Mark 1:29-39
A couple months ago, my dear sister tested positive for Covid-19. She works in healthcare so is, of course, exposed to many people throughout each of her work days. The good news is that her symptoms were very mild, and she never required medical attention. What challenged her, what has challenged many people during this pandemic was the isolation she practiced for the sake of her family’s health. Again, the good news is that she was able to isolate easily within her own home. Yet sharing a home with her husband and two young children but not hugging them, speaking to them only on the phone, not participating in their daily family life saddened her more than the virus itself. She told me that my sweet six year old niece would leave gifts at her door, knock, run away, and then peek around the corner to catch a glimpse of her mother’s face when my sister would open the door to retrieve the gift. Isolation can be heart-breaking, a sad lesson we’ve learned well during this pandemic.
The people Jesus heals in today’s gospel story are also isolated. Isolated by illness, demon possession, shame. The communities Jesus visits enforce this isolation through the assumptions and expectations of their culture. First century Mediterranean people believed that illness came as a resulted of sin, either the sin of that particular person or sin passed down through the generations. First century Mediterranean people also believed that demon possession reflected the nature of the person possessed, and therefore, families and communities entirely abandoned those possessed by demons. Most importantly in a culture valuing above all else kinship, family, and honor, first century Mediterranean people feared bringing shame on their families—through illness and demon possession but also through indiscretions and mistakes. The people Jesus heals in today’s gospel story are isolated. They cannot be touched at risk of making others unclean. Their relationships are severed with family and community. Some cannot show their face at the community well or the local synagogue.
The first chapter of Mark is filled with stories of healing. Jesus hops from one ailing person to another, from home to home, city to city, proclaiming the good news, healing, and casting out demons. When Jesus heals these beloved ones on the margins of Jewish community, he breaks religious law as well as cultural mores. He takes Simon’s mother-in-law by the hand, a woman he shouldn’t be touching in any circumstances but especially these for her illness makes him unclean. He interfaces with those possessed by demons. Jesus does not keep himself unstained by the chaos of illness and need and evil. Entering into the real life of those marginalized by illness, demon possession, and shame, he restores relationships. No longer will illness isolate people from their families; no longer will illness stop them from hugging their loved ones and sharing daily life. No longer will demon possession stigmatize beloved ones who had fled villages to the isolation of the wilderness. No longer will shame rule for Jesus has broken it open by entering into it with people. If you’re a Brene Brown groupie as I am, you know that shame thrives on secrecy and silence. Once shame is acknowledged, spoken of, and doused with empathy, its power is broken. And that’s what Jesus does when he cures people in plain site of whole cities gathered to witness his power.
The healing stories of Jesus can comfort us because we hear in them God’s power to heal us. The healing stories of Jesus can also disturb us because they lead us to question: why isn’t God healing me? The healing stories of Jesus can bring us down because we know we can’t heal the way Jesus did. Today, I hope the healing stories of Jesus empower us, encourage us, fill us with hope. Yes, the gospel writer Mark tells us Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, and while we can contribute to healing in many and various ways, we cannot heal with the immediacy and divine power of Jesus. But the healing of Jesus is not just about curing illness and casting out demons but about restoring relationship. We who know well the devastating effects of isolation and shame also know that, with God’s help and by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can free ourselves and others from isolation and shame. Even being in this space, sharing community by the grace of technology, the Holy Spirit has gathered us and freed us from isolation. We are here with one another, and our connection need not stop here. We are all familiar with the tools by which we may connect with one another, even in a pandemic. Phone calls and emails, text messages and even love sent through the mail, small gifts left on doorsteps and cups of coffee outside and distanced. We need not live in isolation, weighed down by the things we do not say.
The good news of Jesus’ healing ministry is not just about curing ailments and casting out demons. It’s about his presence with each person isolated and ashamed. It’s about restoring relationships between people who feel lost. No wonder the Holy Spirit gathered the disciples together on the day of Pentecost to form the church to continue Jesus’ ministry of healing, of presence, of relationship.
The question of the day is: When church is over today, to whom will you reach out? With whom will you connect? To see the community’s reflection, go to the Facebook live stream feed for Sunday, February 7.
We get to be part of Jesus’ healing ministry, and in doing so, we also end our own isolation. That’s a win-win, church! Thanks be to God! Amen.