CHRIST THE HEALER

SERMON PREACHED BY FR. TONY NOBLE

ON FEBRUARY 8th, 2009

                                                  

Mark 1:35 “In the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place – and there he prayed.”

 

I know exactly what Saint Mark is describing! On Tuesday evening I returned from holiday, and because of jetlag didn’t sleep much. Thursday I woke up at 3.30am, and on Friday 4.30am.  So I was sitting at my desk saying my prayers and Office – and it was a wonderful time to be praying. San Diego was dark, and there was hardly a sound. Nothing else to do but to focus on God.   Whilst this was an accident of time for me, for Jesus is was a necessity.

 

In today’s gospel Saint Mark paints a wonderful picture of Jesus’ busy life. Not only was early morning the only opportunity for Jesus to pray – it was essential if he was to fulfil his mission.  

 

In the same way, the Church requires its clergy to say daily the divine office – so that prayer and scripture undergird their ministry.

 

As Episcopalians, we are also fortunate that our Book of Common Prayer contains the Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer for the laity to use.   The compiler of the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549, Archbishop Cramner, wanted the laity to have this treasure. So he combined the 7-fold monastic office into the two Anglican offices of Morning and Evening Prayer.

 

It comes from the example of Our Lord that we find in today’s Gospel.   This time of prayer in the Gospel today was essential for Jesus – and it is also significant. It actually is a dividing point in the story.

 

Firstly, we notice the opening words: “And immediately he left the Synagogue”. This refers to Jesus teaching in the Synagogue in Capernaum. Saint Luke records that he read from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”, and concluded by saying: “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”.

 

When we look at all the four Gospels we see a pattern of events:

  • Jesus is baptised by John Baptist in the Jordan
  • He goes into the wilderness for 40 days to prepare for his ministry
  • He returns and calls the twelve disciples
  • Then his ministry of preaching and healing begins
  • Word gets out and he goes to Capernaum, to relax at the home of Peter and Andrew
  • It is the Sabbath and so they go to the Synagogue

 

Whatever rumours the people have heard, they hear him declare that he is sent from God – that he is anointed by the Spirit, the Christ.   Immediately we have a problem. Crowds of people come to be healed or cured.   Why is this a problem?

 

It’s a problem because if they think of the Messiah only in terms of one who cures their illnesses, it’s a deficient view of who he is.   Of course healing was a part of Jesus’ mission and ministry – but that’s because it points to a greater healing – healing from sin. And we all need that whether sick or in good health.

 

Healing is a sign of who Jesus is – it is not the prime purpose of his ministry. The problem is many people need healing. Look at the big mega-churches here in California. They usually place great importance on healing and miracles, or on how you can solve your life’s problems.

 

Healing always attracts people – and that’s what happened to Jesus.   So he not only needs to recharge his batteries, he needs to pray about this. And this is the turning point in the story. 

 

It would have been so easy for Jesus to see this as important and a sign of success.   Certainly Saint Peter and the others thought so. They came looking for him and said: “Everyone is searching for you”.

 

What is Jesus’ response?  “Let us go on to the next towns”. And so they move on. 

 

That quiet time of prayer is a re-affirmation to Jesus that his mission is more than being a wandering, popular preacher.   That is the reason for the odd reference to Jesus silencing the demons, “because they knew him”.

 

If those demons had shrieked: “You are the Son of God” it would give the people the wrong idea of his purpose.   For, as Jesus said, “the Son of God came to seek and to save the lost”.   This is a direct reference to the angel’s words to Saint Joseph: “for he shall save his people from their sins”.

 

“Are you the Son of God?” was a question that would continually follow Jesus.   It was not to be confirmed by demons today. Neither was it to be confirmed later by Peter, James and John when they witnessed the Transfiguration.

 

The time for declaring that Jesus was the Son of God was on Calvary – when the centurion declared: ”Truly, this man was the Son of God”.  All the preaching and teaching and healing of Jesus was to lead to the Cross. For there is the ultimate and true healing that Christ brings.

 

What happened in Capernaum was an image, and overture, a pre-figurement to the ultimate Messianic healing – Christ crucified and resurrected.

 

In the Epistle today, Saint Paul had the same problem with the Church in Corinth. They wanted a wandering, wonder-worker to support their own false ideas of the faith – even though he had already declared in Corinthians 1:23: “We preach Christ crucified”.

 

They wanted a quick fix. Such is the way of the world. In America today, people still want a quick fix.  

 

For Christians, today’s Gospel provides an alternative:

  • Make time for prayer
  • Look to Jesus as an example
  • But primarily, look to him as our Saviour