Mark 1:29-45
Introduction
In this passage we see the three elements of Jesus’ ministry in action:
1. Teaching
2. Healing
3. Casting out demons
But most of this passage is about healing and casting out demons. Bear this in mind as we make our way through it.
Verses 29 to 31
This passage shows us what happened after Jesus preached and cast out a demon in the Capernaum synagogue. Jesus went straight to the home of Simon and Andrew where Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
In verse 30 we see Simon and Andrew interceding for Simon’s mother-in-law. They were asking Jesus to heal her. This is something that we can do when we pray.
In verse 31 we see the response of Jesus to the intercession of Simon and Andrew. He approaches Simon’s mother-in-law and heals her. Notice how He healed her by touching her and raising her up. Again, this is something that we can do when we pray for someone to be healed. We can touch them or lay hands on them. However, Jesus also used other methods to heal people as we will see soon.
Verses 32 to 39
Word had spread throughout Galilee that Jesus was healing people. And after Jesus had healed Simon’s mother-in-law, huge numbers of people came to Simon’s house with people who were sick and demonized. In verse 33 we are told that the whole city turned up!
Notice how we are told in verse 34 that Jesus cast out many demons. Not just a few, but many. This shows us that demonization of people is very common. That is something that we need to think about in our modern times.
We see in this passage that nobody came to hear Jesus preach. They just wanted to be healed. Jesus was aware of this problem as we will see.
Jesus got up early the next morning to pray alone in a secluded place, away from the crowds. I suggest that, if Jesus had not left Simon’s house, the crowd would not have let Him pray. We see evidence of this in verse 37. Finding a secluded place to pray is a good example for us to follow. We need to get away from distractions so that we can give God our undivided attention.
When Simon and the others found Jesus, He decided to go somewhere else. Remember that this decision came immediately after He had been praying. This was no coincidence. He decided to go somewhere else so that He could preach in other towns. This was His response to the lack of interest in His preaching in the town where Simon lived.
There is an important lesson for us to learn from this incident. We need to recognise when the Lord wants us to move on.
In the other towns Jesus preached and cast out demons in their synagogues. The two ministries go together and so it should be for the Church today. Think about that.
Verses 40 to 45
In these verses we see Jesus healing a leper. In those days a leper was someone with a skin disease. There were 72 distinct skin conditions that were regarded as leprosy. And in those days, leprosy was a terrible affliction to have. Not only did the leper suffer the pain of the leprosy but they were also treated as being unclean. If you had a skin condition you would go to a priest and if he decided that you had leprosy then he would declare that you were unclean.
Being unclean meant that you became an outcast for the rest of your life. You had to live alone. You had to dress in a way that showed everyone that you were a leper. You could not go anywhere near another human being. If anyone came near you, you had to shout out, “Unclean”. If anyone came close to you, they too would be made an outcast. As a leper you were the ultimate social pariah. Imagine for a moment what that must have been like.
With all of this in mind, what did the leper do when he saw Jesus? He came up to Jesus and begged Him to make him clean. In doing this he was breaking the Law of Moses (the Torah). So, how did Jesus respond to the leper? Did He tell him to keep his distance? Did He rebuke him?
No, He showed the leper compassion. He touched him and spoke a word of healing. By touching the leper, Jesus also broke the Law of Moses. So, does this mean that Jesus sinned? Absolutely not. Because Jesus is the Lord of the Law, He has the authority to set it aside for His own redemptive work. He supersedes the written Law.
Notice the method that Jesus used to heal the leper. He touched him and He spoke a word / command of healing to the leper. This was different to the way He healed Simon’s mother-in-law. As we go through the Gospel of Mark, we will see Jesus using a variety of methods.
After healing the leper, Jesus told the man not to tell anyone and to go to the priest as a testimony. His testimony to the priest would have shown the religious authorities that Jesus was their Messiah. However, the leper disobeyed Jesus and told everyone about his healing. He shared his testimony with the general public but not with the priest. And that was a missed opportunity.