Today’s gospel picks up Jesus as he leaves the synagogue – if you were here last week, we read the story about Jesus driving the unclean spirit from a man at the synagogue. Today we see Jesus leave – he doesn’t go very far – just down the street to Peter’s house. This is a typical Sabbath – after church they go home for the noonday meal and then probably lay around or sit around, telling stories and laughing and generally enjoying the afternoon.
Oh, yes, and the healing – Peter’s mother-in-law. She had a fever and Jesus touched her, he took her hand and lifted her up. She got up and the fever left and she served them. It was as simple as that. And now Jesus and his friends are enjoying an afternoon off.
But when evening comes, it’s a different matter. The Sabbath is over – that means people come out. When Sam and I were in Jerusalem, we went to Ben-Yehuda pedestrian street before dark on the Sabbath. There were a few tourists wandering around, n//ot a single shop was open. It was almost like a ghost town. As the sun went down, the shop doors began to open and merchants placed their wares out on the sidewalk to attract customers. Before long it was so packed with people that it was hard to move.
At one end there was a large crowd gathered and we could hear music coming from the center. They were watching a group of dancer to performing to typical Israeli music. An old Rabbi frantically went from one side of the group to the other yelling “messianics” – warning people that these were believers in Jesus – beware of them… This place had literally come alive from an hour before where all seemed to be deserted.
So I can see this group gathering around Peter’s house just after dark – shoving and pushing and trying to see who was there and what was going on -- hoping that this miracle worker might do some more --magic. Bringing friends and relatives who had not been at the synagogue that morning to see this miracle worker. If Jesus wanted proof of the efficacy – the effectiveness -- of his ministry here, this was it. This was the proof that what he was doing was good and vital and much to be desired by the people.
Finally, after a very long day, late at night, the last of the visitors leaves and this motley crew, Jesus and his four followers, finally fall fast asleep. Morning comes, birds singing, sounds of people beginning to stir in the distance – the guys wake up and realize that Jesus is not there. They look around some and can’t find him. Neighbors start showing up at the door wanting to see Jesus – but he’s nowhere to be found.
So Peter and Andrew, and James and John spread out a little further looking for Jesus. And eventually they find him up on a hillside overlooking Capernaum. He’s sitting under a tree – he’s been there since about 4 in the morning. The NRSV calls it a “deserted” place – but the word heramos really means more than that. This is a place where one might go when crucial decisions need to be made. It is a place where you are not only alone, but also quiet enough to hear the voice of God.
We might be tempted to say, crucial decisions? What decisions? He’s a hit, a success; people want him to stay – what’s to decide? Go back down and be their pastor. But the problem is, success has a tendency to turn one’s head – we get puffed up. More often than not, when things are going well, we just sort of keep up the momentum – keep moving, why stop when we’re on a roll… When we do that, we are often operating out of our own power – rather than relying on God’s power. Too many people don’t think about calling on God until they’ve gotten things into such a mess that the only way they can get out is with God’s help.
But Jesus, at the beginning of his success in Capernaum, goes out to a lonely hill, to talk to God, to pray, to revitalize, to listen to God’s voice telling him where to go – what to do – next. Jesus doesn’t let success put him over the edge. He remains focused and he tells the disciples – “We move on. Others need to hear the message.”
How often do we stop in the middle of our busy-ness and talk to God about what is going on in our lives? I know for me it’s not really often enough – quite often just enough to get me through whatever it is that is foremost at hand.
Jesus’ decision here was not between the good and bad. Our choices seldom are that simple – black or white. I know that regardless of where I am, God can and will use me to his purpose. If I were still a school teacher, God would still use me to touch the people where I was. But I also know that since he called me out of that place in my life, I have touched even more lives in different ways.
Our effectiveness as Christians in this world is directly affected by our continued communication with God. I remember one course in seminary, it was a one hour ‘lab’ attached to our Old Testament class. The text book was called “The Word is very Near You” and the idea is that a small group got together once a week to practice being in the heramos – listening to God’s voice through scripture and spending that time in silent prayer.
One of the young men in our group was a Lutheran and he was impatient and rebelled at everything the senior leader tried to do. His comment was, “I don’t have to pray. My whole life is a prayer.” Here a number of years later, I remember that remark and think, if anyone at all had a right to say that, it was Jesus – yet, here he is, out in the heramos, talking to his Father, recharging his batteries, deciding where to go and what to do next.
We are encouraged to find some time to spend with God each day. Out of the three examples we have of Jesus praying in Mark’s gospel, one is in the morning and two are in the evening. The second time Jesus prays was after feeding 5000 people – he went up on a mountain to pray – following another success – and he walks on water after he finishes praying. The third time is in the garden of Gethsemane – another decision point – a time of great need – a need for strength to go through his passion.
One of the things that I find, a value or benefit, from morning time with God is that I don’t know what is going to face me on any given day. People expect certain things out of me – a beneficial word, a comforting word, direction, understanding, whatever. It just really helps me, to have started my day in prayer, to be able to respond to each person in the way they need. When I’ve done even the minimum prayer time early, I find that I don’t panic when faced with a situation, I don’t jump to conclusions, I don’t run off in my own direction. I am able to focus on what God has placed before me and tie into the gifts and knowledge he has given me.
The other thing about today’s gospel that really strikes me – the disciples tell Jesus, “Every one is searching for you.” This is almost an admonishment – why aren’t you where people can find you? My co-author wrote a book called “Looking for Jesus” – she said it really surprised her that people were looking for Jesus, because growing up, she thought Jesus lived in their house.
I think there is a very important point in this idea of looking for Jesus. We are all looking for something in this life; maybe to help us hold it together, to get past the stumbling blocks of our life, to get ahead, to try to figure what to do, where to go next. There are many people who are searching for meaning, for love, for significance, for acceptance, for assurance that their life has purpose. Some people look for it in drugs, sex, alcohol. Some people are so desperate for attention that they will settle for a poor or abusive relationship or act out because negative attention is better than no attention.
The people from Capernaum saw in Jesus someone who could help them ‘solve their problems’ – but what they may have overlooked was that Jesus was someone who could help them “past their troubles.” He was someone who could help them move on from the place where they were.
This reminds me of a song that I’ve never actually sung by itself, but it totally expresses what I have grown to know is true; it goes something like this:
Jesus is the answer, for the world today.
Above him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.
Jesus is the answer, for the world today.
Above him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.
If you have some questions
In the corners of your mind,
And traces of discouragement
And peace you can not find.
Reflections of the old past
They seem to face you every day,
There's one thing I know for sure
That Jesus is the way.
The people of Capernaum came` looking for Jesus in the same place where they last saw him – but he’s moved on from there – he knows there are more places to go, more people to help, more demons to overcome. Jesus doesn’t stay in the last place we saw him – he’s always ready to lead us down new paths – the question is, are we ready and are we willing to follow him.
Are we like Andrew and Peter and James and John – have we gone out to meet Jesus and to follow him into the world and new adventures? Or are we still back in Capernaum looking for Jesus in the same old places?
Amen.
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