Mark 1:29-39​
Jesus Heals at Simon’s House

After the holy havoc in the synagogue, a public place, Jesus and the four fishermen go to Andrew and Simon’s home, a private place. The NRSV translation of the bible says “house,” but many others say, “home.” I like the use of home because it is more personal. A house is a place to live, but a home is the foundation of our lives. Our homes are where we go at the end of the day to rest, to exhale, and to feel safe. Our homes may be where we spend the most time. Our homes are where we can be most vulnerable and allow our true selves and feelings to be released. Our homes are where we learn and grow with our families. Our homes hold memories of our lives and give a sense of belonging.
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Simon’s mother-in-law is sick at his home, and they tell Jesus about her. He goes to her, takes her hand, and lifts her up. Jesus goes to her in this place of rest, vulnerability, and belonging. Jesus gives her what she needs. Healing, yes, but healing in such a way that is intimate and private. Simon’s house becomes a home where Christ dwells, bringing healing and restoration.

My childhood experience of faith was compartmentalized. Church was where we went to live out our faith, but I don’t recall ever talking about our faith at home. We lived one way at church, and one way at home. When I invited Jesus to dwell in my home as an adult, the compartments dissolved. Different parts of myself integrated, and I felt whole. We don’t live as perfectly at home, in the private space, as we do in the public space, but Christ’s grace is given for all spaces. Once we invite Christ into our homes, as well as our churches, healing occurs. We find our sense of belonging in Christ. Our homes become sacred places too.

Then, Jesus will invite us to open our doors of our homes for others to receive this same grace. We open the doors to our hearts to help others find healing and belonging. The compassion we received from Jesus is passed on to those who need compassion. This scripture tells us that this is what Jesus came to do, and we are invited to go with Jesus to the public spaces and the private spaces. No place is off limits or too far gone for Christ to enter and bring healing. Christ comes to us in these places, takes our hand, and lifts us up. Where do you need Christ to enter and bring healing? Where do you need Christ to take your hand and lift you up?

Reflection Question:
Is Jesus present in your home? How open are you to welcome Jesus into your home?
How can you create a sacred space in the places where you dwell?
Where do you find belonging? Who in your life needs to find belonging? How can you help?
Is there a place in your life where you need Christ to enter to bring healing?
 
Action: Send a card to someone who is sick or visit with them. Pray for them as a way to show your love and compassion.  

Mark 1:21-28
The Man with the Unclean Spirit
 
After Jesus called the four fishermen, they followed him to Capernaum. When the Sabbath came, they entered the synagogue where Jesus began to teach. Jesus had been preaching to the crowds outside of the synagogue, but preaching was different from teaching. Jesus preached to people of all faiths. Teaching usually occurred in the synagogue where Jewish people gathered to pray and study scripture. Jesus taught this new “teaching” to a Jewish audience.

Going to the synagogue on the Sabbath was a regular practice, so they would have heard many teachings by scribes. Scribes were men who taught by citing other teachers, so it was astounding for the people to hear Jesus teach with authority. He didn’t have to use other sources as authority because he was the authority. Jesus was the expert on all things holy, and God gave him the power or right to exercise his authority in whatever way he deemed appropriate.

I think about the times when I’ve sat in a class and was bored when the professor spouted off source after source to use as evidence or authority on a subject. I also think about the times when I’ve sat in a class and was drawn in when the professor spoke from personal experience. Jesus taught like the latter. He taught from personal experience and personal knowledge.

A key principle in writing is “Show, Don’t Tell.” Show the reader your point with a story or illustration. The reader will more likely be persuaded than simply telling your point. Jesus showed his authority, the new teaching, by healing the man, instead of just telling people he had the authority to do so. Jesus showed the people this new teaching, and that made all the difference. Jesus’s presence came through when he taught, and that’s what moved people’s hearts.

