The 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; 23 who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; 31 but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:21-31 NRSV)

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. 35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." 38 He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons. (Mark 1:29-39 NRSV)


“FEVER OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN”

Years ago when I worked at the University of Iowa I was invited by my boss to attend a weekly meeting called Infectious Disease Grand Rounds. At it, doctors would present cases so that they could all learn from them, so they could become better doctors. Once they asked my boss a question about one of our projects and he turned to me for the answer. That was my moment to shine. My boss’s specialty was antibiotics. Another time Dr. Dennison, a pediatric infectious disease specialist presented a case with a cough, giving clues, letting the doctors figure it out as he went along. I figured it out quickly, because I have a laboratory rather than a clinical background, since it was cultured on Bordet-Gengou Agar. He even imitated the unique cough of the disease since it forces the sufferer to inhale sharply and make a “whooping” sound. It was pertussis, or Whooping Cough. I think that was the only time I was ahead of the doctors. Most of the time, though, I just listened and learned. One presentation was on fevers of unknown origin. They are fevers unlike most, which can be traced to a cause like an infection. Dr. Nassif said that he wished he had some colorful way of introducing the topic. I thought of the Peggy Lee song “Fever”.
This morning the Gospel reading has the story of a fever. At the beginning of Mark’s Gospel we are getting pictures of who Jesus is. This is one of those early pictures. He and the other disciples went to Simon’s house. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. We know nothing about it. They told Jesus about her and he took her by the hand and lifted her up and the fever left her. Then she was able to return to her life as it was before the illness and be hospitable to the guests. We do not know the cause of the fever, but we know how it left her. They brought others who were sick or afflicted by demons to Jesus and he healed them.
That is similar to the passage from Isaiah this morning. We are reminded that God is far above us. The heavens are like a curtain, we are like grasshoppers. God can bring the important things of the earth to nothing. Even the most important has only a brief life and then is gone. And the reverse is true. Because of God’s greatness, because God does not grow weary, God can lift up the faint and the weak. Those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. Despite this greatness, God cares about us.
There is an additional picture of Jesus in this gospel passage. He went out early to a deserted place to pray. The disciples were looking for him and found him. They tell him that people are looking for him. His response is not anger at the interruption, but to tell them of his plan to go to other towns, to other people and take care of their needs. Not only does he have the power to heal far beyond that of the doctors of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, he, like Simon’s mother-in-law, lives to serve. Despite his great power, he cares for people.
Things can stop us from doing what we want in life or being able to do something that serves others. This is a simple lesson that we, or others on our behalf can bring our need to God, who has great power to act for us, power to restore us to being well or doing well. The list is long of those things that interrupt our lives, it includes illnesses, attitudes, losses, circumstances that can stop our lives as we know them.
What Jesus did reminds us that there are times we need to be away from all the activity. This was something important for him to do. This was prayer, not merely rest, though it probably restored him in many ways. And yet, when the need arose, he was ready.
Sometimes we need to be reminded when those things that limit us are under our own power. There are times we are kept from some things by our own decisions. Scott Walker is a pastor from Texas who learned this phase from a friend: “Every time you say yes to one thing, you say no to another.”
It has helped him be more thoughtful about such things like invitation to speak in the community. But to say yes to it meant that he would not have a day off, in order to restore his energy from the week and spend time with his family. So in the end he said no thanks. It has helped him consider what he needs to do to make the priorities in his life possible and to decide what are priorities.
God’s power is present in our lives in many ways to restore us, so that we, like him, may continue to bring the Kingdom of God into the world around us. Part of that power might be in helping us understand what is really important and what we can leave behind. Knowing our purpose in life can help us make other decisions. Jesus put God first and others second in how he lived. He responded to needs but was not overwhelmed by them. When Jesus said yes to prayer, it helped him be able to say yes to the people who needed him.
When circumstances, like a fever, afflict us and are not under our control, we can be restored to health and purpose. God does this in many ways. This is one of the stories that emerged from the ten years after the attacks of 9/11. Steve and Liz Alderman were in France on that day. As news came in, they were able to get in touch with two of their three children. Peter, sadly, had been at a meeting on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center. As they mourned his loss, they found out that he had many friends, because they found that he valued people. Steve retired from his practice as a radiation oncologist and Liz gave up her artwork under the weight of grief. Their lives came to a standstill. Eventually they realized the severity of the depression and found that they could either never move again or start to get back to life in small steps. With time purpose came back into their lives. They also became aware of how many people in the world suffered disasters or mass violence without any help. They set up a foundation in Peter’s honor to train physicians in war- and disaster-torn countries around the world to treat not only the bodies of their patients, but also their emotions. In direct ways and through people, God is still healing all around us.
The Scripture readings for today tell us of a powerful God who is also a caring God. Where are we weak? Let us wait upon the Lord and we will renew our strength. When are we sick? Jesus will lift us up. This is so our lives and God’s purposes will continue. Illness and disaster do not rule the world; God does. What does Jesus have for us when he is a guest in our house? Renewed strength, renewed life.