Meditation 221
Mark 1: 29-39
This passage begins with the story of Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law, and then moves on to tell of Simon’s home becoming a health care centre for the community. At sundown on the evening of the day that Simon’s mother-in-law was healed, all who were sick or possessed with demons were brought to Jesus. There was such a crowd of people gathered around Simon’s home that Mark tells us the whole city was gathered around the door. Can you imagine what it must have been like for those people? For all of their lives they had learned to live with chronic illness, handicaps and possession by evil spirits, and now there was someone in town who could heal these conditions. For parents who had a child with a withered limb, for a farmer who had a pronounced limp that slowed him in his work, for a woman whose broken arm had never healed properly so she could not grind the grain, for the paralyzed and those who were suffering possession, there was hope that this new teacher would heal. And so, the people of Capernaum crowded in front of Simon’s home to be healed by Jesus.
Jesus was probably late getting to bed that night after he healed so many people, and we are told that he rose early and went to a deserted place to pray. Jesus had put in a full day the day before, and he knew that the new day would also be busy. Jesus was fully human, and as such we know how he might have felt on that day. He would be happy to have helped the people who came to be healed, he may have been thankful for the hospitality shown by Simon’s family and excited at the way his ministry was beginning. His body was probably also very tired. He had been “on” for a full day. Anyone who has experience as a teacher, a presenter, an entertainer or a preacher knows that being the one who brings a message is tiring. I am sure it is the same for those who work in the health care field. You want to do the work, but still, it tires you. The day after Jesus had healed many people, he went off by himself to pray. His body may have tempted him to try to sleep some more, and that would have looked after the weariness of his body, but Jesus knew that his spirit needed tending as well. Jesus was spending time with God in prayer to be ready for another day of ministry.
A friend brought my attention to the words that Simon says to Jesus when Simon finds Jesus alone and praying. He says “everyone is searching for you.” It is likely that the people were searching for Jesus, so that he would heal them of their illness and woes. They knew that Jesus had what they needed, and they were searching. This is true for people today. Often, we may not know what it is that we need from Jesus, but still, we know that Jesus has what we need. People speak of offering prayers in times of stress, and we know that God hears those prayers. It may be the specific request for healing or help is not granted as the petitioner hopes, still we know that God hears the prayers of people and gives grace as it is needed. Those us who have met Jesus can show him to others as we interact with our world. I believe that everyone is searching for God, they just don’t know yet that God is the one who will fulfill their lives in bigger ways than they can imagine. Through our prayers and actions, we may be one of the ways that God touches the lives of others. Like Jesus, we need to spend time with God in prayer to be complete.