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Sermon Notes

Mark: The Right Now Gospel
Pt. 3
“Jesus’s Healing Ministry”

Last time we ended with Jesus casting a demon out of a man in a synagogue in Capernaum, a city in Galilee. The demons knew that he was the fulfillment of God’s prediction to the devil in the Garden of Eden for his part in the fall of Adam and Eve.

Gen 3:15 “From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head.”

While Satan did all he could throughout history to stop the fulfillment of it, he failed and Jesus, the Messiah, the Bruiser of Satan’s head was born.

One outstanding feature of Jesus’s deliverance ministry is how the demons knew who he was: “I know who you are–the Holy One of God.”

Now as we come to Mark 1:29-31 we see another aspect of the Lord’s ministry–He is a healer! And the first person healed is Peter’s mother-in-law.

“Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them.”

So Jesus, along with his first four disciples, is invited into Peter’s in-law’s house. And what does he encounter? Suffering in the house. Peter’s mother in law is burning up with fever. Jesus takes her by the hand and stands her up upon which the fever immediately left her and she served them.

It would appear this was the Lord’s first recorded healing. His first recorded miracle was the turning of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. But his healing of Peter’s mother in law is the first physical healing. And his disciples must have been amazed. Already they’ve witnessed the dramatic deliverance of a demonized man, and now they witness firsthand a healing.

The Takeaway: Look at what happens when Jesus is invited into a house!
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Word of him quickly spread so that by that same evening the entire city gathered at the door of the house. Keep in mind that the synagogue deliverance, then the healing, and now this huge gathering where Jesus delivers from demons and heals multiple people takes place in one day. This is a day in the life of Jesus!

1:31-34 “At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.”

This incredible scene of multiple deliverances from demons and various diseases healed fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

53:4-5 “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

GRIEFS in the Hebrew language points to physical suffering such as sickness, illness, disease, or afflictions.

SORROWS points to emotional suffering, inward anguish, broken-heartedness, and so on.

This is precisely what the Lord was doing here! Delivering people from the inner anguish of demonic torment, and healing all different kinds of physical diseases.
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Next we see a pattern beginning to emerge in the life of Jesus. Following public ministry he would retreat to private prayer.

1:35 “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”

The gospels all together record 38 times when Jesus prayed. He would often slip away to a mountain or some other private place to spend alone time with his Heavenly Father. And he would also spend long hours in prayer before making major decisions. For instance, it was after spending all night in prayer on a mountain that he came down and chose the 12 apostles (see Lk 6:12).

After his early morning prayer time as the sun began to rise, it says:

1:36-39 “And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

That one phrase–“everyone is looking for you”–is a powerful truth. In many different ways without even necessarily being aware of it, people are in search of Christ Jesus and the peace, meaning, and fulfillment only he can give!

38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” 39 And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.”

Our Lord was keenly aware of his purpose in the divine plan of redemption. “This is why I have come forth.” Ultimately he came to die on the Cross for our sins. But leading up to that incomparable, holy moment, his purpose was to preach the word of God far and wide.
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Next in deliverance/healing revival launched at the outset of his ministry, Jesus heals a leper.

1:40-45 “Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.” 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’”

Now, it is often asked why Jesus commanded people that had received a healing at his hand not tell anyone. You would think the Lord would want them to do the opposite, right?

Well, in this case the law of Moses required that a man who was healed of leprosy should be pronounced clean by the priest before he could be admitted again to the privileges of the congregation, (see Leviticus 14). Christ, though he had cleansed him, required him to be obedient to the law of Moses–to go at once to the priest, and not to make delay by stopping to converse about his being healed.

It was also a possibility that, if he did not go immediately, godless men might race to the priest first to persuade him to not declare the healing to be thorough because it was done by Jesus, who they hated.

And finally, it was important that the priest pronounce it to be a genuine healing, that there be no debate among the Jews against its being a real miracle. But the healed man did it anyway:

45 “However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.”
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Now as chapter 2 opens up we see an incredibly moving event take place:

2: 1-12 “And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.”

All it took by this point was word to get out that Jesus was in the area for a great crowd to immediately gather.

“And He preached the word to them.”

Most of the Bible’s descriptions of what Jesus preached about have to do with the kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God was a central theme of His ministry. He taught that it represents God’s sovereign rule and the transformative power of repentance and faith.

He taught that the Kingdom was near (Mark 1:15),

The nature of the kingdom–as in it’s like a mustard seed, or a man finding great treasure that was worth giving up everything for, and so on.

Access to the kingdom–that it required a spiritual rebirth

Characteristics of the kingdom–it is a realm of righteousness, peace, and joy

Call to action–he called us to seek it first and foremost in life

And much about the kingdom of God’s future fulfillment–the coming reign of Christ over the whole world.
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Next, faith in action:

3 “Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

What a scene! This is an incredible display of love and faith in action. It reminds me of the verse out of Galatians: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”–Galatians 5:6

There is something about faith mixed with love that greases the skids of faith. How often the gospels describe Jesus as “moved with compassion” just before performing some great miracle!

“Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.'”–Mk 1:41

Notice how the Lord is not irritated with this major interruption, but instead responds to their faith!

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves…,”

Notice how Jesus knew their thoughts, he knew what they were thinking!

He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

The greatest miracle was the forgiveness of his sins, followed by the stunning healing of what appears to be a quadriplegic!

NEXT TIME: Jesus catches heat for eating with sinners.