, for both husbands and wives, the most important factor for marital success was when each could say: “My spouse is my best friend.” In a day when marriage counselors are advising couples to develop separate interests, the overwhelming percentage of the couples in marriages that last, do as much as they can together. One of the most important factors, however, concerns “give and take.” The authors of the study found very few marriages that were perfectly equal. One woman married for 44 years said she would advise all young couples “to be willing to give 70 percent and expect 30 percent.”
In the long run, the study showed the giving and taking should balance out. If either partner enters a marriage determined that all transactions must be equal, the marriage will suffer. As one husband put it, “Sometimes I give far more that I receive, and sometimes I receive far more than I give. But my wife does the same. If we weren’t willing to do that, we would have broken up long ago.” Marital fads come and go, but there’s one constant that was true fifty years ago and is still true today. “The family that prays together stays together.”
Whereas the statistics for marriages coming apart are as dismal overall for church people as for non-church people, it’s not true for couples who are committed in a serious way to their faith. If you want your marriage to last, invite Jesus into it. Pray for your spouse. Pray for your children. Give God an open invitation to take up residence in your household. It’ll make all the difference. Anytime Jesus is present, there is healing. Simon Peter’s mother-in-law discovered that and so did the man possessed by a demon.
For the past two thousand years millions of other people have discovered it as well. Whether it’s physical healing, emotional healing, or the healing of a relationship, trust Christ. Healing doesn’t always come as we would choose, but one thing we can take comfort in, is the fact that a life of constant prayer will reassure us that we aren’t alone.
Amen