They say that so much of being well or being sick is related to our peace of mind. I’m climbing out on a limb early today because someone is going to wonder if I am saying that all sickness is caused by unhappiness. I am not saying that all sickness is caused by unhappiness. I am saying that some sickness is caused by unhappiness. There is a life force within us that has been placed there by God. And a death force also entered our lives through the story of sin.
When you are young, the life force seems boundless. Its amazing how young people stay up all night, eat only candy and live quite happily. The life force is almost unquenchable for many people in their teen years.
The balance between life and death in our lives for most of us starts serious testing after age 40. And while you cannot stop many oppressions in life from occurring, your emotional response can have a lot of bearing on your health. Something that I have to watch out for. Right now, I’m mad at both Bank of America and Chase. But I don’t want to let my mind just dwell on those issues or they will end up controlling my happiness. Are you going to let Bank of America rob you of a day of happiness. That my friends, is the death instinct overpowering the life instinct.
Today we look at Jesus in a battle against illness. It’s a fascinating study of the life instinct overcoming the death instinct. It doesn’t solve every illness. But its an incredible event that will help you pray for the life instinct, for healing, and for steady progress to eternal life
Ever since Jesus called the demons out of the possessed man in Capernaum, the people would not leave him alone. News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. The people began pressing upon him with their problems, bringing him their diseased to be healed. He was face to face with the death instinct. Someone here may not be just helping another. You may face the death instinct yourself in some battle with your job, battle with your personal demons.
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed."
Jesus knew that he needed help. He knew that he could not live in this world without God. If he was forever going to be giving out, he must sometimes be taking in. He also knew that he didn't have to. Not when the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise God, his loving Father was ever present, ready to provide, whatever he needed, whenever he needed it, however he needed it. All he had to do was ask. The Bible says we have not because we ask not. If we ask, we will receive.
That's what prayer is. Prayer is coming to God. Prayer is seeking God. Prayer is the appeal of the soul to God. Prayer is standing before God as "an empty pitcher before a full fountain." Prayer is connecting with God who is the power source. Prayer is opening ourselves up to God for nourishment, as the flowers and trees open up to their environment: the air, the sunlight, and the rain. Not to pray is to be guilty of the incredible folly of ignoring the possibility of adding God to our limited resources.
Although Jesus lived in unbroken fellowship with God, it was his regular habit to devote the early morning hours of the day to prayer. Though he practiced God's presence at all times, he did not neglect an early morning rendezvous with God. A rendezvous is a meeting at an appointed place and time. To have a rendezvous with someone is not to leave the meeting to chance. It's setting a date, a time, a place to meet, and it's keeping our appointment, whatever the cost.
Let's be totally honest, shall we? Most of our meetings with God are not planned. Our prayers are occasional, spontaneous, spur of the moment prayers. If we meet with God, it's usually an emergency or a crisis. Our backs are up against the wall, bills are due, a child is sick, it’s the end of the semester and there are exams to take, too many papers to write, too many proposals to get in, we need help. I know what I’ll do, we say, we’ll call God. If the truth be told, we have tried everything else, now we will try God.
Something came up so we had to take time to talk with God. That's no way to carry on a relationship with the lover of our souls and the one we say we love above all else. If you love God, why not take time to talk to God and let God talk to you. Because God is our best friend, there isn't anything that we can't tell God, ask God about or let God know about.
Jesus didn't leave his meeting with God to chance. It appears from this text that he had an appointed time and place. It appears that Jesus' favorite time for his rendezvous with God was early morning. Some of us wouldn't think of starting our day without breakfast, but we start the day without God. We wouldn't dare leave the house without a shower, but we leave without a serious time of prayer. Why can't we get up? I know! You’re tired. We try to pray at night, but that doesn't work. We end up nodding on our knees, falling asleep on the pillow, cutting God off in the middle of a sentence.
Let me tell you something. The morning Jesus got up before dawn to pray was the morning after the busiest day of his brief ministry. He deserved to sleep late after such a grueling day, but he did not. He got up! It takes discipline to get up in the morning and it takes desire. The kind of desire that David expressed in Psalms 63:1: God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you My body longs for you In a dry and weary land Where there is no water.
When I was growing up and would get all bent out of shape about certain things that were going on in my life, my mother used to tell me, to go somewhere and get quiet, be still so I can hear from God. It's when we are still and listening to God that God speaks to our soul. Has God not told us in his Word: "Be still and know that I am God."
Hush, Hush, somebody's calling my name. Hush, Hush, somebody's calling my name. Hush, Hush, somebody's calling my name. Oh my Lord, Oh my Lord, what shall I do?
Observance of sabbath law rather than climate is reflected in the fact that people waited till the evening to bring their sick and deranged to Jesus. The sabbath ended at sunset, so such work was acceptable in the evening. 1:32-34 is a short summary through which Mark tells us that the two kinds of activities, exorcism and healing, which he has recounted as events on the first day were typical. They were repeated in the evening and on following days. Notice how Mark carefully builds links to what has gone before and what follows. Crowds at the door – we shall find that happening again in 2:2. Demons who knew him – this recalls the incident in the synagogue, but also recalls what they knew, namely the truth set forth in the baptism.
Altogether, 1:29-34 tells us why the kingdom is good news: people are healed and set free. One strong form of future hope among the prophets and later Jewish writings is that God will bring liberation and healing. We find it in Isaiah 61:1; 35:5-6; 29:18-19 and elsewhere. Here in Jesus’ ministry it is happening. So the events are important both in themselves and in what they symbolize.
Jesus did not heal every person who was sick in Israel. But he does heal in the here and now and he sets up a channel with God as an example to us. Keeping the life instinct vibrant in your life is what everyone can claim right now. It’s a great afternoon. Why doesn’t someone leave this service and take a walk in Central Park? You say that you have chores. You’re tired from yesterday. Yes, but if you were meeting your best friend after some absence, you’d ignore your feelings. Don’t you have an appointment with God coming up? If you took the time today, do you really think that God would miss the meeting? Oh my Lord, Oh my Lord, what shall I do?
