Living Our Daily Discipleship

Mark 1:29-39

In his three short years of ministry here on earth, Jesus healed many people. This tale in Mark is fairly easy to imagine. Simon’s mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever. Jesus heals her and then takes her by the hand and lifts her up. It is a tender image. Even though she literally stood up, there is also a sense of being lifted up emotionally which so often comes with being healed.

Imagine how she must have been feeling as she was lying in her bed sick while her son-in law brings Jesus into her home. This woman, more than likely, had an attitude of serving others before her illness. But Mark describes this woman leaving her sick bed after her fever is gone and serving her honored guests. Her gratitude at being healed overflows into her care for others.

For Jesus, in this scripture, his day is far from over. At sundown, sick people and those possessed with demons are brought to the house. In fact, the whole city gathers around the door. Can you picture that scene and wonder what it would be like to see your whole community flocked at your door waiting to be healed? Jesus certainly does not have a job with regular hours. His ministry just continues into the evening hours as he ministers to those in need and models the same servant attitude we had seen displayed by Simon’s mother-in-law.

There is a contrast that we see with the demons who know who Jesus is and the many others we read about who have such difficulty discerning his identity. And we see a consistency between the teachings of Jesus and the way he lives his life. He does not merely speak of servanthood in his teachings. He exemplifies the life of a servant.

The next day Jesus arises early and goes to a deserted place to pray. Perhaps we all know that serving can be exhausting at times and it is easy to forget why we serve. Prayer helps to put it all back into perspective.

Yet in this story Simon and his companions show a sense of panic and hunt Jesus down. You can hear the urgency in their voices as the disciples say, “Everyone is searching for you.” (Mark 1:37) We see that Jesus does not succumb to crowd pressure. He remains clear about his mission from God. His calling would take him many places.

Where does your calling take you and how does a sense of servitude play into your daily life? It seems that during this time of Lent we find ourselves more contemplative, thinking about our relationship with the Lord more. Perhaps we have given something up for Lent as a sign of discipline. But many people I know add things into their life at this time of year: giving more, praying a special prayer, reading more scripture. We try to deepen our relationship with others and with the Lord. We all possess special gifts and talents that we can use as we serve our families and friends, our churches, our communities. When you think about where you are able to serve, do you feel a sense of joy in what you are able to do?

It is possible to over extend ourselves, serving more hours than our schedules and our bodies allow, leaving us both physically and emotionally exhausted, maybe ill-tempered and resentful. In our scripture readings, we see that Jesus was often extremely busy serving and helping others, but he found time to spend in prayer. There was a balance seen in his life, and when we find time for prayer, we allow God to still our spirit.

I feel it is important to discern God’s call to serve in our lives. Consider how God might be calling you this week to use untapped gifts or skills. Perhaps he is calling you to tackle a new challenge, using life experiences to be part of his mission.

Christ has placed an attitude of serving in our hearts. He constantly models for us a life of service. Look for one new way to serve him in this coming week.