"Creating a Stir" - an examination of Mark 1:21-45

Introduction

We have read in the latter part of Mark chapter 1 the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry – from the synagogue in Capernaum to Simon Peter’s house to praying in a deserted place to traveling through the smaller towns of Galilee toward a period out in the country. Jesus healed many from diseases and unclean spirits. His fame grew so much that he didn’t have a moment or any space to himself. Yet, was he gaining fame for the reasons that he came? We can learn much about Jesus through these incidents themselves. Yet beyond the wonder of the miraculous results Jesus was having, was Mark seeking to communicate something deeper – something more about the person and the mission that lay behind the healings? Was such fame as this misguided? What was Jesus really looking for? And what relevance does this have for us?

(1) Showing Authority (v.21-28)

Having established his ministry and called his first four disciples, Jesus attended the synagogue on the Sabbath. When invited (because of his newly gained status as a teacher) Jesus immediately started teaching from the scriptures, in so doing demonstrating his authority over and above all the religious leaders of the time. The “kingdom of God” had come near in the person of Jesus, and thus dramatic things were likely to occur. There and then in the synagogue was a man, described as having an “unclean spirit”. This would indicate a person who was exhibiting strange enough behaviour for the people of the time to suggest he was possessed by a demon (or was under demonic attack). That this man’s problem was in the spiritual realm is seen by the unclean spirit’s knowledge of who Jesus really was, and why it was that Jesus had come to earth.

What better way then for Jesus to commence a ministry of salvation for all humanity, than by looking evil in the face and showing his absolute power to deal with all adverse evil forces in the spiritual realm – to stand directly against evil itself. Jesus was not going to take any ‘lip’ from those who would oppose his mission, rather he would dispense with them. Whereas they would not go quietly, they were ultimately powerless when lined up against Jesus. This is good for us to remember when we fear that we are under attack from forces that seem too evil and powerful for us to handle. We mightn’t be able at times to cope with such adversity by ourselves, but Jesus will always be strong and effective enough if he is allowed to intervene on our behalf.

(2) Responding to Need (v.29-34)

You could probably imagine the stir that Jesus was creating! No wonder at this early stage of what was to be a long campaign, Jesus headed for a friendly welcoming home – the nearby family home of the brothers Simon Peter and Andrew. Having arrived there though, Jesus was informed about the fever that was debilitating Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. Jesus simply took her by the hand, lifted her up, and the fever was gone. If the first healing (or exorcism) was to establish Jesus’ authority, then this healing of Simon’s mother-in-law simply responded to a presenting need. Yet this touch from Jesus also facilitated the woman beginning to serve him in response (as the “angels” had ‘served’ Jesus in the wilderness).

Then we see Jesus’ great heart of compassion as he healed many, many people afflicted in so many ways – physical diseases, mental incapacities, those who were socially shunned and isolated, those who were abjectly affected by the environmental evils of the time, those who had suffered abuses which had formed untold vulnerabilities and addictions. You get the impression that Jesus needed to rest and prepare, yet when the Sabbath ended and people rushed to him, he couldn’t do anything other than touch and restore the oppressed. As in the ancient world all disease and mental disorder was seen in terms of the attack of evil forces, we are given here another indication that Jesus opposes all forces that threaten and destroy human capability and life.

Wherever Jesus went he was able to offer something to everybody he encountered. These healings demonstrate again the approaching nearness of the Kingdom of God as never before. Yet Jesus’ primary message was not to be diverted by becoming famous for the wrong reasons. This is what Mark is seeking to remind his readers through telling the story in the way he has. Jesus’ primary focus had already been spoken: "repent and believe in the good news". Jesus’ ministry was one of turning people’s consciousness back towards their Creator God, seeking them to humbly turn in a completely and thoroughly new direction, and thus experience salvation. Healing and exorcism were by-products of Jesus’ message, not the focus of it. Jesus’ power and availability to heal was simply part of the result of his coming to earth as Son of God.

(3) Setting the Agenda (v.35-39)

So, next morning, after so many resources had been invested in helping so many people, Jesus needed to retreat and pray. You could imagine Jesus praying for energy and strength given his busyness, but also for wisdom and guidance given the depth of the presenting need. Just some quiet private space for prayer – was that too much too ask for in the very early hours of the morning!! Obviously it must have been, because the disciples were ‘hunting’ him down to respond to the next wave of needy people.