I imagine it to be like the times we listen to a sermon or a lecture, and we hear the Spirit speak directly to us. The person says the very words we need to hear. It’s too perfect to our situation to deny the Spirit’s reach through their words. The Spirit draws our attention to the new thing we heard, and it moves our heart to change.

Perhaps the exact words that the man with the unclean spirit needed to hear were, “Be quiet, and come out of him” (v.25). Jesus’ authority reached through these words, and pulled out the very thing that afflicted him. Jesus showed that he had the authority to heal this man. He showed (instead of told) who he was. He revealed to everyone in the synagogue that he is the One who holds all power and authority, the Holy One of God.    
 
Reflection Question:
Have you learned a new teaching that totally rocked your world? It caused you to completely rethink everything you’ve known up to this point. How did this experience change your life?

Is there a new teaching that you need to learn that will help you change your perspective?

Have you ever heard Jesus speak to you through a sermon, book, or other teaching? How did you respond to that experience?

How has Jesus shown you who he is?
 
Action: When the Sabbath comes, go to the synagogue to pray and study scripture. Listen for the Spirit to speak directly to your heart.  

​Mark 1:14-20
Jesus calls four fisherman
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Jesus continues to call his disciples to join him in his work. In this passage, we see that Jesus goes to the shore to find not one or two, but four disciples. They were all fishermen. Fishing was a lucrative business, and we see that Zebedee even had hired men. His family business made enough to pay other employees, which is a nice detail in the story, so we don’t feel bad for Zebedee when his sons leave the family business to follow Jesus.
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Three times in this passage, nets are mentioned. First, one set of brothers, Andrew and Simon, are “casting a net” (v.16). They are in the throes of fishing when Jesus approaches them and says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people” (v.17). Immediately, they “left their nets” to follow him (v.18). The third time nets are mentioned is when another set of brothers, James and John, are “mending their nets” (19). Jesus calls them, and they leave their father’s boat and the family business behind.

Two sets of brothers have fishing skills. One set casts, and the other set mends. Both are hard work and necessary skills to be successful fishers. As disciples, the brothers will work together on their new fishing vocation. Some will cast a net to reach people, and some will mend hearts.  

When Jesus comes near the four, he casts his net and mends their hearts when they accept his invitation to follow him. Their response was to drop their nets and leave the boat behind. When Jesus calls us, and we drop everything and leave what we’ve known before, even a lucrative business, our hearts are mended or made whole.

Often, when Jesus calls, we try to hold on to our nets or stay in our boats because it’s safe. It’s what we’ve always known, and it’s what we know how to do. We try to do both – follow Jesus and hold on to our old life. We can’t do both. We can’t play it safe. Following Jesus is risky, and we have to learn to trust that Jesus will catch us in his net. If we truly want our hearts to be mended, if we truly want to be made whole, we have to drop our nets and follow. We have to leave our boats and trust that Jesus will lead us to healing. 
 
Reflection Question:
Are you better at casting or mending?
Are you still holding onto your safety net or still in your boat? 
What in your life needs mending? Where do you need to be made whole?
 
Action: Drop your safety net and trust that Jesus will catch you. 

John 1:43-51
Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael
 
“Come and see” is a simple invitation that Jesus offers to two new disciples just before this passage in John 1. One of them is Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. According to the gospel of John, Andrew and the unnamed disciple were probably studying under John the Baptist, and when John revealed that Jesus was the Lamb of God, they began following Jesus, literally. Jesus turned around and asked them, “What are you looking for? (v.38). They asked him, “Where are you staying?” (v.38). They wanted to know more about Jesus and wanted to go with him, so Jesus offered the invitation to “Come and see” (v.39). They spent the whole day in his presence and during that time together, Jesus revealed who he was. We don’t know exactly what was said to convince them, but just by being close to Jesus and spending time with him, Andrew knew that Jesus was the Messiah, the one they had been looking for.

