Simply Jesus | Fr. Samuel Mbabaali - Mark 1:35-45

The holy gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still

dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place.

And there he prayed. And Simon and those who were

with him searched for him. And they phoned him and say to

him, everyone is looking for you.

And he say to them, Let us go to the next towns, that I may

preach there also, for that is why I came out.

And when he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their

synagogues and casting out demons, and a labour came to

him, employing him and needing say to him, if you will, you can

make me clean. Moved with pity, he stretched

out his hand and touched him, and say to him, I will be clean.

And immediately the lipros left him, and he was made clean.

And Jesus Stanley charged him, and sent him away at once.

And say to him, so that you say nothing to anyone, but go so

yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what

Moses commanded for a proof to them.

But he went out and began to talk freely about it and spread

the news so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but

was in was but was out in desolate places and people were

coming to him from every quarter.

The go spoke of the Lord. Let us pray.

We thank you, Lord, for Your grace even gathering us here,

and we pray that out of your gracious mouth and lips you will

speak to us, Lord, through me. We pray with that in the name of

Jesus Christ, Amen. You can have your seats, please.

We live in a world where we are surrounded with very many heroes

and we love them, we cherish them, we admire them.

But one of the heroes who captures the essence of Go is

Superman. He acts without delay.

He dives from the skies and rescues those in danger, whether

they are in burning buildings or collapsing bridges or from

flaming planes. The heroism of Superman is a

heroism of prompt action. In the Gospel according to Mark,

we see a similar pattern. Jesus is presented as someone

who is very active. He's a doing fast figure.

He moves quickly from scene to scene, and he switches between

spectacular encounters from here to another.

Jesus shows us some kind of agency.

Here in Mark, we see a Jesus of agency.

We can ask ourselves a question. Does Mark present to us as

Superman Jesus? Certainly not, because Superman

represents the literal sense of go.

But Jesus embodies go in a purposeful and deeper sense.

The heroism of Superman is about solving problems, but the

heroism of Jesus is not just about problem solving.

It is relational and is tied to a wider mission.

I invite you to turn with me to the Gospel reading that we have

taken in Mark chapter one, verse 35 to 45.

And here we are going to see this kind of a relational

admission of driven ministry of Jesus, and we are going to trace

his rhythms of going out. And this is going to be shown to

us in his moments of withdrawal, movement, and engagement.

And as we look at these rhythms, we are going to see and

understand who is Jesus and what is his mission.

And as we are doing that, we are going to be invited to come and

follow along in the same rhythms, because Jesus is

calling us to be also people who go out just like him.

So the first element of Jesus is going out is his withdrawal.

We can ask ourselves, how does Superman prepare for his

missions? This is how he does so.

He often times begins by pausing, and then he studies the

scene and then he assesses the danger and then he plans his

move. He has a biological father.

He even has an adoptive father but really does see stop and ask

them what should I do? And even when he seeks guidance

from them, it comes in form of echoes which are distant and pre

recorded messages that sometimes he can go on and follow some of

that guidance. So basically he operates because

of his own understanding and because of his own strength.

But in contrast, in verse 45, this is what it says.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up,

went out and made his way to a deserted place, and there he

was, praying. This morning is after the

busiest day in Jesus's ministry. The night before, the entire

town had gathered around Jesus, seeking for healing from

sicknesses and evil demons. So Jesus must have been

exhausted in this morning. He's a human being like us.

He could have stepped, slept on longer, or if he chose to work,

he would have begun immediately. Where he stopped from proceeded

on with healing. Because even Simon tells us that

everyone is looking for you. People are still drawing near to

see Jesus. But this is what Jesus does.

He withdraws. Instead of continuing on with

work or even having a length of sleep, Jesus chooses who we

withdraw to take a retreat. You may understand this retreat

in very many ways depending on what you believe Jesus was

seeking during this time of retreat.

If you think that Jesus was seeking for rest.

You might think that this was a Wellness and relaxation retreat.

If you think that Jesus was posing to reflect about his

ministry, you might call this a personal growth retreat.

And if you think that Jesus was tending to his inner life, you

may think maybe Jesus wanted healing.

He was on a healing retreat. But Mark makes it very clear

this was a spiritual retreat. Jesus withdrew to pray.

He was seeking quiet time with the Father, and prayer in this

essence is not just about presenting petitions.

He was not going to the Father with a lengthy wish list which

he wanted to present to the Father.

Jesus was intending to have a time of conversation and

communion with the Father. It included submission and

confession. He was able to present maybe

supplications and intercessions and praise and Thanksgiving.

In other words, Jesus was aligning to the will of the

Father in every possible way. This example of Jesus's

withdrawal addresses two kinds of Superman heroism that we can

succumb to. The first aspect of Superman

heroism that we can succumb to is hoping endlessly from one

task to another. We may keep moving from one

thing to another, never stopping to breathe.

