Monday, January 29, 2018

Opposing the Destroyer - 4 February 2018 - Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany/ Lectionary 5

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.



No comments:

Post a Comment