{"id":3120,"date":"2009-02-15T14:17:00","date_gmt":"2009-02-15T19:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/?p=3120"},"modified":"2020-12-21T14:18:58","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T19:18:58","slug":"evil-spelled-backwards-sermon-talkback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/evil-spelled-backwards-sermon-talkback\/","title":{"rendered":"Evil Spelled Backwards Sermon Talkback"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sermon Talkback<\/strong>\u2014February 15, 2009<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evil Spelled Backwards<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Kings 5:1-14; Mark 1:40-45<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Multitasking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Jesus\u2019 baptism and temptation in the wilderness, we see three major, interconnected, aspects of Jesus\u2019 ministry: preaching and teaching (1:14-15, 21-22, 27, 39), exorcisms (1:23-26, 32, 34, 39), and healing (1:29-34, 40-45). These aspects of Jesus\u2019 activity are interconnected because they are often mentioned in pairs, overlapping with one another, in these passages. Mark 1:40-45 combines the emphasis on healing with preaching or proclamation. This passage focuses on Jesus\u2019 ability to accomplish various deeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleansing and Healing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distinction between cleansing and healing is significant, particularly based on where the passage concludes, appealing to \u201cwhat Moses commanded\u201d (1:44). Since the issue is \u201ccleansing,\u201d it must relate to regulations concerning purity, found in Leviticus 13-14 (for leprosy, in particular\u2014Lepers were required to wear torn clothes, keep their hair unkempt, cry out \u201cunclean, unclean\u201d wherever they went, and live outside of the community (Lev. 13:45-46)). While \u201cleprosy\u201d is a term that could relate to a variety of skin diseases in the ancient world, scriptural texts generally agree that there is no cure for it, except God\u2019s healing (2 Kings 5:7). The leper\u2019s interaction with others would have been severely restricted because of the contagious nature of the disease, and its impurity. Thus, the leper seeks cleansing, not just healing, so that he may enter into public society again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 Ability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussions of what Jesus is able or unable to do dominate the gospel of Mark\u2014The leper asks, \u201cIf you choose, you can make me clean\u201d (40), puts the focus both on Jesus\u2019 choice and on his ability to cleanse the man. While he may be able to heal the leper, due to the leper\u2019s proclamation, he becomes unable to travel \u201copenly.\u201d While he instructed the man to \u201csay nothing to anyone,\u201d the leper went out and began proclaiming it freely. Other situations include: The healing of the paralytic at Capernaum (2:1-10) is about Jesus\u2019 ability compared to God\u2019s: Who is able to forgive sins? Sometimes people\u2019s lack of faith prevents Jesus from fully acting in his ministry, as in his hometown of Nazareth (6:5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 Emotions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rarely do the gospel writers give their audiences insights into Jesus\u2019 emotions. Immediately, after the leper begs Jesus to heal him, Marks tells us that Jesus was \u201cmoved with pity\u201d or \u201ccompassion.\u201d This particular Greek word refers to being moved in the seat of one\u2019s emotions: one\u2019s intestines, or as we might say, one\u2019s \u201cguts.\u201d Our modern equivalent of this expression would locate the seat of one\u2019s emotions most often in the heart. (See note in NRSV\u2014\u201canger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark 1 concludes with a detailed \u201ccleansing\u201d story which narrates Jesus\u2019 ability to perform various aspects of his ministry and how this ability is related to those with whom he interacts. The story moves to a dramatic climax through Mark\u2019s descriptions of Jesus\u2019 emotional reactions to this leper, as the man evokes pity and warnings. Finally, while the healed leper breaks the secrecy Jesus desired, the \u201cword\u201d still spreads throughout Galilee (1:39) and elsewhere, currently inhibiting Jesus\u2019 movements, but culminating in the gospel that will one day be proclaimed to all nations (13:10; 10:9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question to Ponder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What in your life would you like healing from God?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sermon Talkback\u2014February 15, 2009 Evil Spelled Backwards 2 Kings 5:1-14; Mark 1:40-45 Jesus Multitasking After Jesus\u2019 baptism and temptation in the wilderness, we see three major, interconnected, aspects of Jesus\u2019Continue readingEvil Spelled Backwards Sermon Talkback<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[53,22],"class_list":["post-3120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-ng-sermon-talkbacks","tag-kings","tag-mark"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3120"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3121,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3120\/revisions\/3121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}