Free Speach

Epiphany 5 – February 4

Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-12, 21c
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39

We continue to read Paul’s discussion of what freedom in Christ means. Although, now, he takes the discussion in a different direction than previous. Before he talked about how, even though everything is right for Christians, we must act so that others see how Jesus has changed our lives. Now Paul is talking about speech. I am not fully sure what Paul is telling us here. It seems that Paul is saying that while he could ask people to support him as he told them about Jesus, he has chosen not to. Instead of insisting that others support him, Paul earned his own living as he worked to spread the gospel. He was a tent-maker. We can assume that this choice was one of purpose. He wanted to show others how the message of Jesus was life-changing. As he indicated in this passage, he had already received his wages for sharing the message by Jesus’ work upon the cross.

We also learn that Paul worked to be accepted by all people so that he could share the Gospel with everyone. To a Jew, he became a Jew, to a gentile a gentile. Although he does say that he was always under Christ’s law. He is reminding us here that it is the message that is important, not how someone looks or what they believe. Instead, we are called to give up our prejudices and open our lives to God.

Our text from Isaiah reminds us of that. This passage is at the beginning of second Isaiah written near the end of the Babylonian captivity. The Israelites had been held in captivity so long they were complaining that God had abandoned them. Isaiah tells them that was not true. In fact, it was the Israelites who had abandoned God. He does this by reminding them of all the things that God has done and that, while the Babylonian empire will end, God is timeless. Their captivity will end and God will return them to their land. Until then, they should return to God.

I will admit that, when I read our passage from Mark for today, I cringed a bit. There is Simon’s mother-in-law who is sick and when Jesus heals her, the first thing she does is get up and serve them. Could not the disciples or even Jesus get themselves something to eat and give the woman some rest? But then, it could be that she wanted to serve Jesus out of thanks for being healed. Which, in that society where women were not equal with men, was the only way she could thank and serve Jesus for what he had done. While everyone around her seemed to be looking to Jesus for something, she was looking for a way to repay Jesus for what he had done. That day certainly had to be exhausting for Jesus. We can see that because he went off to a quiet place to pray.

To the disciples’ surprise, when they found him, he told them they were going on a journey to spread the message. And they did so through all of Galilee. Again, as with Paul, what is important here is to tell people about God. The disciples learned that as did Paul. To them the message was so important that they even lost their lives because they told others about God’s salvation in Christ Jesus. You also have been called to the same mission they had been called to: the spreading of the good news of Jesus. That may be the easy part of your call. The hard part is how to do it. While you may not be one to preach or teach, and you may not be able to heal another, but you can give a kind word to someone who is struggling and you certainly can share a bit of what God has given you. How you share God’s message of love may even change as the years go by. What is important is that you share with others the love that you have received remembering how unworthy you were to have received it and how timeless God’s love is.