2/8/09 - Epiphany 5 - Mark 1:29-39

HE GAVE EVERY EFFORT
- To tirelessly care for his people
- To continually preach to his people

When a person puts a lot of effort into something, it’s going to show. If my catechism students put the effort into learning their memory work, it’s going to show when I test how well they know it. If an individual puts a lot of effort into building something or cooking something or making something or preparing something, it’s going to show in the finished product. If I put a lot of effort into my sermon preparation, it should show on Sunday morning. Of course, if I don’t put a lot of effort into it, that will be evident too. If a person doesn’t put in the time it takes to build or cook or make or prepare something well, it’ll be clear. If my catechism students don’t put in the required amount of work it takes to learn what they are supposed to know, it’s not going to be too hard to tell that they didn’t put in the effort.
As you read through the four gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, what is immediately evident is that he put in a lot of effort! The majority of the first four books of the New Testament covers only the last three years of his life. And in that small amount of time he performed countless miracles, preached numerous sermons, taught any number of crowds, healed hundreds - perhaps thousands - of people, he was constantly on the move, he was continually praying, and it seems that he didn’t even take one day off that entire time. Jesus put in a lot of effort. And the portion of Scripture that we have for our study this morning is a great example of that. In the first chapter of Mark we see that Jesus gave every effort to tirelessly care for his people and to continually preach to his people.
But this portion of Mark chapter one isn’t usually a section of the Bible that gets a whole lot of press, so to speak. Because the things that Jesus did here aren’t all that unique - comparatively speaking. He healed Peter’s mother-in-law and welcomed a large crowd and cured their diseases and cast out demons and went away by himself to pray in these verses, but he did all of those things plenty of other times in other chapters in other books. The events themselves that Mark records for us here aren’t all that distinctive compared to what Jesus normally did throughout his ministry. But the little details of these verses, the particulars that surround the story line make this text an interesting part of the Bible because we see how much effort Jesus spent tirelessly caring for his people.
At the beginning of this story Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue in Capernaum and went to Peter and Andrew’s house. There, Jesus immediately healed Peter’s mother-in-law by simply taking her by the hand and helping her up. Soon after, other people started to come. And whether the townspeople heard about this recent miracle or simply followed him from the synagogue, they all wanted to see Jesus in action. In fact, Mark says that “The whole town gathered at the door.” But did you notice when this happened? It wasn’t in the morning or following lunch in the afternoon, “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and the demon-possessed.” It was pitch black outside! The sun had gone down and everyone in the town was still bringing people to Jesus. And remember, this is 2000 years ago. There were no street lamps to light the way. There were no overhead lights inside the house. When it was dark, it was dark. People usually didn’t stay up all that long after the sun went down, and if they did, they had to get around by candlelight or oil lamp. But here all of these people are, crowding around Simon and Andrew’s house, waiting to see Jesus. And Jesus welcomes them all. He heals all of their sick and casts out all of the demons. He didn’t send them home. He didn’t tell them to wait until morning. He didn’t call it a night because he was exhausted. He tirelessly cared for his people and put in the effort so that they all got what they needed.
We don’t know how long into the night Jesus was there miraculously healing all of those who needed it. But the entire town had gathered around that house and I’m sure that everyone who had something as simple as a common cold to those who had more life-threatening diseases wanted to see him. And if I were in that crowd and I had some kind of sickness or disease or pain or problem, I know I wouldn’t leave until I saw this man. I doubt anyone left early. And so the crowd must have been satisfied. Jesus certainly didn’t turn anyone away who needed his help. And although we don’t know how long that might have taken, we do know what happened next.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Jesus stays up the night before healing all of these people, and instead of sleeping in the next morning, instead of trying to regain some of that energy, he gets up before dawn so that he could go off by himself and pray! And although what he prayed for is not indicated, it would not be out of the ordinary to think that Jesus prayed for his people. He prayed for his children on numerous occasions and so it is likely that they found their way into his prayers on this particular morning as well. And so while everyone else was still sleeping, Jesus, the one who did all the work the night before, was by himself praying for them. He gave every effort. He ignored his own needs and fully committed himself to the needs of others and the will of his Father. Without a doubt, Jesus tirelessly cared for his people.
