MARK 1:29-39 MEDITATION - Part 1
This passage begins with ‘and’ 1 thus linking this episode closely to the previous one. Both take place on the same day, the Sabbath. The previous event took place in the synagogue; this takes place at a private residence. The usualness of the previous event was shattered by the startling revelation of the identity of Jesus "I know who you are, the Holy One of God" (Mark 1:24). Jesus gave everyone present confirmation of his divine nature by showing the power given to him. The episode under consideration gives further, more extensive, confirmation of the same.
This episode takes place at the home of Simon and Andrew. The account shifts from an official public place of prayer and worship to the private residence of two disciples. The action of God enters all domains, both private and public, and it is unstoppable. Viewing events from the perspective of the religious leaders of the time Jesus had no mandate to operate outside official structures. Of course, his mandate came from a higher authority, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). We, too, need not wait for an official mandate which may never come. We already have a mandate “so I send you”. 2 Having said that each person must be acutely aware of the fact that Christ is the foundation on which we are to build and we must take heed of the warning not to deviate from the teaching of the truth. Truth and Christ are one and to betray the one is also to betray the other
As he came out of the synagogue Jesus probably left many outside talking about what they had just witnessed. He does not stay behind to bask in the glory and appreciation of the crowd but makes his way immediately towards the house of Simon, later to be called Peter, and his brother Andrew. These early disciples are becoming a closely knit group around their leader.
‘As soon as they left the synagogue’. Without wasting time they made their way to Peter’s house. The quick pace of Mark is evident everywhere (vv. 1:23, 29, 30). Immediately the possessed shouted out in the synagogue, immediately they left the synagogue, immediately they told him. Jesus and his disciples are not time wasters, they get down to business! However, they are not completely absorbed in frenetic activism. We have seen Jesus going out into the wilderness to be alone in prayer, as a faithful Jew in the synagogue, and now, in this passage, we see him at night withdrawing into communion with the Father (v.35). Prayer and action are intimately combined. Prayer nurtures action and action is the result of prayer. It is only in prayer, in the presence of God, that we can discern the will of God and if we are serious about our lives then we are serious about doing the will of God and not our own.
In this new episode there is a further impressive demonstration of the authority and power of Jesus confirming both his identity and mission. This episode takes place immediately after worship in the synagogue suggesting that worship, prayer and action go hand in hand. The message is clear. If our worship and the teaching we receive do not spill out into our private corner of the world and profoundly influence our conduct there is something wrong. Church attendance is not a mask that is put on for one hour a week and to be taken off when we get home. It should equip us for service. The essential link between this and the previous episode is the presence of Jesus. Those who were in the presence of Jesus and his healing power in the synagogue brought him home to heal their private domestic world and the larger world of the whole city. This presence continues and the healing process continues in humble service to humanity at large. The presence and the healing are one, they are inseparable. Jesus gives himself in his healing. The gifts always come with the giver. We do not have a father Christmas Jesus who secretly comes down the chimney when everyone is asleep, places his nicely wrapped presents at the foot of the tree only to disappear as secretly as he came. He comes when everyone is wide awake; he knocks on the door and shares our common humanity. He only asks us to let him in.
Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. (Revelation 3:20)
Everyone who opens the door to him, who welcomes him in can enjoy his fruitful presence and healing. Jesus did not come to do away with suffering. It is still with us. He did not come to explain suffering. He does not indulge in abstract philosophy. He came to suffer (Mark 8:31). He came to identify with our suffering and now he comes to fill our suffering with his presence. 3 It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to rise above our suffering, it is the presence of Christ that bears the weight of our suffering and it is the Father who reassures us in our suffering that we are held safely in his hands and asks us to trust as we walk in his presence. When we are aware of this and trust in him we experience that freedom which is ours in Christ. It is only then that we can we experience joy even in suffering: “In your presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). Not partial joy but ‘fullness’ of joy. There are no half-measures with our heavenly Father.
