Mysteries of Mercy ~ Mark 1:29-39 ~ Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

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In my office is a small book entitled Healed of Cancer.  The author is Dodie Osteen.  (If the name sounds familiar, she is the mother of famed preacher Joel Osteen.)  It all begins back in 1981 with an emergency room visit that stretches to three weeks in the hospital—and ends with Dodie being diagnosed with metastatic cancer of the liver.  The only treatment option was chemotherapy, but the odds of success were remote.  So she declined the treatments and went home.  She was told she’d be dead within a few weeks.

But Dodie tried with all her might to live a normal life.  She envisioned herself being well again and going on to live a long and full life.  Over and over again, she recited numerous Scriptures about healing.  She and her family prayed constantly, until one day, her husband commanded the spirit of cancer to leave.  From that point on, she felt a tremendous burden lifted from her, even as the physical pain remained.  She went on to write letters to persons she believed she’d offended over the years, asking for forgiveness.  She prayed for others in need.

Eventually, the cancer left her—and she’s still alive today.

This is an incredible story—not unlike the healing story we hear today from Mark.   People come to Jesus from all over, and they’re cured.  The following day, the people are searching frantically for Jesus.

Trouble was, Jesus snuck out of town early that morning—surely disappointing vast numbers of people who desperately needed him and a cure for their diseases.

That disappointment is surely familiar to us, is it not?  You see Jesus miraculously healing other people—or you remember a miracle from your own past—but this time, nothing…

All you asked of Jesus was a cure for yourself or for someone you love.  Nothing selfish; nothing worldly; just a simple cure.  It’s not asking too much, is it?

So what’s going on here?  What kind of Savior disappoints people who need him?

Trouble is, when Jesus doesn’t give you that miracle, he’s leaving the door wide open for the devil to come in, pointing the finger of accusation against you: “you don’t have enough faith.”  “You’re not good enough.”  “You’re being punished” (but you don’t know what for).

But with one hand accusing you, the devil’s other accuses Jesus: “he’s not real!”  “He doesn’t love you!”

Putting together all this spiritual pain on top of the physical and emotional pain of sickness and need, and it adds up to hell on earth.

Sadly, there is no greater mystery in the life of the Christian than the reason why some get miracles and others don’t.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  If God is love, then why is there hunger and war and human suffering?  If you find the answers, let me know.  I haven’t found them yet.

But there’s something else Jesus does: he prays.  Jesus knew he was leaving behind disappointed people who needed him desperately.  He moves on to other towns because the need is so great. Knowing Jesus to be compassionate and merciful, it’s not going out on a limb to believe that Jesus prayed for those who would be disappointed in him. 

That’s what Jesus does for you when you’re the one disappointed in him: he prays for you.  He intercedes to his Father on your behalf.  And you are invited into that conversation.  You can be bold to ask God for a cure.  But there’s so much more to this conversation than just private prayer.

Scripture is God’s Word to us—and it is our most effective weapon against the devil’s lies.  The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to lead you in the truth of who God is and what God desires for you and for the hurting world.  The Scriptures bind us in relationship to God and each other.  This is why it’s so important to read it, study it, discuss and teach it.  Amid all the fears and doubts, God speaks truth.

God also gives us the Sacraments.  Water, wine, and bread together with the Word bind us to God. 

Finally, because we are baptized, the Holy Spirit makes us as Christ to each other.  “Being church” means that we pray as one Body.  We cry out together on each other’s behalf; we lay on hands.  And we serve.  One of God’s quickest answers to prayers is to inspire us to listen and encourage and share and support—because Jesus is never far away when you see him in someone else.  If you’re baptized, you already possess gifts that heal. 

We come into the conversation between Jesus and his Father so that the mysteries of God’s mercy would give way to faith to behold and be cared for by Jesus Christ.  For we know that Jesus is merciful, though we do not always know how he will be merciful.  But a promise is a promise: Jesus listens to and God answers prayer.  Very often, faith is following Jesus through the fog of disappointment and mystery until you see the truth of God’s amazing grace to you. 

How God will be merciful will always be a ministry.  But it is a certainty that God will be merciful.  It is from this promise that we have the hope to move on.

Bibliography

Osteen, Dodie. Healed of Cancer. Houston: John Osteen Publications, 1986.