ANOTHER MIRACLE

Mk 1:29-39

We are reading Mark’s gospel and this gospel has no infancy narrative. Mark begins with John the Baptist preparing the way, after that is the baptism of the Lord, then the temptation of Jesus in the desert, then Jesus’ ministry. He begins his ministry in Galilee with the calling of his disciples. All of these happen only in the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel and yet already in this first chapter we have been confronted with a whole series of miracles! Jesus entered the synagogue to teach and he was confronted by a wild, crazy man, screaming out at him, and Jesus healed the man.

And within the context of that event, everybody who is sick or possessed is crowding around Jesus, and Jesus is healing them of their illnesses and driving out demons, and the activity becomes all-consuming. After the healing in the synagogue, Jesus returns to Simon's house for rest. There lies Simon's mother-in-law in the grip of a fever. And because Simon noticed the power of God in Jesus, he didn’t hesitate to benefit from it. This is why he presented to Jesus his mother-in-law for healing.

In his gospel, Mark uses simple, direct and uncomplicated style when he narrates the miracles. He says: "Jesus helped her up, and the fever left her and she served them." The verbs are interesting in this sentence: To help up or to raise and to serve. Simon's mother-in-law is raised up by Jesus. The first verb is “to raise”. Jesus helped her up; Jesus raised her.” It is a verb that has powerful meaning in Mark's gospel and in the Christian community. This verb suggests that new strength is imparted to those who are weakened by illness, unclean spirits, or even death, so that they may again rise up to take their place in our world. And the second interesting verb comes into play: To serve.

Simon's mother-in-law "served" immediately after having been raised. After Jesus cures her of her fever, she responds not with a simple act of thanksgiving but proceeds to “serve” Jesus and His disciples.  This is the same verb Jesus uses to describe the essence of his own ministry. He came "to serve" rather than "to be served." It is also the same verb "to serve" that should characterize his disciples.

What can we draw form this gospel as our spiritual nourishment: The first lesson is that this gospel invites us to be able to take God from Church to home. Simon, after experiencing the power of Jesus in the synagogue, he invited him home. Here we are in church; nourished by the Word of God, fed with the Body and Blood of Christ, we are called to take this power of God that we have received and bring it into our homes. We are invited to bring God into our daily lives for the benefit of our brothers and sisters.

The second lesson is that Simon's mother-in-law "served" immediately after having been raised. This points to the fact that all of us are healed always for others; we are blest to serve others. One day a medical doctor gave a lecture on mental health and asked a question: “What would you advise a person to do if that person is nervous, confused, disappointed and hopeless?” Most people expected this man to say: ‘Consult a psychiatrist.” To their surprise, he replied: “Lock up your house, go across the street, find someone in need and do something to help that person. Because you feel fulfilled when you do something to change a life for the better.”

So, where are we in the service of our brothers and sisters? How do we share with others the grace and blessings we receive from the Lord?