These very new disciples may have quickly embraced such popularity, already wanting to define for them selves what following Jesus should involve (rather than adhering to Jesus’ plan). Yet Jesus knew that the sort of fame he was gaining was going to compromise the real and complete purpose of his coming, so he responded to the disciples by saying that they were going to be moving on to other neighbouring towns where he could primarily speak about people’s need to "repent and believe in the good news".

(4) Changing Reality (v.40-45)

At the culmination of this part of the Gospel narrative, we then read of a very particular person who comes to Jesus seeking cleansing. This particular leper’s request seems though to be based on a real consideration of who this Jesus is. Along with his very obvious need, there seems to be the beginnings of an element of faith in the request he makes. The … "If you choose, you can make me clean" (of v.41) … indicates a belief that Jesus had the authority and power to heal him. So much so did he believe this that he was willing to approach Jesus, thus breaking the law which required people with ‘leprosy’ to remain separate from mainstream society.

Jesus did in fact choose to make this man clean, and Jesus’ touch was instantly effective! And in fact, so much so did Jesus want to do this, that Jesus ignored the fact that he himself risked being considered infected or ‘ceremonially unclean’ for touching someone with ‘leprosy’; thus showing the sort of love that accompanies the Kingdom of God (which certainly reaches as far as the least, the lost and the outcasts from society).

‘Leprosy’ at this time described various skin diseases, the common thought being that such conditions were contagious. Therefore any person affected in this way was shunned from mainstream society, deemed to be (ceremonially) unclean, forced to live in isolation and squaller, so that they would not infect anyone else. They were generally hated because of the threat they posed, would have no contact with their unaffected family members, nor with their synagogue worship – which of course would rip out their heart! Thus such skin diseases brought much physical and psychological suffering.

[Leviticus 13:45-6 reads:
The person who has the leprous disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head be dishevelled; and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean’. He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.]

The skin diseases regarded as ‘leprosy’ were also (inappropriately) seen as punishment (God’s) for serious sins committed, heightening people’s desire to be rid of such offenders. So when this man said to Jesus "if you choose (v.41) you can make me clean", (even though we would not see it this way) he could have also been enquiring whether Jesus was willing to offer forgiveness for what may have laid behind his dire condition. Jesus of course responded in the affirmative.

We read in most translations that Jesus agreed to do this as he was “moved with pity” (v.41). Interestingly, other Greek transcripts of this passage say “moved with anger”!! This could not have meant … anger with the man because of his condition or his interruption (because of the patience and compassion Jesus had shown earlier), so therefore must have meant (if this was the original text) anger at the leprosy, or probably more so, angry at the injustice of what was done to those who had been unfortunate enough to contract a skin disease (ie. the cruelty of such utter social isolation and stigma)!

So, this whole incident then was not just a physical liberation – this was also a social liberation that could in turn lead to a spiritual liberation. As healing a leper was in Judaism akin to raising the dead, which only God could do, this was indeed an indication that the age of salvation had dawned through Jesus.

Now that Jesus had acted in this man’s interests, the former ‘leper’ could re-enter society and have social and religious contact again. He would present himself before the priest, be examined, and then be declared ‘clean’ once again. You could just imagine, having been in the state that this former ‘leper’ was, that even though he had been asked to stay quiet, he actually couldn’t – he would have been busting out with the news of his cleansing. This meant that not only the city of Capernaum had become difficult for Jesus to minister in, but now the surrounding smaller towns of Galilee as well. He would have to head out to outlying country areas, where he may not be so mobbed.

Conclusion

There would be continued demand for Jesus’ attention as a physical healer, but the incident with this ‘leper’ gives us a picture of the real focus of Jesus coming: faith, forgiveness, spiritual renewal; and also the defeat of injustice (and all evil). Jesus was seeking to gain a following of those who were interested in firstly changing their ways (in terms of God’s ways and priorities), and secondly interested in changing the world towards the vision of God’s Kingdom. This is what the noise needed to be about!

‘Believing in the good news’ is not essentially about what we can privately gain from Jesus. ‘Believing in the good news’ is more about what we can receive from God to put into practice in everyday life for the betterment of our society (as modelled by Peter’s mother-in-law). Jesus created a great stir because of his capabilities and availability, his authority and compassion. We can create a stir around us because we have encountered this Jesus, and allowed him to transform us into living and breathing testimonies of God’s grace.

We know that misinformed enthusiasm about Jesus soon turned to shouts of “Crucify Him, Crucify Him” (Mark 15). What Jesus requires are followers who have shown humility, been willing to turn and travel in a new direction, to stake their life on the “good news”, develop their faith, tackle injustice, and thus create a stir in their community toward spiritual renewal.