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February 5, 2006 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (B) Rev. Timothy P. Schehr Job 7:1-7 X 1 Cor 9:16-23 X Mark 1:29-39
The patience of Job is the stuff of legend. In the face of hardships that would crush other people Job rose above his pain and declared his faith in God. Everyone knows his famous line about God giving and God taking away.
But in the first reading for this Sunday we hear from a Job who does not seem so patient. He complains about the aches and pains of everyday life. In the last line of the reading he even declares confidently that he will never know happiness again.
One of the thrills of reading Job’s book is the power of its imagery. We have a good example in Job’s image of the weaver’s shuttle that moves quickly back and forth across the threads on a loom. Job imagines his life to be moving like that shuttle on the loom. And his hold on life is not much stronger than one of those threads.
Here we see Job early on in his journey through suffering. He has to wade through a lot of feelings on the way, and it is pretty obvious from this reading that Job is feeling blue. But Job grows more confident about life and God as his book proceeds. In the end his faith will see him through. Every reader knows that other famous line from Job, the one in which he says he knows that his Redeemer lives.
Peter’s mother-in-law may have been familiar with the book of Job. If so she was fortunate enough to see the Redeemer Job could only hope for. The Gospel reading gives the account of her healing. Jesus takes her hand and brings her to her feet completely cured from the fever that once sapped all her strength. This healing miracle is one of the first Mark tells us about.
Her healing is testimony to the wonderful gifts Jesus brought into the world. But like any miracle of the Lord it has a deeper purpose. It alerts those who witness it to seek healing on a deeper level. Physical healings are limited by time; spiritual healings lead to eternal life.
Peter’s mother-in-law surely suffered from other fevers later in her life, and she certainly had to face death. But she seems to have understood the deeper meaning of her cure. We can conclude this from the way the miracle account ends. Mark tells us Peter’s mother-in-law waited on them. Out of gratitude she served the Lord. In this she becomes a model of service for others to follow.
As soon as the Sabbath law was no longer in effect, the people brought their sick family members and friends to house where Jesus was. Word must have gotten around very quickly about what Jesus had done for Peter’s family. Jesus healed many. But did they respond by serving the Lord as Peter’s mother-in-law did?
The next day everyone is looking for him again. But Jesus goes out to pray. And then he announces that he must move one to other places. Certainly he would work more miracles but he must also preach the word of God. That was the main thing. In time Simon and the rest would come to understand this.
In the second reading we see how Paul served the Lord. He takes every opportunity to preach the gospel. We hear his famous lines about becoming all things to all people in an effort to reach them with the word of God. Paul knew his Redeemer lives; Paul wanted everyone to share the eternal life offered by the Risen Lord. |
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