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Has it ever happened in your household where much money was spent on a present for children who became more attached to the packaging? A big box is there with which to make a fort and Styrofoam peanuts are inside as treasures with which to barter. It’s kind of cute for a while, but eventually the one who spent all that money for the gift would like for the recipient to acknowledge the present. “Hey, look at this! Isn’t this great?!”

Well, if it brings any comfort to you jilted gift givers, know that you are not alone. Jesus himself struggled with the same confusion from his people. They began to confuse the packaging for the present almost immediately. This becomes quite obvious on Jesus’ way from the synagogue. Listen to the story in Mark 1:29-45 on page 35 of your New Testament. Hear now the word of the Lord.

And immediately they left the synagogue and they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured 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.

In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.

And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.”

He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”

Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away immediately, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

In this passage Mark reported to his readers how quickly people focused on the manifestations of God’s Kingdom over the Messiah of God’s Kingdom. Let us pray.

It’s easy to do, you know, to get so enamored with the packaging that we forget all about the present. I can imagine Simon Peter reflecting on the events of this passage of scripture and writing, “A funny thing happened on my way from the synagogue.” And just what was it that happened? The Kingdom of God happened; only too few noticed it. They were too busy with the box to recognize the contents. And it happened kai euthus -and immediately.

We have an advantage over the original participants in this passage. We can read it and re-read it, they could only experience it once and then it was over. Mark seems to emphasize this with his favorite phrase of urgency – kai euthus literally translated “and immediately.” It’s a phrase he used eleven times in the first chapter alone. As one reads this chapter one gets the sense that everything was happening so fast: Jesus’ baptism, his temptation in the wilderness, his calling the first four disciples, his teaching in the synagogue like no one else, and now healing, exorcisms, cleansing of a leper and crowds that kept growing and growing. It was all happening so fast that I’m not sure anyone noticed the funny thing that happened on the way from the synagogue – The Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God cares for the wounded.

That became obvious as Mark put it – kai euthus, and immediately. Jesus entered the home of Peter and Andrew and immediately someone told him about Peter’s mother-in-law being sick with fever. In those days, fever was not understood to be a physical response to an infection or an illness. It was a diagnosis of its own. Some had leprosy, some were blind, some had fever, and often, of course, it was fatal – but not this time, not with the Kingdom of God so close. Jesus took her hand, raised her up and she was well. She was feeling so well that she extended hospitality to her Sabbath visitors. That moment combined with the deliverance in the synagogue of the man with an unclean spirit, prompted a parade to the place where Jesus was staying as soon as Sabbath restrictions were lifted, at sunset. The whole town showed up, but not to hear what he had to say, they were more interested in the box than the contents.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice capture this reaction of the populace beautifully in the musical of 1973, “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The words begin slowly:

See my eyes, I can hardly see.
See me stand; I can hardly walk.
I believe you can make me whole.
See my tongue, I can hardly talk.

See my skin, I’m a mass of blood.
See my legs, I can hardly stand
I believe you can make me well
See my purse, I’m a poor, poor man.

Then the pace begins to increase as the people multiply:

Will you touch, will you mend me Christ?
Won’t you touch, won’t you heal me Christ?
Will you kiss, will you cure me Christ?
Won’t you kiss; won’t you pay me Christ?

And Christ does care for the wounded, for the Kingdom of God cares for the wounded, but that’s not all. See if you can feel the frustration of the healing Christ in this couple of minutes from this passionate musical of 33 years ago. (Play track 11 2:57 – 4:45)

The Kingdom of God cares for the wounded, but there are so many who are wounded, that confusion could set in as to the purpose of God’s Kingdom. It is not only to care for the wounded, there’s more.

The Kingdom of God confronts the wounder.

It is clear from the gospel stories that Jesus came declaring war on the spiritual forces of wickedness. Verses 34 and 39 declare that he cast out many demons forbidding them to further confuse the crowd by speaking. He was sick and tired of the stranglehold that the enemy had on God’s children, making it clear that the Kingdom of God could not tolerate such oppressive behavior.

Unfortunately when people were cured or delivered they went away rather than follow Jesus. William Lane wrote in his commentary on Mark, “Jesus had come to preach repentance and the nearness of the Kingdom, but the people think only of relief from pain and afflictions.”

When I was a chaplain on a psychiatric unit of a hospital, one of my mentors told me, “Kip, most people do not want to get better, they only want to feel better. Getting better requires commitment.”

I thought of those words this week as I read and re-read this passage. The Son of God was placed in the middle of Capernaum on the way from the synagogue. He bore the wrappings of caring for the wounded and confronting the wounder, but few waited around to see what was inside.

For there, the Kingdom of God calls the wanderer to life.

Before sunrise Jesus had gotten up and gone out to a place for prayer. He knew what was happening. If he were kept so busy caring for the wounded and confronting the wounder, he would not have the chance to do that for which he came, to call the wandering to life. Look at what he said in verse 38, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came to do.”

“That is what I came to do.” What is “that”? To proclaim the message, to call those who are wandering and without purpose to life. Again Dr. Lane wrote, “His purpose is not to heal as many people as possible as a manifestation of the Kingdom of God drawn near in his person, but to confront men and women with the demand for decision in the perspective of God’s absolute claim upon their person.” Now that’s a lot of words, but their meaning is too important to miss. Jesus’ primary purpose was not to make people feel better. He was determined to enable people to get better. And that happens when we follow him, when we yield to “God’s absolute claim upon our person.”

Oh it’s easy to do, to confuse the packaging for the present. The Kingdom of God cannot come near us without caring for the wounded. If you are a follower of Christ you cannot be apathetic to the needs of others. The Kingdom of God cannot come near us without confronting the wounder. If you are a follower of Christ you will not be able to sit idly by while the enemy seeks to destroy marriages, self-esteem and life itself. It’s a beautiful box, but don’t forget to look inside, don’t forget to grasp the gift – for there is life, life found by following Christ and yielding to God’s absolute claim upon our person.

What’s it going to be this Lenten season? Do you want to merely feel better or do you want to get better by following Jesus?

Amen.