No Rest
Sometimes the work will follow you home.
When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, ‘Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”, or to say, “Stand up and take your mat and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic— ‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’ And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’ - Mark 2:1-12
Don't you find it odd that the scribes were among those in Jesus' home? Who invites their enemies in and lets them attack him i his own home?
The first thought I had when reading today's Gospel was that Jesus could find no escape from his healing ministry. Once word got out, people came from all around and gave him no rest.
When we commit ourselves to a ministry, we find that there are opportunities to engage in it everywhere we go. It is not like a job that follows you by choice. The ministry finds you even when you are seeking to escape it.
Now you may argue that a job is like that too. I remember being on vacation in Mexico, finding myself on conference calls with people in India and back in the States, but that was my choice. I let work invade my peace.
The men seeking Jesus' help tore open his roof to get in to see him!
Sure, he made a choice of letting people in, but if he hadn't, they were not going to go away.
That's the thing about a ministry. It becomes you. It changes your perspective of the world around you, and suddenly you see what was invisible before.
You notice the homeless man at the bus stop letting the bus go by without getting on.
You notice the woman with the cart with a broken wheel, the cart overloaded with plastic bags.
These people are there all the time, but when we are busy with our lives, we don't see them. It is only when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the pain and sorrow around us that we notice. And then we can choose to do something.
Or we can choose to move on.
It is easy to understand why some are reluctant to call the Holy Spirit into their lives. They are afraid of losing their anonymity. For while the needy and hungry are invisible, so are we, until we choose to act.
Then the needs of the world will know us and find us.
And like Jesus, we may be forced to choose.
More to come...