As I read over our Gospel lesson from this morning, I was struck by the crowds of people traveling to meet Jesus. I mean, think about the significance of what they are doing in this snippet from the book of Mark.
First, remember, these folks have left their jobs to be with Jesus. Why is this so significant? Well, because most of these folks are the working poor. They have almost nothing, and in order to simply eat, they must work. Every day was needed to scrape together even a modest amount of income so that they could pay off their taxes to Rome and, if they were lucky afford staples so that they could feed themselves and their families. Taking even one day off was a luxury most of them could not afford. And despite this, they traveled to meet Jesus.
Second, remember a lot of these folks were considered to be sinners. When Jesus arrived on the scene, people believed you could measure how much God loved you. You could measure it by how much wealth you had, how much health you had, and how much status you had with the movers and shakers of the day. If you were poor, it meant God hadn’t blessed you because you were a sinner. If you were sick or maimed or had leprosy, it meant God gave you the illnesses because you or your family member had sinned. If you didn’t have status with the movers and shakers it meant God had destined you to a life of servitude because you were not worthy. The majority of the people who came to see Jesus fit just these categories: the poor and social outcasts. They had been taught that God had rejected them. But they also knew Jesus was from God–they hoped He would speak to them, to heal them even though they had been told God didn’t love them. Even with these seeds of misgiving sowed in their lives, they traveled to meet Jesus.
Finally, there were those in society who tried to paint Jesus as the bad guy. They worked diligently among the people spreading rumors and falsehoods. They tried to tell everyone Jesus was actually demon possessed and crazy. They tried to tell everyone Jesus was a servant of the devil. They tried to tell everyone that Jesus was not a prophet of God because He didn’t follow the Mosaic Law. Rumor after rumor was started about Jesus to discredit Him and make Him look bad. But many more people ignored the rumors than heeded them. Many more people traveled to meet Jesus.
Why? Despite all these things which built walls intended to keep people away, crowds and crowds of people traveled to see Jesus. They ran around lakes to beat boats to the opposite shore. When He arrived in a particular area, word spread like wildfire so that Jesus and His disciples didn’t have time to eat. When they were in need of rest, the crowd still sought them out. Entering a town or village meant immediate bombardment with people bringing the sick and ill and paralyzed. Tons of people flocked to see Jesus breaking down psychological, emotional, physical, and religious barriers to do so. Why?
As I read these texts, one thing jumps out at me. And it might not be what you expect. Of course, we know Jesus brought God’s Word to the people. Jesus told them of God’s great love for them despite the fact the rest of society considered them sinners. Jesus told those who were sick and ill, "This illness isn’t caused by sin. God isn’t punishing you. God loves you." Jesus told those who were poor and widowed and orphaned, "God hasn’t turned His back on you. In your poverty, God is with you, and you will be blessed with riches." These things, I am sure won over some converts, but there was something that solidified Jesus’ place in the peoples’ hearts. Not only did Jesus tell them that God loved them, He showed them. He healed them. Jesus touched them, and their illness left them. They grabbed the hem of His garments, and they were healed. Illness, disease, and demon was rebuked by Jesus, and people were restored. Healing made the difference.
As I contemplated this, I began to wonder about the church today. I began to wonder about how people act toward congregations and worship services and activities a the church. I began to look around and see if people travel from all over to see Jesus. I began to wonder if people stop all the other things demanding for their attention and travel to be with Jesus on Sunday mornings or any other time Christians gather. I began to wonder if people cast aside rumors about pastors and other people of faith and head to worship services. I began to wonder if people break through psychological, emotional, physical, and religious barriers to enter the doors of our congregations to meet Jesus. And I wasn’t convinced they were doing so. I wasn’t convinced people make the same effort to get to church that those people made to see Jesus.
And before I asked the question of why, I asked myself this, "When is the last time you thought about going to church to experience healing?" Think about that for a moment.
Now, I’m not trying to come across as one of those Benny Hinn types. Not by a long shot. I personally don’t put too much faith in that sort of healing. In fact, I’m actually right there with Larry the Cable Guy when he talks about such things in The Blue Collar Comedy Tour. He says, "You show me in the Bible where the Lord comes up to somebody and smacks them in the head. That ain’t nowhere in there, not even in the red words. And them’s the important ones." No. I’m not talking about those kind of faith healings. If God chooses to heal that way, I’m sure He can. But what I would like to talk about is healing in the since of being made whole.
It’s really important to understand Jesus’ healings in this manner. Not only did Jesus heal a person’s physical ailment, but He healed that person’s relationship with God and with the community. Whenever Jesus healed a leper, He showed the leper and society that God loved this person. Jesus showed the leper was forgiven and was in a right relationship with God. By curing the disease, the leper could return to society, to work, and to his family. Healing meant restoration in mind, body, and spirit. All worked together to make a person whole–to really bring about healing.
And if we think of healing in this fashion, again, I ask the question, "When is the last time you thought about going to church to experience healing?" And here’s the question that started to bother me a little more, "Are our congregations places where people actually experience the healing touch of Jesus? When people walk through the doors of our congregations: broken, hurting, humiliated, angry, estranged, questioning and hopeless, do they find the compassion of Jesus? Do they find the hope Jesus gives? Do they find a peace that passes all understanding? Do they find a ray of light in their darkness? Do they find someone, anyone who will tell them, "Jesus loves you. Jesus cares deeply for what you are going through in your life right now. Jesus wants to show you He cares, and He wants to reach out and touch you to bring you healing. Jesus wants to make you whole and give you strength to face what you must face."? Do hurting people find healing in our congregations?
And what if our congregations became such places? What if our congregations became places where people could walk in with their pain; with their frustration; with their stress and anxiety and find healing? What if they knew they could encounter a group of people willing to pray for them and touch them and have compassion upon them no matter what they had or hadn’t done? What if they knew they could encounter Jesus just by simply walking through those doors back there and into this worship space? Would people travel from miles and miles around to see Jesus? Amen.
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