by Charlie Love
Mark 1: 29-39
Its a good thing Jesus was hungry: because, at first glance, that might seem to have been the reality that occasioned todays opening story, one of the first healing miracles in the Gospel of Mark Jesus- along with Simon, Andrew, James and John, had been out at the synagogue: and, there, last weeks story, theyd had a longer morning than theyd anticipated. A bit of preaching: yes, but also a man with an unclean spirit to be healed: and, with that, the working out and sharing of what we now recognize as a radical theological update, by which, Jesus, arguing that God doesnt cause sickness or suffering, invites the congregation to start to recognize some of the things that do- some of the socio, economic and political realities that create stress that can manifest in physiological illness -the pain of injustice conscribing lifes great purposes and potentials being realized . A lot to say and, we can imagine, by the time that sermon was over, everyone- including the preacher, was hungry. Straight home, in to the kitchen they go and theres nothing on the stove! And the cook Simon Peters mother-in-law is nowhere to be found! Quick search THERE she is In bed? In the middle of the day? With (how did she call it?) a fever! Jesus is summoned. He goes upstairs, takes her by the hand and helps her get back on her feet: and, tickitty-boo, shes back at waiting hand and foot on the hungry horde (of men- we might note) who otherwise might well have starved to death for want of knowing how to boil water!
Worthy motive for a miracle? I dont think so! Surely, theres more going on here than just that: and indeed, as soon as you put the story into the context of the flow of the drama of the week as it is unfolding in Marks first chapter, some real, weighty and important stuff, comes clear, is happening
Along with all the good stuff - Jesus arriving at the Sea of Galilee and re-connecting with his four fishermen, activist, community organizer friends and his managing to enlist them as partners for change challenging Empires exploitation and injustice in church and society- theres some hard stuff happening: especially for mother-in-law . Lets see if we cant empathize with her for a second and maybe see what it really was that knocked the wind out of her sails Weve got to begin, I think, by not glossing over the reality that as we meet her shes obviously living in Simon Peters house: not her own place! That tells us two things: one - that she was a widow (otherwise shed be with her man) and, two, that she (tragically) didnt have any son of her own to move in with! Poor dearie- how many Biblical stories dont remind us what a disgrace that was, still, in her day So, shes living with her daughter and her son-in-law to whom, we might imagine her feeling deeply indebted, for his taking her in- a kindness well exceeding any defined social or religious obligation Two weeks ago, we told the story of this widows son-in-law and his fishermen friends forming a co-op, a koinonia, or, as we might think of it, fishermens union, designed to stop the Roman monopolization of the fishing industry at the expense of local indigenous fishermen. Heady stuff- bordering on what the Romans would call sedition- fear of arrest never far from, at least mother-in-laws, mind .anxious days both as she worried about the boys and as she worried about what would happen to her and her daughter IF the gang was arrested or, worse yet, crucified. Let us remember that the status of women, and especially widows, in Roman society of the day was about as low as ever the status of women could be Simon Peter was her life-line! And now, it suddenly looked like HE was about to leave! He had agreed to take off with Jesus- going goodness knows where or for how long and, we can imagine Mom, quite rightly wondering, if any of them would ever make it home again And, adding to her anxiety even more, some scholars suggest that her own daughter had, by this point, probably made up her mind to go trekking off with Simon- one of the women[1] that accompanied the band of disciples wherever they went . Humm- I think were beginning to understand why this woman, skipping church that day (we might note), choosing to stay at home alone, exhausted in the lonely silence of an empty house, might be, suddenly, overwhelmed by anxiety, might collapse in bed: and, in a fit, cry herself into a state of hot and bothered- a fever that left her limp!