We may feel that we are very active every day of our life.

Every week we are just hoping from one task to another.

We are rushing and we can even neglect the most important

things of our lives, and that is worship and the prayer.

Perhaps it's a time for us to break that cycle.

We may need to reshape our schedules to allow us to have

room for prayer. What might this look like?

If we are supposed to pause unto our seek God in prayer?

It might involve us to break the demands of the day.

It might involve us to set apart sometimes which we keep and we

say this is time for prayer for me.

It might also involve us stepping away from some of the

things that are demanding and we focus on God in prayer because

if prayer was important for Jesus, we it is also important

for us as his followers. We shouldn't be lied to that we

can hop on from one task to another without posing to seek

God and to pray. We are called to imitate Jesus

even in that aspect of prayer. Then the second aspect of the

Superman heroism that this aspect of Jesus is posing to

pray addresses is the thing called self reliancy.

We live in a culture where independence is celebrated.

We praise being in control without needing anyone and

sometimes we think about this as being a responsibility.

Yes, it's true, but it can come with some danger if we are very

certain reliant. Because if we saw a lean on our

understanding and our strength, we even deny depending on God.

If you don't read His guidance, we don't need His strength.

We stop listening because we feel we are wise and we cannot

depend on God in any way. We ought to depend on God

because we are His followers. We ought depend on Him because

we should trust in Him that we don't have strength that we

require for our day, even for our engagement, but we require

to depend on God. What will dependence on God look

like? It involves giving time to

listen to Him, to meet Him in prayer, even to read and study

His Word, to rely on His guidance day by day.

Many times we think that we are rushing in life, but if we are

relying on God, we ought to have those moments of seizing from

our rushing and depending on God.

I will tell you of a certain time when I had to pause in life

and rely on God, though I have been doing so many times.

I am a student and at one time I realized that the aspect I

wanted to study for my dissertation, I couldn't proceed

with it because I didn't have a dissertation committee that was

committed to my work and it was in the middle of the semester

and I had to switch to something.

I had thought about this idea for a long while.

I was deeply saturated in this idea, but now I had met the the

dead end. I couldn't figure out the

dissertation committee around me for this idea.

I needed to switch to another idea in the middle of a

semester. I was stuck.

I continued on speaking to faculty and discussing and

reading around and reflecting, but I was stuck.

This is what I did. I withdrew from my bed.

I couldn't withdraw totally because it was in the middle of

the semester to take a retreat, but I retreated from my bed and

I decided to sleep on the floor in the nights, crying to God in

prayer. And you cannot know what

happened. God answered me, responded, He

gave me a wonderful idea. This is how I realized that it

was a wonderful idea. When I presented the idea to a

professor was a speciality in the book of Job in the class, I

saw his eyes dancing. I knew I had an idea, but it

came from prayer because I sought God.

I sought the mentorship around me from faculty I was reading,

but I prayed and now the idea that I have, I need where it

came from God because I paused and sought him.

So when we depend on God, prayer ceases to just be something that

we always say at certain times or at specific places.

It even flows into our everyday activities of life, even in our

meeting rooms, in classrooms and in boards and wherever we are,

prayer goes with us because we know we are not depending on

ourselves. Even as a student, I depend on

God in all the things that we do.

So dependence on God turns ordinary places into sacred

places where we can pray. Now let's stand to the second

element of Jesus's going ministry.

And this is Jesus's movement. In Uganda, where I come from,

Anglican Khadia, often appointed by bishops to lead specific

missions or to lead specific ministries.

And usually you are transferred from one ministry to another

after a time. It usually happens at the end of

the year. During such seasons, a Bishop

can appoint you that next year you are going to lead another

church, another parish. In fact, last week I looked at

one of the such transfers that you are going to lead now from

here to another place. I have gone through many of

those transfers in my ministerial carrier.

I'll not go through the details of how the discernment process

operates, but let me tell you how it feels like to be

transferred from one ministry place to another.

Oftentimes it's difficult, some kind of feel difficult to move,

especially living a place where ministry has been flourishing.

But also parishioners like you will not leave a pastor to go.

Some of them will cry. If the pastor has been serving

them well, they will cry. Some of them will even petition

the Bishop. Don't transfer our credit.

Let him stay for one more year. Because several times when we

have success, we look at the success and we begin identifying

ourselves because of that success.

We look out, we look at growth and we don't want to live where

growth has been happening. We don't want to let go where

there is success. Oftentimes it feels very painful

to step away where there is success, want to build around

there. We want to continue holding on

to the successful moments that we have had in our encounters,

even in work, not just in ministry.

Sometimes we fear, we feel that if I go to a new place, they

have been loving me here, what would happen when I go to

another place? We want to keep on the circles

we have been having because of fear.