He is also inviting you and I to experience that healing. To you, too, he is saying:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28)
‘He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up’. This he does with anyone who places his trust in him and remains in his presence. He will take you, too, by the hand and when he does he will lift you up above your circumstances to experience his presence and joy:
I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete (John 15:11)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you (John 14:27)
It is not any peace or joy but the very peace and joy of Christ himself and so long as we are united to Jesus his life, peace and joy will be ours
Jesus entered the house of Simon, later called Peter. Jesus is eager to enter into the house of those who open their door to him, he shuns no one (John 6:37). And the house that welcomes Jesus is immediately blessed. The Holy Land is not 'holy' because, the earth, grass, water and air have any particular holiness in themselves. They are holy because there has been and still is the presence of the risen Lord. So it is with the house where the presence of Jesus is welcome. Jesus entered many houses to bring healing; he entered the house of Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector (Luke 19:5) and he entered the house of Jairus, whose daughter died and whom Jesus brings back to life (Mark 5:35-42). If you, the reader of these words, have not let Jesus enter the intimacy of your home do so as soon as possible as he can satisfy all your needs and those of your household. He shall make things new and bring harmony, order and stability. He will take you by the hand, lift you and your household up and together you shall begin a fascinating journey. You, too, like Jesus in this episode, can be channels of the love, mercy, compassion and freedom of God for others as he transforms you on the way. Are you immersed in the culture of death unable to free yourself from something that has taken control of your life? Then stand in the presence of Jesus, welcome him into your home, into your heart for he has come to set you free:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free (Luke 4:18)
It is difficult to read this passage of Mark’s Gospel without associating it with the verses in Exodus where God hears the cries of his people
Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians (Exodus 3:7,8)
Once again, in Jesus Christ, he has ‘come down’ ‘to lift us up’, to deliver us, his people, from the oppression of suffering and evil. Jesus identifies with the oppressed. One might well ask ‘where is God?’ when there is suffering. The answer is quite simple: he is right there in the midst of national disasters and equally present in personal suffering. In the passage we see illness as an evil to be fought and defeated; this is the Kingdom of God in action. We also see the importance of the home as a centre of Christian witness and evangelisation, a centre of the power of God in action but as a complement to official structures not in opposition to them.
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NOTES
1 The Greek word καί, translated ‘and’, is often not translated
2 Cfr. Pope Francis’ homily at the closing Mass of the eighth world meeting of families, Philadelphia, Sunday, 27 September 2015. The readings at Mass were Numbers 11:25-29 and Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48: “In the first reading, Joshua tells Moses that two members of the people are prophesying, speaking God’s word, without a mandate. In the Gospel, John tells Jesus that the disciples had stopped someone from casting out evil spirits in the name of Jesus. Here is the surprise: Moses and Jesus both rebuke those closest to them for being so narrow! Would that all could be prophets of God’s word! Would that everyone could work miracles in the Lord’s name! … But the temptation to be scandalized by the freedom of God, who sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike (Mt 5:45), bypassing bureaucracy, officialdom and inner circles, threatens the authenticity of faith. Hence it must be vigorously rejected. Once we realize this, we can understand why Jesus’ words about causing “scandal” are so harsh. For Jesus, the truly “intolerable” scandal is everything that breaks down and destroys our trust in the working of the Spirit! … Jesus says, “Do not hold back anything that is good, instead help it to grow!” To raise doubts about the working of the Spirit, to give the impression that it cannot take place in those who are not “part of our group”, who are not “like us”, is a dangerous temptation. Not only does it block conversion to the faith; it is a perversion of faith!”. Vatican website
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150927_usa-omelia-famiglie.html, site visited 13 March 2025.
3 The French poet and playwright Paul Claudel wrote: “Dieu seul, directement interpellé et mis en demeure, était en état de répondre, et l'interrogatoire était si énorme que le Verbe seul pouvait le remplir en fournissant non pas une explication, mais une présence; suivant cette parole de l'Évangile: « Je ne suis pas venu expliquer, dissiper les doutes avec une explication, mais remplir, c'est-à-dire remplacer par ma présence le besoin même de l'explication». Le Fils de Dieu n'est pas venu pour détruire la souffrance, mais pour souffrir avec nous. Il n'est pas venu pour détruire la croix, mais pour s'étendre dessus”. Paul Claudel Dialogues avec la souffrance. Letter À Mademoiselle Suzanne Fouché.
http://enpassant-englanant.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/en-souffrant-paul-claudel-les-invites.html . Site visited 13 March 2025.
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Mark 1:29-39 Text and Questions
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