Jesus is dispatched to see what he might do for her and up the stairs he goes Then, it says he took by the hand and lifted her up. He didnt lay his hand upon her in any kind of paternalistic way There! There! Dearie, dear! Theres no hint of Jesus giving her an authoritative push- as if shoving her out of bed. Theres no threat or violence to it It says he took her by the hand. Touching hands, joining hands, even shaking hands, then as now, was a gesture of intimacy, connection, friendship, support, a deal being sealed- some kind of new or renewed relationship or partnership among equals being acknowledged
What was this new deal? you ask. John Morrison, professor of New Testament Studies at Harvard explains as he talks about the New Community that was the beginning of the church. In the year 251A.D., well after todays story- yes, but making statistical quantification of a reality that I argue is born in this story, Morrison tells us that according to a roll of the membership of the church in Rome the church had 46 presbyters and 56 exorcists and doorkeepers and a number of other people that they catalogued; seven of this and seven of that; quite a lot of people are in this catalogue. And, at the end, it says over 1,500 widows were on the roster of the church at Rome- as women being cared for by the church.[2]
When Jesus went upstairs to see Simon Peters mother-in-law, as he sat holding her hand listening to the weight of her woes (which we have speculatively identified), as he sat there offering his support and encouragement, I think that what Jesus told this woman was that he, and those of the fishermens union who would be staying around keeping things going, would make sure that she was OK! Whether at home or out on the road with us, youre part of the family and in this, Gods family, we all look after one another. The koinonia, the fishers union, the church- call it what you will, will look after you and you in turn can do your part keeping home base, this house, up and ready refuge and resting place for us and all in need . This was a job that Mother could rise to and, straight away, she was at it . People to be fed and she knew just the thing
Talk about a ministry of hospitality. The story goes on and suggests that, by nightfall, the whole city was at the door- one by one to be welcomed and each, no doubt, to receive not only healing from Jesus but such welcome and refreshment as was the norm in any good Jewish household of the day Not only had Jesus healed Simon Peters mother-in-law, by days end, he could glance her way and watch the healed healing others- and with a wink acknowledge the smile on her face.
As Jesus faded in exhaustion, she kept going! When he slipped away to find a deserted place a few moments alone to catch his breath, Jesus was soon found by the disciples. Everyone (neighbours, friends, guests Mom) is looking for you, they told him . And I can imagine Jesus chuckle in response, more than pleased to look over and see what was happening at the house All kinds of people, clean and unclean, Jews and Gentiles, the wealthy, the healthy, the sick and the poor, everyone it says, helping another, chatting away, passing plates of Kichelach as fast as they came out of the oven New Community? Community in deed! Dont be reading todays story like Jesus walked off and left all kinds of people waiting to be healed while he and the disciples went on to neighbouring towns ignoring them He KNEW, the church (wasnt called that yet, but- the church) would look after every one.
Jesus slew a lot of demons that night - taboos, the stranglehold of real and imagined fears, racial and class barriers, hang-ups and hurdles undermining lifes most glorious possibilities and, then, the last verse of todays story suggests that he was off to slay a lot more
There are 63 references to casting out demons in the Bible and all but 3 or 4 of them are stories reported in the text and times of the synoptic gospels. While the devil was always around in the story- from the moment of the temptation on- demons (a word of totally different derivation) seem to be something new, at this point, according to the Bible! Whats this about?
Garry Deverell, a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia, can help us understand He says: "One should remember that Mark is most likely writing his Gospel during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. For Mark, the demons symbolise the devastating effects of the Roman colonisation of Jewry. Poverty. Hunger. Disease. Mental illness. Despair. Distrust. Lies. Envy. Greed. Murder. War. The kinds of demons one can still see today in Africa, in South America and South Asia, and even here in Australia, amongst Aboriginal people and seekers of asylum.
