"A Responsive Person!" (Mark 1:29-34)

"A Responsive Person!"

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #8)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

March 6, 2011

For a message entitled "A Responsive Person", the Word of God from Mark 1:29-34 (NAU), "And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰ Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. ³¹ And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them. ³² When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. ³³ And the whole city had gathered at the door. ³⁴ And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was."

As I meditated upon this Scripture I was overwhelmed by Jesus' responsiveness and availability. Last week, we studied what happened in the Capernaum synagogue mentioned in Mark 1:29. Mark 1:21-28 discusses how Jesus astonished the Jewish men of the city by teaching the Scriptures as One with authority and He demonstrated that He has the authority to cast out evil spirits. And then His fame spread through the region.

As Jesus' fame grew so did the demand on His availability and the attack on His person. But Jesus remained focused and resolved to live a responsive life because He knew why He made the longest journey in history--from heaven to earth. His mission was to reconcile humanity to God through the Cross!

Jesus was able to be available to respond to situation after situation, need after need, because of His resolve to focus on why He came and to complete His mission. Mark 10:32 describes Jesus' focus to finish the purpose of His ministry on earth which culminated for Him at the Cross: “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.” Jesus knew what lay ahead of Him; He remained focused. Jesus did not live a reactive life being tossed here and there by his circumstances and situations like so many of us do today. Rather, Jesus lived a responsive life where He knew His life purpose and with that one purpose in mind, He responded to the situations and circumstances.

Like our own lives, Jesus had many temptations, demands upon His time, hardship, and more persecution than most of us could bear. But rather than let these situations and circumstances and challenges control and determine His life which is what a reactive person does, Jesus remained focused on His life mission-the Cross-and responded on the way! A responsive person has a destination in mind and remains focused! We are each on the way; are you focused on getting there?

Do you live a reactive life not certain of your purpose or do you live a responsive life knowing your personal mission? I would further add, if you don't know where you are going in this life, then how do you expect to get there? Do you have a personal mission statement? What keeps you on the way rather than continually being jerked to the left and right by all that comes at you?

Because we are disciples and we want to be more like our Master Jesus Christ, we too want to be responsive, rather than reactive, people. First, A RESPONSIVE PERSON SEES THE NEED AND MEETS THE NEED!

Our Scripture lesson takes us into the afternoon (Mark 1:29-31) of the Sabbath, “And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.”

From that morning synagogue experience we are now seeing the purpose for, and the fruit of, his fame. As soon as He got into the home of his four disciples, they asked for a personal favor. As disciples of Jesus Christ they trusted Jesus inside their home and they asked Him for their most personal need. Have you invited Jesus Christ into your home? Are you willing to share with Him and ask of Him your most personal needs? Jesus sees the need and He meets the need; He healed Simon's mother-in-law in the privacy of their own home.

There was no attention to be drawn by this miracle. This was Jesus' responsiveness to His disciple's because He cared about them and their needs; they were not men to be used for His purposes, salvation was for them too! They spent the Sabbath together as a family--Salvation had come to this home and they rested together! What is it like in your home after you worship Jesus on Sunday mornings? Does Salvation go home with you? Do you and your family find rest for your body, mind, and soul?

Turn to your neighbor and share a time when you personally experienced or witnessed Jesus seeing and meeting a need.

I want to read a story of the responsiveness of Jesus Christ from Luke 19:1-10, “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’"

Jesus sees the need! He saw Zacchaeus up in the tree, who was so desperately desiring to catch a glimpse of Jesus that he was willing to climb a tree. Jesus responded to and met the need! Salvation came to His home and they had fellowship with one another.

In both stories, the healing of Simon's mother-in-law and the salvation of Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, Jesus met their need and then they responded. We are dealing with the in-laws and the out-laws in these stories and to me this emphasizes that there is no one too far away from God to be reached by the grace of Jesus Christ! :)

*Here it is: once Jesus Christ has met your need, then immediately, you are changed for the purpose of meeting the needs of others! You are given eyes to see, feet to go, and hands to meet the need! You are given a testimony to share so salvation can come into another person's home! Simon's mother-in-law immediately started serving Jesus Christ and His disciples. Zacchaeus immediately confessed his sins and repents by not only making restitution (he pays back what he stole), but he demonstrates the way of Jesus by giving half of his possessions to the poor and He pays back four times what he had stolen. These are lives changed! We know they have been with Jesus because they now are living responsive lives that see the need and meet the need just like Jesus Christ! I do not believe it is possible, in God's economy, to remain the same once you have experienced the love and grace of Jesus Christ! How does Jesus’ responsiveness affect your desire and willingness to be responsive to other people’s needs? How has God’s love changed the way you live your life?

Today's Scripture lesson continues by taking us to the beginning of the next day once the sun sets (a Jewish day was from sunset to sunset). From this evening's activity we are going to learn a second aspect of being a responsive person. A RESPONSIVE PERSON IS AVAILABLE WHEREVER AND WHENEVER!

From Mark 1:32-24, “When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.”

When the sun set on the Sabbath day, people from the area started bringing to Jesus the sick and demon-possessed (once again, we see a distinction between natural illness and supernatural demon possession). Jesus' fame had grown and with it the demand upon Him. What was Jesus Christ to do as the people brought such need to the very door of Simon's house where Salvation had entered? What will you do when your neighbors learn that Salvation has entered into your home? Are you available to be used by God to meet the needs of our communities? Do you put boundaries on your availability to God in terms of place or time? Why?

Jesus did what He came for; what His mission in life demanded of Him. Jesus responded to the overwhelming need by staying fully available and fully present in the moment and He healed those with illness and disease, and He cast out many demons.

Jesus had authority and He responded to the situation and so should we as those who have been called and authorized to carry on His life mission through our lives. We are ambassadors of Christ to this lost and dying world; we are ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). This is our mission. It is our life focus to be available to how God would have us respond to situations as we are on our way! Are you available?

Listen to this powerful parable from Luke 10:30-35 taught by Jesus Christ, “In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’”

Are you available? Are you accessible? Have you put up walls around your heart or life that would prevent you from knowing people enough to know their needs?

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to fulfill His life mission of dying on the Cross for all of humanity's sin!

Each of us are on our way to fulfill God's purpose for our lives, even if we don't have a geographical destination where we will hang upon a cross. We cannot die on the Cross to save anyone, that work was once and for all done, and is finished in Jesus Christ. But we have a destination nonetheless and that is to become fully mature (perfect) in Jesus Christ which demands that we must die to ourselves and carry our cross! Not one of us will be perfect until we stand face to face with Jesus Christ, but the overarching purpose of our lives is "to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (Philippians 3:10).

This means that we must let go of our own lives and learn how to walk in the Spirit of God. Christians are to be disciples of Jesus Christ and we have been called and authorized to continue the work that Jesus Christ began when He ushered in the Kingdom of God; to do what He did and to live like He lived! Mark 6:7 & 13 states, “Calling the Twelve to him, [Jesus] began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. . . . They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” Every situation is an opportunity to strive for the destination--to respond, but to stay on the way!

Jesus Christ has authorized you and is sending us to go out together! You have a choice: to live the reactive life or to live a responsive life! Which life will you live?

Who will God bring to you this week to respond to? Pray, be open to the leading of Holy Spirit, and respond.