We hear this invitation again in this passage from Philip. Jesus decided to go to Galilee and found Philip there. It sounds as if he was purposely seeking out Philip. He went to the place where he could find him, and when he did, he simply said, “Follow me” (v.43). We don’t know the exchange between Jesus and Philip, but perhaps Philip just knew who Jesus was by being in his presence. Perhaps it was something in Jesus’ voice when he extended the invitation. Perhaps it was the fact that he felt sought out by Jesus. Since Philip was from the same city as Andrew and Simon Peter, we can assume they knew each other. Perhaps Andrew had already shared that they had found the Messiah, and so when Philip met Jesus face-to-face, he just knew in his heart.   
Philip in turn tells his friend, Nathanael, who scoffs at first: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (v.46). They had been searching their whole lives for the Messiah. For generations, their people had been actively seeking Jesus. Now, they find out that their great Savior was under their nose the whole time in a Podunk town? Surely not! But Philip extended the same invitation that Jesus extended to the others, “Come and see” (v.46).

It's a simple invitation. Just come and see. Not, come and be saved, or come and do all of these things in order to be a disciple. Just come and see. Because when we come and see Jesus for ourselves, Jesus will reveal himself to us in the precise way that speaks to our hearts. Even though our family and friends point us to Jesus, just like Andrew and Philip did, we all have to come and see Jesus for ourselves. Just come and see.
 
Reflection Question:
Have you come to Jesus and seen him? Reflect on that experience.
Were you more like Philip or Nathanael? Did you follow right away or were you skeptical?
What do you need to see in order to follow Jesus?
Have you shared this simple invitation with your friends or family?
 
Action: Pray about a friend or family member who needs to “come and see,” and then extend this simple invitation.

Ephesians 3:1-12
 
Kicking off this new year of 2024, I am drawn in by the word “Mystery.” 2024 is a mystery before us. We don’t know what will happen, yet we are forced to live each day in the mystery. In a world and culture that demands undeniable proof and indisputable evidence in order to prove the truth of events, we don’t do well with mystery.

​Many still don’t believe in God because they can’t scientifically prove that a higher power exists, but the complexity of God uses different methods of proof. Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:3: “the mystery [of Christ] was made known to me by revelation.” God reveals the mystery to us in different ways, and it is often tailored to us individually, which makes it impossible to use as global evidence.

“His star” revealed Christ’s birth to the Magi (Matthew 2:2), which guided them to the place to find the mystery of Christ in physical form. At Jesus’ baptism, “the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descended like a dove” revealed the mystery still within Jesus (Mark 1:10). If we missed it, “a voice came from the heavens,” revealing the mystery as “Son” and “Beloved” (Mark 1:11). Jesus used many different methods to reveal himself to his disciples because he knew what each needed for them to have their epiphany moment.

The mystery of Christ will remain a mystery until we meet Christ face-to-face, and we no longer need undeniable proof because all of our questions will seem meaningless when we are united with the light of Christ. We will have to learn to be intrigued by the mystery now. I do believe the mystery of Christ is revealed to us in different ways that draw us closer to Christ now. It may not be defined and contained in a neatly constructed box, but if we open our hearts to the Spirit, we will begin to see the mystery all around us and even feel it within us. We, Methodists, call this grace. It’s hard to define and remains a mystery, but it is something that Christ gives to all who are ready and open to receive it.

Perhaps a New Year’s resolution or a goal for this new year is to stop trying to use the world’s measuring tools for proving God’s existence and to open ourselves to the mystery. It can be scary and unsettling to be content with not having answers, but it is a more fruitful way for the mystery to be revealed. May the mystery of Christ and the mystery of 2024 bring many epiphany moments that reveal God’s presence with us.  

Reflection Question:
How has the mystery of Christ been revealed to you? Was this an epiphany moment for you?
Is it easy for you to sit with mystery? If not, how can you work to be intrigued or drawn in by mystery?
What do you think the new year holds for you? What holy mystery is the Spirit doing in you?

Action: Pray specifically for Christ to be revealed in a troubling situation that will bring an epiphany moment.