However, this is what Jesus does.

The people around him, they are praising him, they are looking

for him. But Jesus says in verse 38, let

us go to the neighboring villages so that I may preach

there also. This is why I came.

Jesus did not rise on ride on his fame.

The fame was around him, but who could stay?

But instead he chose to leave and go to another place.

He was admired. But he says even though I am

admired here, I am choosing to go.

He left the comfort and the admiration and the success and

he said it is time to go. Why?

Even though the cries of the people wanted him to stay, Jesus

knew that it was not the will of the Father for me to be at this

place at this time. He chose to go and live.

We might think that Jesus only wanted to to preach because

verse the verse 38 says that I want to preach there also.

We shouldn't be tempted to think that Jesus was only intending to

go preaching. He was not interested in healing

ministry. What was going on here?

Because the next verse tells us that Jesus continued on to

preach and heal even where he went.

In verse 39, he says he went into all Galilee preaching in

their synagogues and driving out demons.

So Jesus was also going to continue on the same ministry

where he was going. So he's preaching and healing

ministry were intertwined together.

So he left this place. He was going to continue with

the same ministry where he was going.

But Jesus was moving because he was prioritizing the will of the

Father over the expectations of the people or even his own

expectation as a person. He chose to follow the will of

the Father. The Father wanted him to go to

another place for ministry. And Jesus says, yes, I choose to

go. What can it look like if we are

to follow the same pattern of Jesus choosing to do the will of

the Father even over our expectations, we should be able

to seek God is guidance. I want to emphasize this again.

Spending time to listen to God in prayer, reading scripture,

listen to God is guidance. Even asking questions.

Personally, I have understood that even we should come to God

with all sorts of questions, ask Him.

I am. I am someone who has been cast

accustomed to asking God questions in my prayer and

sometimes the answers me mysteriously, sometimes even

through scripture, but sometimes even mysteriously because of

trusting in God's guidance. If we are to be people who are

relying on God's guidance, we should approach him day by day,

seek guidance, but also trusting the guidance that is around us

in the people of God. As we approaching discernment.

The people of God are also a good way how we should know what

we are to do so if we are to know that this is what is God's

will for us. Sometimes it involves seeking

God is guidance in many ways, but also if we are to know where

God wants us to be, we should be willing to say no.

Sometimes not everything that appears to be good is of God is

intent for us. Sometimes it should turn away

from the things that are good wonderful opportunities because

want to be aligned to God's purposes.

We must learn how to decline some of those wonderful and

glorious opportunities if at all we know that they are

distracting us from the weed of God.

This is what Jesus did. It was glorious to stay, but he

said now it's time to go to another place.

But also we should trust in God is timing stepping away from

things that are attractive. It is because we know that now

God is timing for me is to be at another place even though it's

glorious here. God wants me to another place.

God is timing is always perfect and his will is always the best

for us. We should be able to try that

and to trust in that because that is his will is good and

it's perfect for us. And if it's God is will, then we

move just as Jesus was able to move trusting the Father that he

has the best and the surest path for him and he was able to trust

him faithfully. Now I move to the third element

of Jesus is going out ministry and this is is seen in Jesus's

engagements. And I would love to look at 2

aspects of Jesus's engagements here.

And the first aspect is Jesus's transformative engagements.

You know, let me go back to Superman.

Although Superman does all these wonderful things of saving

people and doing things that are are spectacular, but here's the

limitation. He cannot restore the human

heart. He can restore safety, but He

cannot restore the human heart. We have a longing as human

beings. We need a Redeemer who can do

things that are just surpassed, the physical things to even

things that are deeper and spiritual.

Jesus restore us to transform. It doesn't just rescue us from

danger, but He rescuers us to transform us.

In verse 40, we are given a vivid picture of Jesus's

preaching and healing ministry. Jesus encounters this man who

had leprosy. His body was decaying, but also

his spirit was broken because leprosy in those days symbolized

being gladdened with sin. And in the Jewish community,

someone who was repro was looked at in two aspects.

He was almost dead. You were dead if you had repro

say. Even though you were alive, you

were dead in the eyes of the people.

But also we undergo this punishment because it was a

disease that was looked at as being a sign of sin.

And according to Jewish custom, no one could come near a leper.

A leper was someone who was kept away.

One of the rabbis, the Jewish rabbis says, said that I cannot

even buy an egg on a street where I have seen a leper.

If there is a leper around this street, a Jewish rabbi couldn't

even stop to buy an egg. Another Jewish rabbi said if I

meet a leper, I would throw rocks at him, hit him to go away

so no one could come near. This, someone like this, a

leper, he was always shunned by the community.

No one could touch him. But this slipper now finds a way

of approaching Jesus, not maybe in a synagogue.

