Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

  “… they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons… So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.” (1:30-39)

As today’s Gospel makes unmistakenly clear, Jesus’ power over life and death, illness and healing, is beyond the imagination of most of us.

But it also highlights the power of evil in the world – a power represented consistently by Jesus’ battles with Satan.

And, as if this were not enough, there is also still another focus in this story of miracles – the role of women in the world at that time, and, many would argue, a role that is still present in way too many ways.  

Today’s Gospel, for example, is the first of four stories in Mark’s Gospel that will deal with “acts of power” in favor of women. For example, in each, the miracles take place in a house in which a woman lives; in each, Jesus takes the woman by the hand and gives her new life; and, in each, food is then served by a woman to Jesus.

The powers of society at that time considered the women in these Gospel stories to be second or third-class citizens. While certainly biblical families knew the joy of love, women at that time were still treated as property.

So, as today’s Gospel progresses, people even to this day might ask,
“Why would Jesus bother with this simple woman?”

Or why was Jesus so concerned with those who were “ill or possessed by demons”?

After all, surely, he had more important issues to attend to.

A close reading of the Gospel, however, attests to the fact that Jesus heals this woman because he is Jesus.  And that is what Jesus does.

He heals. He reconciles. He forgives.

Mark’s whole purpose in writing this Gospel was to tell “the beginning of the Good News” (1:1). And to bring that Good News (the Gospel) to the people – all of them.
The “Good News” was that they were equally loved, equally cared for, equally as treasurable as any other person – no matter how “less than” they perceived themselves to be, or their society allowed them to be.

Even more than that, Jesus’ whole urgency was to bring that Good News in a form that would best engage all the people – some with feeding, some with accepting, some with saving, some with protecting – all with loving.

But why bother with this woman? Why her of all people? Why not some mighty king or some high priest or some grand nobility?

We often find ourselves asking similar questions to this day:
“Why bother with that homeless community that lives within twenty minutes of our church?”

“Why bother with those kids who are falling behind in school because they do not understand our language?”

“Why bother with folks who are being abused or bullied?”

Why bother with them, and so many others like them?

Mark’s Gospel response would be a simple one:
“Because Jesus did.”

He didn’t come just to impress the mighty and the powerful. In fact, he seemingly intentionally began his whole ministry in the Gospel of Mark with the “least of these.”

So, what do we learn from this woman’s response in Mark’s Gospel to this amazing and unheard-of healing?

I would suggest that she demonstrates, not only for those disciples of Jesus present at this scene, but for all of us, that the proper response to an encounter with Jesus’ Gospel of reaching out to the very “least”, is one of humble service.
We are all, along with Jesus in this miraculous story, called to serve others. What Jesus wants to demonstrate to each of us to this day is that he has first served us and loved us. He extends grace, compassion, healing, and hospitality to each one of us.

At the same time, as this Gospel story so powerfully reminds us, the grace and love of God is accessible to each one of us. Not just to the grandest and the most important. But even to “the least of these.”

This marvelous story of healing and rescuing, portrayed so beautifully in today’s Gospel, challenges each of us to remember that it is in serving others that we receive grace – a grace that assures us of God’s eternal love.

It is in serving others that we emphasize the Gospel conviction that we are participating – however privately and quietly – in the healing of the world.
Just as Jesus did.

Ted Wolgamot, Psy.D.