It is instructive to note that it is not only Mark who took this view. It was also the view of the Christian communities which survived the destruction of Jerusalem, but continued to live under the yoke of Rome. In the second, third and fourth centuries, as the Church developed its baptismal rituals, and important part of the preparations was a regular liturgy of exorcism. Here the baptismal candidates, or catechumens as they were called then, would be questioned by the bishop with regard to the way they lived their lives. Here the key question was, Are you living your life under the fear of Rome, or are you turning your life towards the joy of Jesus? At each questioning, as the many layers of Rome and Roman influence were uncovered, there would be an exorcism, a liturgy in which the colonising demons would be symbolically cast out, and the catechumens ears and eyes sealed with cross against the reinvasion of the hordes.[3]
In his book Faith, Reason, and Compassion: A Philosophy of the Christian Faith, James Earl Gilman adds to our understanding explaining that:
- In the first century, Jews and Christians both perceived in the institutions and policies of the Roman Empire a demonic spirituality. They encountered the demonic power in specific institutions such as legions, governors, crucifixions, payment of tribute, Roman sacred emblems, and so forth. That, within the context of their ancient, pre-scientific world people should personify these evil powers as demonic beings should not surprise nor obscure the fact that the real spiritual forces that they were experiencing was emanating from an actual institution.[4]
Jonathan Z. Smith, President of the Society of Religious Literature at the University of Chicago, a professor specializing in Greco Roman Religion, suggests that demons are the reifications of human anxieties over what is uncertain, and they serve to identify the boundaries or liminalities (or rules) that those of lower social or political rank are expected to follow in deference to the dominant culture.[5]
Although the people of Israel had, many times, lived in subjugation, subservient to superior dominating, and enslaving powers, forces, beings and ideologies, the language of demons was something unheard of until it was encountered in Greco-Roman culture. In the philosophical constructs of Plato and Socrates, demons played an intermediary role as messengers connecting people and the Gods (much like angels- but, over time, understood as mythological and malevolent beings) Demons helped the Gods influence, control, use and abuse people for the advancement of their agenda- very much in the same way the powers of Imperial Rome and Empire tried to manipulate, exploit and control the Jews.
When Jesus and the disciples worked to cast out demons, what they did was try and help people break free of the propagandized fallacies by which the Romans kept them in line Simons mother-in-law- illustrative case in point. Roman culture told her that as a woman she was a nobody; as a widow she had no value; she was good only to be a servant - the lowest of the low and she should be grateful for that Every voice that reinforced this message- a demonic voice Eventually, the weight of many such voices wore down her self-image and sense of self-worth until, in defeat, her own inner voice- her sorely wounded ego- capitulated to the deprecating evaluation and convinced of her worthlessness she was a victim waiting to happen- worn out, collapsed, almost dead in bed (which is where we found her in todays story)
There, Jesus met her and, employing a technique repeatedly demonstrated in Mark chapter 1, by helping her name the demons possessing her, he helped her attain some mastery over them: in effect, casting them out or liberating her from their influence . Modern analogy expressed in more colloquial terms? Its like Jesus helped her see who and what influences were malevolently pulling her strings, what roadblocks in her life were real and which might ultimately be cast aside or perhaps even transformed- turned into stepping stones!
This is the ministry of casting out demons both as it was and as it yet needs to be exercised in our day And, make no mistake, there are demons all around playing with our minds, trying to influence our pocketbooks, attempting to shape our thinking, our values, our politics, our spending, our ambitions; trying to define for us limits and possibilities: what we take for joys and what we accept as satisfaction . The mind-control games of advertising, the cultivated culture of fear -mongered by law and order politicians, the doomsday scenarios wielded to persuade us of this or that political or economic reality, voices of Empire enlisting our aid, all the isms that protect privilege and exclusivity by defining how we see, or dont see, ourselves and others All the justs weve somehow learned to let limit us on account that Im just one person, just a woman, just one little customer who may have been ripped off but feels powerless to do anything about it Im too old! Im too young. Im not as rich and powerful as educated as Id need to be to chase my fondest dream or serve any higher calling... All the I needs that somehow distract us making us insatiable consumers- frenetically earning and spending leaving little time or energy for loves work and compassion, sharing the simple joys, contemplation, meditation or, even, appreciation Voices that define life and success both at home and, increasingly, at church- according to the criteria of some kind of business model instead of a relational reality- numbers and dollars, spread sheets and stats becoming voices of judgement and authority reigning in the Spirits call, circumventing more joy in heaven . Oh yes, my friends, be sure of it- in our personal lives, and in our life together, a lot of demons pull our strings and its time to claim the scissors and soar free- to live and be all that God imagines
So may the demons that control us be cast out and so may we help others live free!...in the name of life and living- so may it be. AMEN.
- Matthew 7:55 and other references
- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/why/appeal.html
- http://www.deaconsil.com/
- http://tinyurl.com/cjrqc4
- http://tinyurl.com/cvmvw4
(Comments to Charlie at rev_love@hotmail.com.)
St. Andrews United Church, Bayfield