We have seen Jesus was preaching in the synagogue.

This slapper couldn't come to such a synagogue.

But in one way or another he sold out to Jesus.

And when he found him somewhere, we are not told somewhere, maybe

in privacy, he kneels down and pleads with Jesus and says, if

you're willing, you can make me clean in verse 30.

And then the next verse, verse 41, this is what it says.

Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hands and

touched him. I am willing, He told him, be

made clean. This was a touch that was

breaking all forms of social rules.

No one can touch a leper. But here we see Jesus doing so,

touching the leper. In that touch the man was

healed. Yes, yes, the man was instantly

healed. Immediately the leprous left him

and he was made clean. We are told that in verse 42,

instantly the man was healed. But something even greater had

happened in the life of this man.

His dignity was restored, his place in the community was

renewed, and then Jesus sends him to the priest.

The priest where the guardians of the community, the communal

gates, he sends him to go and testify about this healing

because leprosy was more than a disease.

It was a physical sign of inner corruption.

So it was not just something that this was not just a

physical healing, it was a ritual cleansing as well.

But also it was a restoration in the eyes of the spiritual and

the moral community. It was the restoration that this

man had been spiritually and morally restored.

What should we do? We are called to touch like

Jesus. There are many people who are

hurting. They need a touch, not just a

physical touch. They need our presence.

There are many people who need who are looked at as being

outcast. No one wants to associate with

them. We are called to reach out to

such people. But also there are many people

who is dignity is is is in suspense.

We are called to reach out to restore the dignity of such

people. Because if Jesus touched and

they touched was miraculous, we can also touch, we can also

encounter people in a way that transforms them from being

outcasts and being hurting to another state.

Then the second aspect of Jesus's engagement is that his

engagements. We are divinely oriented.

You know, Superman has this way of being things.

He does things in ways that are dramatic and public, full of

spectacle. His aspect of heroism is a

heroism that leads to uploads. Yet when Jesus heals this man,

this is what he tells him. He tells him in verse 44, see

that you say nothing to anyone. He wanted the work to be quiet.

He was not focused on the glory of men but on the praise of God.

Jesus did not perform all his crowds with this miracles

because He wanted to attract the crowds.

Even many times that just as we are seeing Him, He was

withdrawing from the crowds. He didn't want to pull the

crowds himself. That's why he stepped away from

that place. He said let me go to another

place because even we see at the end of the reading, He within

draws into the wilderness because He didn't want all these

crowds around him. He was not looking for the

praise of the people. That is why when he was this

man, he tells him to be silent. He instructs him instead of

being all over the place speaking to the people, go and

speak to the priest. That is the only person he sends

him to. Don't speak to the people, go

and speak to the priest. Why?

Because we have already seen that the priests, we are the

guardians of the community in a sense that they were they want

to know who is the right person to socialize in our community in

a rich role in a in a way that is pure.

So these are stating him to go to the priest was saying that

you go and be confirmed that you belong to the community instead

of speaking to the community first to go and you'll be

confirmed that you now belong to the community.

You have been healed. Jesus wanted this man to be

declared that now he has been restored, he can belong to the

community. So Jesus was not looking for

performance. That is why he said don't speak

to anyone, speak to the right people.

Don't just speak around to anyone.

Even though the man went out and began speaking to the other

people. But Jesus was not looking for

the praise of the people. His was just a ministry of

kindness. It was the ministry of aligning

to the weed of God. It was the ministry of not

seeking the praise of men, but the praise of God.

What does this look like for us? If we are to seek the praise of

God, it means that sometimes we should do things not because the

cameras are there to watch us, not because we are taking this

picture to post all over social media for the people to see that

have done this, but because we are doing this because it's the

weed of God. Not looking for the praise of

men, but for the praise of God. There are four friends.

The world around us still looks for people who are ready to give

a hand of rescue. It longs for people who are

ready to share hope and healing. Of course, we are not like

Superman. We cannot come and fly over and

save the people. Yet we can still touch people

like Jesus. We can restore humanity like us

Jesus. This involves us seeking for the

guidance of God day by day. It involves us seeking for God

is strength because we cannot do it on our own.

So we are called day by day to seek God, to rely on him even in

our business schedules, to rely on God in this ministry that God

is calling us for. God is calling us to cross all

forms of barriers, barriers of fear and stigma and prejudice.

God is calling us to cross such barriers.

He's calling us to serve, not because we are looking for the

praise of men, but because we are looking for the praise of

God. We cannot be like the Man of

Steel, but we can be like the Man of Sorrows who bought our

pain and gave us our life again. Therefore, I would love to

invite you to go out and serve with courage and with

compassion, not serving because of fame, but serving because of

the glory of God, the name of the Father, the Son, and the

Holy Spirit. Amen.