Pastor Jonah Sage preached Mark 1:40-45. He said that Jesus sees you because he wants to heal you. Lector: Kristin Paine
Pastor Jonah Sage preached Mark 1:40-45. He said that Jesus sees you because he wants to heal you.
Lector: Kristin Paine
Have you ever felt the pain of being invisible?
Maybe you feel unappreciated at work or at home.
Keep doing the tasks, doing the chores, and no one seems to care?
Maybe you feel deep loneliness, like you just wish you could let the world know what's going on inside of you, but you're convinced no one sees, no one cares
Do you know this feeling?
This pain is universal, and our culture has some unique strategies to address it
Why do so many have their own podcast?
Why do so many aspire to become a "SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER"?
Why do we pull such long hours at work, missing the moments we care most about?
Why do we make our kids join travel teams when they're 9?
For us, we think the way to address our feelings of isolation and loneliness, our invisible lives, is to become impressive and important.
Get more, do more. Faster, bigger. impress. Be seen.
We want to be seen, so we scream "LOOK AT ME" with our lives.
We do this in the church, too, you know...bigger, faster, more.
We just say we're doing it for God. But how is this working for us? (PAUSE)
I promised you two weeks ago that Jesus would confuse and disorient us.
I hope to keep that promise to you this morning.
When we think we need to get more and do more, we tend to be drawn to information and strategies.
Get the right coach, read the right book, develop the right family plan etc etc etc
The gospel of Mark, though, is much more interested in showing us who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. Mark is trying very hard to SHOW us Jesus...
Because when we see Jesus, really see him, we'll see that Jesus sees us because he wants to heal us
Sees us not because we've done more, but because of how helpless we are
Heals us not because we're impressive, but because of his great love for us.
We will hear information from Jesus eventually, but most of it is like vv.21-22:
Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum. When the Sabbath day came, he went to the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority
-Mark 1:21-22
What did he teach? Don't know. We just know people were amazed, real authority.
Mark is trying to SHOW us something about Jesus
For Mark, JESUS, not his teachings, is the most important information we need
For the next 20 verses, we see what it means that Jesus sees us because he wants to heal us. Mark is SHOWING, not telling.
I want us to first notice the kinds of people Jesus saw
First, after Jesus finished teaching, we meet a strange man:
Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth?...I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"
-Mark 1:23-24
AN EVIL SPIRIT is in control of this man. He has no say in the matter
This evil spirit is antagonistic and angry. Not looking for help either.
He calls Jesus the Holy One of God out of disgust and fear.
Jesus sees someone antagonistic and angry, not interested in receiving help.
Next:
Now Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever.
-Mark 1:30
Sick in bed. Ever had a fever so bad you couldn't leave the bed?
How productive are you then?
She doesn't say anything to Jesus, doesn't ask or promise him anything.
Jesus sees someone suffering sickness who wasn't asking for help.
Next:
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed.
-Mark 1:40
In that part of the world, this man would have been considered ritually and socially "unclean.'
This means, literally, cast out of town, living in permanent isolation
What do you think was worse: the physical pain of this disease, or the emotional-social pain of profound and permanent loneliness?
He's not asking for help...he's desperately begging for it.
Jesus sees someone suffering and socially isolated, desperate for help.
notice the similarities: incredible suffering and helplessness
None of them were able to change their situations, spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially...they were helpless.
None of them knew much about Jesus. No deep faith. One antagonistic, one says nothing, the other desperate.
Mark is putting their neediness out front to put the power of Jesus out front.
He is emphasizing Jesus' GOOD NEWS MINISTRY, not his teaching.
Jesus sees the desperate, the helpless, the suffering, the angry and antagonistic.
Might he see you, too?
Jesus sees these people because he wants to heal these people.
To the spiritually oppressed:
"Be quiet! Come out of the man," he ordered. At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him.
-Mark 1:25
Jesus has authority over the unseen realm, over spiritual darkness.
He heals the spiritually oppressed, restoring this man's soul.
To the bedridden with illness:
he went to her bedside, took her by the hand, and helped her sit up. Then the fever left her
-Mark 1:31
Do you see how gentle the authority of Jesus can be? Takes her by the hand.
He heals those bedridden with illness, restoring this woman's body.
To the socially outcast with disease:
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.
-Mark 1:41
Do you see how compassionate the authority of Jesus can be?
He TOUCHED the man. When was the last time he had been touched?
He heals those socially outcast with disease, restoring them socially and emotionally.
What does it mean that the Kingdom of God is at hand?
What does it mean that Jesus has a good news ministry?
It means that Jesus came to heal all you are
Physically, spiritually, socially. He sees you because he wants to heal you.
Jesus' ministry is good news for those who are physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually downtrodden.
A simple question for you: how do you need to be healed?
Is it your isolation and loneliness? Your physical pain and disease?
Your spiritual darkness and oppression?
It was not faith, doctrine, or obedience that made these people worthy of Jesus' attention: it was their neediness, their helplessness.
Perhaps the way to get what we want is not do more, be more, impress more...
I want you to know that, whatever ails you, Jesus sees you.
Are you angry with him? He sees you and knows your pain
Are you sick, unable to even speak a word to him? He sees you and knows your pain
Are you lonely, desperate, at the end of your rope? He see you and knows your pain
The spiritually oppressed man was not expecting to meet Jesus that day
Simon's mother in law was not expecting to meet Jesus that day
That leper was not expecting to meet Jesus that day...but they all NEEDED him
I don't know what you're expecting today, but I know each of us in our own way needs to meet Jesus today.
We need to hear him say be clean, we need him to help us sit up, we need him to touch us and remind us we are not alone
This is what it means that God is near, what good news ministry looks like
There's one more pattern here that makes me think we might be in the perfect spot to meet Jesus, too.
Huge crowds bring more demon possessed people to Jesus. Listen to this:
he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.
-Mark 1:34
Jesus is not interested in more-bigger-faster.
After those healings:
Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.
-Mark 1:35
The disciples go on a manhunt for Jesus, because even more people had gathered.
They say everyone is looking for him...there's a line out the door Jesus!
"we must go on to other towns...That is why I came." So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee
-Mark 1:38
Jesus is not interested in building an impressive platform or larger crowds
With a line out the door, Jesus isolates himself to pray, and goes somewhere he's less known.
After healing the man with leprosy, Jesus WARNS this man:
Don't tell anyone about this, go to the priest and let him examine you.
-Mark 1:44
Don't. Tell. Anyone.
But...the man didn't listen. soon, huge crowds surrounded Jesus. v. 45 says he couldn't publicly enter a town anywhere. So what did Jesus do with his growing fame?
He had to stay out in the secluded places
-Mark 1:45
The peculiar, unexpected, confusing downward mobility of Jesus.
The more popular he became, the further he went into the woods.
The more important people wanted to be with him, the more time he spent with the diseased, the poor, the suffering.
Oh, the downward mobility of Jesus.
If you feel unimportant, unimpressive, or unseen...oh those are Jesus' favorite people
If you feel yourself in the wilderness of life, that's Jesus favorite place
What is this revealing to us about the nature of God's mission?
What does this say to our desire to be seen?
Might we be trying to get to places Jesus is not interested in?
Maybe he's not on the impressive stage or with the important people
Maybe he's not in the spotlight. maybe he's in the secluded places.
If you feel your neediness, if you know something ails you, then you have all you need to meet Jesus
How do you need to be healed? Come to Jesus, angry, needy, or desperate,
Who do you know that needs to be healed? Go to them, just as Jesus went to you.
Jesus sees you, because he wants to heal you.
Let's pray.