Scientific explanations may be an
improvement on demon possession but both fail to deal with the really troubling
underlying question. We all struggle, at some level, with the question of why
evil is allowed to exist. . . .
Theologians and philosophers have
argued the question over the centuries and eventually most of us come to some
kind of accommodation with the realities of human existence. Still, I always
dread the “what kind of God lets this happen to innocent children?” . . . Usually
the only practical answer is in the caring presence of the people of God as
they minister to the suffering in God's name.
Today's gospel shows us Jesus doing
that very thing. In the midst of human suffering and misery, Jesus is the
presence of God. . . .
Instead of eliminating all evil by
fiat, God seems to want the more meaningful victory that comes from turning
that which was intended for ill into a tool of healing. –– Judith E.
Simonson
Mark 1:29-39
After being baptized by John and
tested by Satan, Jesus called his first disciples to follow him. Mark then
pictures the character of Jesus' work, perhaps intending to suggest a “typical”
day in Capernaum.
After stories of Jesus teaching in
the synagogue and casting out a demon, we come to the text's stories of
healing. Many of the consistent features of Mark's story of Jesus are present:
a feeling of urgency in the rapid unfolding of events; a dramatic quality to
the storytelling; Jesus confronting the powers of evil and acting with
compassion for those in need; Jesus challenging conventional applications of
the Law. –– Aaron J. Couch
Isaiah 40:21-31
Second Isaiah speaks to Judah in
exile, suffering from impatience and doubting about God's ability or intention
to restore the people. The prophet reminds them that the Creator God never
grows weary or tired. In the presence of such might, the people must not
suppose that God fails to understand or care about their situation. Rather,
those who wait in trust for God to act will experience God's renewing power.
The beautiful imagery of “mounting up with wings like eagles” and of running
without growing faint invites meditation on how God “raises up” those in need. ––
Aaron J. Couch
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
The need to limit individual
freedom for the sake of love was a primary issue for the Corinthian
congregation. Paul answered the question of whether to eat meat offered to
idols by exploring how love looks to the need of the neighbor.
Paul now offers his own ministry as
an example of that principle in action. . . For the sake of the Corinthian
congregation, he will relinquish any claim to privilege. In a similar way Paul
pictures the character of his ministry among Jews and gentiles. Paul
accommodates himself to the needs of those to whom he ministers. . . He says
that, for the sake of the gospel, he has become “all things to all people.”
While one might question whether such complete accommodation is possible, Paul
certainly describes what love seeks to do. –– Aaron J. Couch
Aaron Couch is
a co-pastor of First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Portland, Oregon.
Judith E. Simonson
is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Homily Service 39, no. 3 (2006): 3-14.
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