Today’s gospel is actually the next chapter of the story that began with last week’s gospel. Verse 29 says, “As soon they left the synagogue,” so we know it’s still the Sabbath but there are some things we don’t know.
The first thing I wish we knew is the name of the woman whom Jesus heals, but she’s only identified as Simon’s mother in law, and we never learn her name. It’s not surprising. The majority of women referenced in the Bible are anonymous and silent, never being named and never speaking.
I want to know who and where her daughter is. Is Simon married or perhaps is he widowed and caring for his mother-in-law?
I also wonder who else is in the household? Mark says, “Immediately they told Jesus about the woman ill with fever” but we don’t know who is included in “they.” Were there household servants? Other family? We don’t know.
And finally, we don’t know how sick she was or how long she had suffered. We don’t know whether the fever was a symptom of biological and medical disease, or if she believed, as was common at that time, that the fever was a sign of some social or cultural failing, the consequence of some undisclosed sin.[i]
What we do know is that, in Mark’s gospel, the very first miracles that Jesus, the Holy One of God, does are acts that restore people to their community and family. He has exorcised demons and healed the sick and he’s done both of these miracles on the Sabbath.
I don’t think Jesus breaks the Sabbath out of disregard for the law, but out of a commitment to a higher priority of justice and mercy, rooted in love. This story begs the question Jesus gives to the religious leaders in Luke 6 when Jesus asks,
9 … “is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9)
Jesus gives us new life, united with him, in faith.
Mark says, Jesus took this woman by the hand, and lifted her up, or raised her. The Greek here is the same word for resurrection. Her healing isn’t the result of anything she has done or said. Faith is not mentioned in this miracle story. It is only the presence of Jesus that brings healing and rids her of her fever.
Healed by Jesus, the woman then begins to serve him and the others.
Unfortunately there have been times when this text has been misused to restrict women in the Church to submissive roles, but the word used here to describe the woman’s service is the same word used to describe the angels who ministered to Jesus, or waited on him, in the wilderness. (1:13)
For this woman, her healing restores her ability to live out her vocation, as a διάκονος or deacon who uses her spiritual gifts from God in the service of others.
Jesus raises us to new life, so that we will know the fullness or abundance of life God desires for each of us.
The hymn “Arise, Your Light Has Come!” is an Epiphany hymn that draws on passages from Isaiah including the verse that provides the refrain we are using right now in our weeknight prayer services: “Arise, your light has come. The Glory of the Lord is rising upon you”[ii] The hymn’s lyrics proclaim
The Spirit's call obey; show forth the glory of your God which shines on you today.
In our lives, using the gifts we have been given, we shine forth God’s glory and show God’s love and mercy to the people we meet.
We don’t know why Mark pairs these miracle stories together. Perhaps the gospel writer framed them as a glimpse into the day of the Messiah, or he wanted to demonstrate that Jesus’ saving power was for all people - men and women, young and old - or he wanted to illustrate that the power of the God in Jesus was effective not only in holy places, where a miracle might be expected, but also in common places like homes and neighborhoods. [iii] Maybe all of the above.
Whatever his reason was, during this season after Epiphany when we remember that Christ send us, as his disciples and followers, to all nations, it feels important to remember that we don’t get to set limits on God’s saving action.
Our role is to share the good news of God’s love with all, trusting that the presence and power and grace of God will accomplish what God intends.
Reflecting on this short story of the healing of Simon’s mother in law – really just the first three verses of our Gospel today – I wonder, when have you experienced the healing power of Jesus’ presence? When has Jesus taken you by the hand and lifted you up?
Just this week, during a hospital shift I experienced this through a colleague’s presence and words. I had just led family members out of the hospital after spending time with them and their loved one in the emergency room, and I was weighed down by the heaviness of their worries when I crossed paths with my friend. We went together into the chapel and talked, reflecting on how Jesus had been present during that visit particularly. It was a good reminder for me that God calls us to particular people and situations and gifts us with what we need to be servants to those we encounter.
I pray you experience the healing power of Jesus’ presence in your own life and let the light of God shining on you reflect God’s mercy and love into the world.
Amen.
[i] Brian Stoffregen. Exegetical Notes on Mark 1:29-39.
[ii] Text: Ruth Duck, b. 1947. Text © 1992 GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638. www.giamusic.com. 800.442.3358. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
[iii] Stoffregen.
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