²⁹As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. ³⁰Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. ³¹He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

³²That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. ³³And the whole city was gathered around the door. ³⁴And 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.

³⁵In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. ³⁶And Simon and his companions hunted for him. ³⁷When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” ³⁸He 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.” ³⁹And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

Barry discussed the sermon he had with his wife, which he generally does not do. And she said something like “I would have turned up to Simon’s house the next day and he would have walked past me”. Barry (incorrectly) said that she was correct. In this passage, Jesus did not walk past people and leaving them unhealed.

Barry is wrong there. Jesus got up before the town had risen and disappeared into the wilderness. Simon and his brothers found him at some distance. Jesus had not walked past them: Jesus had removed himself.

(As a complete aside, the night before Jesus started healing when people arrived — after sundown, as they considered healing to be work and one should not work on the sabbath. However, Jesus healed Simon’s mother in law in private, on the sabbath, and she then served him — and in doing so that was worship not work. For the priests sacrificed both guilt and fellowship offerings on the sabbath. I may be pushing this a little too far, but there could be an implication that Simon’s mother in law decided he was the Christ then).

Barry then said two things:

1. The doors of heaven are open to us in Christ. But our sin, and opposition to us, can keep us from going to that door. The sickness, injustice, poverty and war that exists in this world should not be here. And we get angry with God when this happens.
2. We need to do the important, not the urgent. We can get too busy. We can get exhausted, and in that state become ineffective. Now, yes, this can be pushed over the short-term — for a few days we can go with little (or no) sleep, and still function. But then we will collapse. We need to continually take time away from the business to remind ourselves of the “big picture”: to be restored and renewed.
3. Barry did not say this, but I would extend this. We all have limits. The need for care is greater than any one of us can deliver. If we do what we can today, and again tomorrow, we have to trust God that he will do the rest. We cannot micromanage the outcomes of any effort in this world, and work can itself be an idol. In the end, what matters is people, not possessions, status, or completing that project. (There is nothing wrong with status, possessions and projects if we use them, with gratitude, to do good. But seeing them as the end, not as a means, is to delude ourselves).

There is enough for us to do. We need to work to keep the unity in Christ, and not to be acting as an enemy to work of God and his kingdom, when we want to bring Glory to God.

¹⁴Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. ¹⁵Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth. ¹⁶Avoid profane chatter, for it will lead people into more and more impiety, ¹⁷and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸who have swerved from the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already taken place. They are upsetting the faith of some. ¹⁹But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.”

²⁰In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. ²¹All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.

In the last couple of days a few of the people who blog with wisdom have gone quiet. Dalrock is taking a break. Grerp is considering if she should blog, and fears for her job.  I honestly do not want to become the Last Christian Standing in the traditional blogosphere.

But it is our duty, our calling, to say what is true, and correct. I, for one, do not pretend that I am perfect: anyone who knows me will tell you that I am much more blunt, bleak bitter and confrontational in real life than this blog is.  One of the reasons I frame the posts around the lectionary now is that it brings some balance… two years ago this site was truly a series of rants.

But the watchman is not asked to be perfect  Our churches (Kirk) are not perfect. But we need to by preserving what is good, and illuminating society, so that our nations do what is good and God is glorified. I

It is not about is. It is about God.

UPDATE.

Susan Walsh has published a comment by Munson, who has terminal Liver Cancer. His description of his wife’s reaction is a must read.