Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome again to series 2 of Corona Chronicles where we're walking through Mark's gospel. And in today's episode, we're just gonna spend time looking at the incredible compassion of the lord Jesus, and this this part of his ministry. So if you wanna get an idea of who who who the mad was, then this is a great place to be. So this is chapter 1 verse 29. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and Jobs to the House of Simon and Andrew.

Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her as she began to wait on them. That evening after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who were ill and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.

He also drove out many demons. But he would not let the demon speak because they knew who he was. Yeah. I mean, so we've just had Jesus in the in the section before this teaching at synagogue. Mhmm.

And he's just sort of cast out a demon there. So sort of healed a man in a sense, had a shown authority. And people were getting quite excited about was authority. And now he's left the synagogue, and he's gone straight, sort of just sort of went from 1 place to to another to me quite quickly. And he could have had every reason in the world to God.

You know what, guys, at all day, I'm quite tired. I might just pop to bed. Absolutely. But you're right. Yeah.

You know, this Jesus the man like, here he he immediately goes to help Simon's mother-in-law. Yeah. You know. Yeah. I think that's right.

And and of and of course, you know, Jesus is the is the sovereign lord of history, and he he knows what he's doing. But the way these gospels are written, it it does sound like the Lord Jesus is really willing to be sidetracked -- Yeah. -- for for the sake of helping people -- Yeah. -- which is what he does here. And it's just abuse a full scene, isn't it, really?

And there's so many of these little vignettes, these little portraits of Jesus entering into people suffering. In order to help them. Not not being, you know, just here to download teaching, irrespective of who's he's around, and the other that actually really caring and feeling compassion, that kind of gut wrenching compassion for the people he's with. And it's just I just love the details, you know, so he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. Fever left her, she began to wait on them.

It's really lovely. Yeah. Because you imagine it's the same I mean, later on we'll get to him sort of encountering people with leprosy and embracing them. He didn't need to. He could have just said be healed.

Mhmm. Because you didn't need to take her hand. No. But it's you're right. It is such a lovely detail that he would do that.

It is. Because that's probably right, isn't it? But she's an old lady, you know, she's a lady. She's He just has compassion on her. It's such a a tender moment -- Yeah.

-- for him just to take a hand. Yeah. It is. And there's a I think you're right about that. And I think that detail is constantly put in and it's I think it's also a way of saying that Jesus is going to take the sufferings and the afflictions into his own hand.

You know, he's going to draw them away from the person in my sense. And, ultimately, that's fulfilled at the cross, which is where we're going where. Jesus is going to take in himself our afflictions and our sins and bear them in our bear them in our place. And there's even just little foretastes here of the ultimate future. Yeah.

When we rise again with him, you know, he will finally take away the fevers and the sicknesses. For for that for that great future. Yeah. So you've got that very intimate scene there, and then that evening after sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who were ill and even possessed. I mean, I was trying to just think about this as you were reading.

It's like Do you ever see those kind of war war zones? Yeah. You know, on on the news and that there are people you know, you see those kind of pop up hospitals sometimes. Yeah. Doctors are in there without all the equipment and every bed is filled and every person got some terrible injury.

Yeah. And the whole the whole town it's like a the whole town is here -- Mhmm. -- at the door. Each 1 with their own I mean, with that, is the most amazing thing. I know.

Yeah. It's like, fair enough for the ill people, but this is the entire town. The pubs being empty -- Yeah. -- the cinema. I don't empty everyone's come to this 1 door -- Yeah.

-- to see what's going on. Yeah. And you would think this would be the perfect time for Jesus to go. You have all observed my amazing powers Now I'm gonna tell you who I am. Yeah.

But he doesn't, does it? And even the demons are trying to let people know who he was. So in verse 34. He also drove up many demons, but he'd not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. So, I mean, this just this just shows the plan, I think, got that Jesus knows when the moment to reveal himself is.

Yeah. And not to let sort of other people steal the show or -- Yeah. -- let the cat out the back too early. There's a plan here. There is a plan and and he's in complete control.

He is. Yeah. And he doesn't want these demons because someone might read this and think, well, if they know who he was, they knew who he was. Why wouldn't Jesus want that going public? But there's a sense in which he doesn't want this distorted message to go out about himself.

You know, he doesn't want people to hear a snapshot of his identity from demons. He's come to come to teach fully about himself at the kingdom of God at the right response to Jesus, to who he is. And, you know, he doesn't want people getting caught up in the sound bite, the distorted sound bite, which is that users can hear all your sicknesses. Yeah. You know, it's just here to fix your you know, your broken leg.

Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. There'd be all kinds of that's right. There'd be all kinds of potential misunderstandings.

You know, but Jesus is is is not wanting that. And again, just the way he you know, they've all got various diseases. I mean, theoretically, you suppose, he could have just said, all be well. Right. You know, but I don't think that's the impression.

You get the impression is he's gonna take time for each individual, and he's going to step into each case of suffering. Mhmm. And to bring exactly the remedy and the truth that that person needs. Yeah. Which is what he does for us, isn't it?

You know, as well? Yeah. I mean, even that picture of taking your hand, it's it's very intimate. It's very you know, his focus and attention is on you. And and that's repeated in almost every story.

We see him. He just has so much intentional time for every person he meets. Yeah. And that I mean, I love that this is the first healing in in this gospel. And it's not a high profile -- Yes.

-- you know, it's not a respectable man in the in the in the city or whatever. It's it's this old lady. Yeah. You know, and in those days, particularly, a woman was sort of seen as as lesser than a man. So Jesus has got, you know, an old woman.

He's got to like the the most sort of insignificant person in this society -- Yeah. -- and held her hand -- Yeah. Yeah. -- as the first healing. It's quite Absolutely.

It's not quite a lot of natural springboard that you would think. You would think you would go bigger and higher profile as you say. Yeah. The sort of a PR man. They would go, what no.

Come on to you? Yeah. That's not where to start. We need to aim slightly higher. Yeah.

I think that's right. And you know, a wonderful encouragement for us, because 1 1 day, not in this life, but 1 day that all Jesus promises that all sicknesses and fevers will be will be taken away. What a day that will be. But he he can't He does now. Offer to take our hands and take our sins away, and that you can come to each person no matter what your background, no matter what your situation, no matter what you've done, and he can take the fevers of our sin and and make us whole.

He's got time for each person. Lots of people get that wrong, don't they? The God is just God could never care about me. God could never come to my life. But actually, you know, reading about Jesus gives us gives us the opposite truth.

So Maybe that's you and you'd like to reflect on that today, and you can join us later in the week for the next next installment.