The King Is Kept Busy. Mark 1:29-34.
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. And the whole city was gathered together at the door. And he healed 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.
Dear Saints,
Mark’s account emphasizes the urgency of the task before Jesus. He has barely left the scene of the previous miracle when he is presented with the need for another.
Goodwill (v. 29-31). While Jesus did not promise any personal benefits to his disciples when he called them, they are not excluded from the royal bounty. On the contrary, they are beneficiaries of his goodness and are first in line to enjoy his favor. When he finds Simon’s mother-in-law sick with a fever, he heals her and she was able to serve them. Those close to God’s servants will enjoy the favor that comes with proximity to the seat of power.
Gathering (vv. 32-33). Jesus is brought the sick and those oppressed by demons to heal. There is such excitement that “the whole city was gathered together at the door.” The point is not necessarily that there was no single person who was left in the city, but that Jesus attracted so much attention that he was the point of focus in the whole city. When the King is in town, everything else comes to a standstill, more so when the King is on a mission to “deliver the goodies.”
Gag (v. 34). As he cast the demons out, Jesus would not allow them “to speak, because they knew him.” One may wonder why Jesus would pass off an opportunity to be acknowledged by the enemies of the kingdom. Timing is of the essence in the plan of God. If Jesus was clearly revealed as Messiah too soon, the people would have rallied behind him for the wrong reasons, because at the time, the messianic hope of the Jewish people was almost entirely political. This would have ramifications on the social order because the Romans would not stand by and watch as their grip on their colony loosened.
This also brings us to the matter of distraction. By acknowledging Jesus as Messiah, the demons would have drawn some attention to themselves and distracted people from the focus on Jesus. This is the danger of miracles performed by people using a power other than that of the Holy Spirit. They draw attention away from Christ. This also will be the modus operandi of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The focus must be on Christ and on his program. No side-shows.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.