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| Mark 1:23-28 - Helped to Help Others |
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Jesus helps us so that we can help others. As we follow Him, our faith grows in His ability to meet not only our needs, but also the needs of others. As our faith grows, we are quick to reveal His kingdom to others through our actions. We pray and have faith, but we also put our faith into action.
In Mark 1:23-28 Jesus is in the synagogue with Simon, Andrew, James and John who where fishermen that He had just called to follow Him. These four who left everything to follow Jesus witnessed the power of Jesus’ Kingdom that He was revealing through His words and actions. In these five verses, Satan’s kingdom is interrupted by Jesus’ Kingdom and the victory over evil is a glimpse of many victories to come in leading up to the ultimate victories at the cross and the empty tomb. Can you imagine what these four new followers were thinking after witnessing this first victory over evil? Perhaps a sense of confirmation was consuming them over the decision that they made to forsake all and follow Jesus. Undoubtedly their faith was growing as they were hanging out with Jesus and experiencing His Kingdom firsthand as will be revealed in this next paragraph of Scripture found in Mark.
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
(Mark 1:29-31 ESV)
Notice what Simon, Andrew, James and John does. When they leave the synagogue with Jesus, their faith in Jesus and His kingdom that He was revealing was enlarged. They go to Simon and Andrew’s house which must have just been a short distance from the synagogue as revealed through the words “and immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.” When they get there, Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Upon the news of her illness these Christ followers had a heart to provide this lady the care she needed for her health and they tell Jesus about her fever. Their faith had grown and they now knew to take their needs to Jesus.
Beloved, we all have needs and we must take those needs to Jesus knowing that He cares for us and desires for us to place all of our cares and anxieties on Him. Jesus desires to help us and as He does, His kingdom is revealed and faith always grows.
At first glance of this passage of Scripture it would be easy to minimize this miracle by saying “it was only a fever.” But, with closer inspection and with our own personal experiences, we know that something wrong in the body causes the fever. A fever makes a person feel bad enough and keeps one in bed, but more importantly there is something going on in the body that is causing the fever. In Jesus’ day, with limited medical knowledge, they treated a fever as a disease in itself and treated the fever instead of the cause. Many would die as a result.
We are so blessed in our day. Now we have medical science and medicine which are instruments of healing in our day, but the source of healing is always God. Whether healing comes from an instant miracle or through a process aided by medical procedures and medicine, it is God that brings the healing.
I’m so thankful for medical professionals. They minister at the point of need. Sure, many do not realize it and some are in it just for the monetary rewards, but God uses them nevertheless to bring the healing needed.
I’m fortunate to have a sister-in-law, Shelia, who has been a nurse taking care of the ill and ministering at their point of need for over 20 years. She now teaches nursing. The beautiful part is that her daughter Kristen was one of her students and is following her mother’s steps in using her life to help others. It thrills my heart. I’m also fortunate to have a cousin, David, who is a surgeon. I’m sure that you also have friends and family in the medical profession. God is using each of these to bring much healing and ease of suffering.
Dr. Tom Dannals in Huntington, West Virginia, is on a mission to do everything he can to bring better health to that city. West Virginia leads the nation in heart disease which is the number one killer in the United States.
Most heart disease is preventable and can even be reversed through proper diet and exercise. Dr. Dannals introduce the city to the Dr. Dean Ornish program of heart disease prevention and reversal. Dr. Dannals also founded HealthyHuntington.org along with founding and directing the annual Marshall University Marathon, half marathon and 5k held on the first Sunday of November every year. It’s a wonderful marathon with a stadium finish.
Through these processes, Dr. Dannals is using his life to bring healing to that city and is saving countless number of lives from the grip of heart disease. God is using Him. People are being touched at their point of need.
There are still some in our day who believe that going to a doctor or taking medicine is a lack of faith. It is not. There have been many parents in our day who have been tried in court because they prayed, but they refused to take their child to a doctor or give them medicine when it was an option to them, only to result in the child’s death. That is not faith. Faith is taking full advantage of every process of healing that God has made available to us. Medical professionals, medical procedures and medicine are instruments of healing that God has made available to us in our day and we can exercise our faith by allowing God to bring healing to us through these processes.
The unfortunate part of this is that not everyone has equal and affordable access to heath care in our day. I believe that this grieves the heart of God because every person, regardless of location and finances, are God’s children. He loves each one and expects us to make available to each one, the same opportunities for healing and ease from suffering. Beloved, as we do, more people will realize the kingdom that Jesus is ruling over.
I thank God for hospitals that churches have founded such as St. Mary's in Huntington, West Virginia. Let’s make make these healing facilities available to all people in our day.
I don’t want to neglect a piece of this paragraph of Scripture that is very important and must be touched on. Notice what Simon’s mother-in-law does after Jesus heals her of both her fever and whatever was causing it. She get’s up out of the bed and immediately helps others.
Beloved, Jesus helps us so that we can help others. Live your life recognizing His hand on it and using it to always help others. As you do, His kingdom will be revealed through your actions.
Jesus’ kingdom is more powerful than sickness and disease. He still works immediate miracles and He also has provided us with processes of healing provided through medical science, medicine and medical professionals. Let’s never put Jesus in a box and pray expecting Him to bring healing a certain way. Instead, let’s exercise our faith by taking advantage of all healing processes that He makes available to us. Let’s also make available His healing to ALL people revealing to them, His kingdom in action. Let’s help others as He has helped us. In Jesus’ kingdom, there is health equality for all!
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