We put a lot of effort into many of the things that we do in our lives, don’t we? We try hard and we put in the time for the things we care about. But our effort isn’t always motivated by the right reasons. We tirelessly care at times, but not always for others and not always for the glory of the Lord; we tirelessly care about ourselves. I may put in a lot of effort into producing a sermon every week. But it’s not always and only because I want to give the honor and glory to the Lord that’s due him. Sometimes my efforts are partly motivated by the fact that you will know if I don’t put in the effort and I don’t want to be embarrassed by presenting something to you that is less than acceptable! Sometimes the effort you put into building something or cooking something or making something or preparing something isn’t always motivated by wanting to use the skills God has given you to the best of your abilities for his glory. Sometimes you’re motivated by the satisfaction you get by doing a job well done or you want someone to be proud of what you’ve accomplished or you’re hoping for a little appreciation for your work or you have to put in the effort because your boss will notice if you don’t or you try to do it well because you don’t want to damage your good name… And I might be wrong, but if my catechism students take the time to learn their memory work, I’m sure it’s not only because they want to broaden their knowledge of Scripture, I’m sure some of their efforts are motivated by their parents’ commands and their pastor’s expectations or his possible disappointments if they don’t do it.
And we could go on and on - but every example we could list would be just as sad. It would just put out further that we automatically do things for ourselves, not for others. We automatically do things for ourselves, not even for the Lord, so that we can gain some benefit from our efforts in some way. Our attitude is exactly the opposite of the attitude Jesus shows us here in the book of Mark. He was completely selfless. We are completely selfish. He was ever-giving. We are always looking to take. He was tirelessly caring for his people. We are tirelessly caring for ourselves.
And Jesus knows that. Jesus knows that’s the way we are. Not that he’s OK with it or excuses our behavior in any way, but he realizes that those sinfully selfish motivations infect us all. And so because of that, Jesus didn’t stop with healing diseases and driving out demons. He didn’t simply cure illnesses and tirelessly care for his people’s physical needs. Jesus continually preached to his people as well. “Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so I can preach there also. That is why I went out.’ So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” Jesus didn’t come just to heal the sick; he came to heal the sick in soul. And so he preached. He preached all over Galilee and in all of their synagogues. And what did he preach? The only thing he ever preached: the gospel.
From the rest of Scripture we know that Jesus went and preached to the people about who he was. He told them that he was the Messiah, he was the one Moses and the prophets wrote about, he was the Son of God, he was the Christ. Jesus preached that he was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that he was the Good Shepherd, that he was the Door, the Gate, and the Vine. Jesus preached that the only way of salvation was through him. Jesus preached that he was the Living Water and the Bread of Life. He preached that his own disciple would betray him, that he would be handed over to the chief priests and teachers of the law, that he would actually be murdered, but that three days later he would rise from the dead. Jesus preached about a sacrifice, about a payment, and about forgiveness. Jesus continually preached to his people about the gospel because that’s what they needed to hear. The miraculous healings didn’t really matter all that much. The casting out of demons didn’t really accomplish anything in the end. But his preaching did. His proclamation of the Word of God worked in hearts and brought his people to faith in their Savior. His Word offered free forgiveness and eternal salvation to all who believed. His continuous announcements of the Good News saved souls.
Jesus made every effort. Not just to preach but to actually do. Because he preached about what he would accomplish, after all. And whatever he preached invariably happened. And it took a lot of effort to do it. For three straight years he went non-stop without a break. He tirelessly cared for his people. He continually preached to his people. He faced temptations, hate, and pain. And then at the end, at the finale, he gave so much effort he gave up his life! And it was all for you and for the glory of his Father in heaven. It wasn’t for himself. He didn’t take some sort of sick pleasure out of suffering and dying and carrying all of the sins of all people on his shoulders. He even prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that if it was his Father’s will: that the suffering he was about to experience be taken from him. No, everything that Jesus did was for you. So that you could be forgiven. So that you would be saved. And you are.
The effort that Christ gave for us puts our efforts into a little different perspective, doesn’t it? When I sit down to prepare a sermon and I remember the effort that the Lord has put in for me, I can gladly and joyfully do my work in his Word to his glory alone. When you build or cook or make or prepare or present something, and you remember all of the effort that the Lord went through for you, you can more readily do the things you do out of thanks to God. When my catechism students do their memory work, when you read your Bibles or have devotions at your home and remember everything Christ has done for you, it’s an honor to immerse yourself in the Word of God that saves you. When we go about our lives - in whatever we do, whatever we say, and whatever we think - remembering how much effort the Lord put into our forgiveness and salvation, and how much effort he still spends on us to this day - we can faithfully and energetically live our lives in praise to our Savior instead of for ourselves. Jesus’ efforts will motivate your own because Jesus’ efforts will bring you home. His work in this life is your rest in the next. His commitment to you here is your salvation with him forever. Thanks the Lord for his efforts. Because on account of his efforts for you, your efforts aren’t for your salvation; they are because of your salvation.
Amen.

“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” - 2 Thess. 3:5