THE TEMPTATION OF DISTRACTION
As every person who has ever tried
to lead a committee meeting, or served as a moderator for a group, or who has
lead a work team or task force in the work place, or who has lead a civic
group, or who has lead a group at church knows first hand, keeping “the main
thing the main thing” the focus for a group of people is always the number one
task. In fact, in most cases, it is the most challenging task for a leader.
Indeed, distractions which lead us away from
our primary tasks in life are the norm for most of us, not the exception.
Regardless of the specific task and regardless of the particular context, it
takes great commitment and focused diligence for us to stay on task.
In our gospel passage this morning we
see a perfect example of this human proclivity to become distracted and veer
off course. As this passage begins Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law from a
fever. Then, word of Jesus’ healing power rapidly spreads throughout
However, at some point during the
night, but before dawn, Jesus slipped away from the crowd to a quiet place to
pray. Our text tells us that when Jesus is discovered missing Simon and the
others “hunted” Jesus down. Obviously, they
wanted him to return to the crowd and heal more people. Verse 37 reads, “Everyone is searching for you”.
At this point, in Simon’s mind and the minds
of the others, Jesus’ task is to heal people and drive out demons. However, as
we soon learn they are wrong - they have succumbed to the temptation of
distraction. As we learn in verse 38 Jesus’ primary mission is not to heal and
exorcise demons; it is to proclaim the good news of God’s love and forgiveness,
it is to proclaim that the
You see, healings and exorcisms are
a part of his mission, but they are not the main point. By seeking to
draw Jesus back to the crowds Simon and the others have failed to keep “the
main thing the main thing”. They have missed the point. The healings and
exorcisms, while they are important, they are of course particularly important
to the ones suffering from diseases and those possessed by a demon, even so the
healings are not Jesus’ primary mission.
The last verse in this passage,
verse 39, is our key for understanding Jesus’ actions. “And he went throughout
By trying to draw Jesus back into
Capernaum Simon and the other disciples had missed the point. Along with the
gathered crowd, they had missed the point of what Jesus was about. Without
question, the power to heal and exorcize people is a flashy and dramatic enterprise.
Healings catch our attention. Accordingly, Jesus’ power to heal us is alluring.
After all, if we are suffering it is only natural that we would desire to be
healed. Yet, as the evangelist Mark very carefully tells this story, Jesus’
power to heal is not an end unto itself. His power to heal and exorcize arises strictly
out of his primary mission to tell of God’s amazing love and grace. The power
to heal people is not contrary to the primary message, but it is not the
primary message.
Returning to the scene at Simon’s
house, it must have been intoxicating to be present that night. The crippled
could again walk. The weak suddenly filled with health. The possessed once
again calm and undisturbed. Just imagine how wonderful it must have felt to
witness God’s power on full display demonstrating such tangible and immediate
results.
Jesus recognized the danger of this
scene. Jesus understood the temptation involved in these public healings. The
crowd was giving him their immediate approval. Jesus faced the temptation of distraction
by simply gaining their allegiance by exercising his miracle working power. Yet
his miracle working power was not the reason he had come – he had come to
proclaim the imminent presence of the
Indeed, Jesus kept his focus. In
order to keep the main thing, the main thing, Jesus slipped away to a quiet
place to pray. He needed to spend time sharpening his focus and receiving
guidance from God. Jesus retreated to a deserted place, away from the hustle
and bustle of Simon’s house to regain his focus.
This is not the only time in Mark’s gospel
where Jesus engages in such a retreat. In at least two other places in Mark’s
gospel account, when Jesus needed to re-focus his efforts he prayed. In Chapter
6:46 after Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000 he left the
disciples and went up a mountain to pray. And again, on the night of his
betrayal as he and the disciples gathered in
In each of these circumstances, the
temptation Jesus faced was to become embroiled in the tyranny of the urgent.
After the miraculous feeding; the 5,000 would have followed him anywhere - except to
As disciples of our Lord, we too are faced
with constant distractions. We too are tempted to focus on the miraculous and
sensational power of Christ to bring change into people’s lives. We want to see
the crippled walk. We want to know people who have beaten cancer. We want to know
about people who have beaten their addiction through the power of the Spirit.
We hunger for the miraculous among us.
Yet, as our gospel passage this morning
instructs us, this desire misses the point if it becomes our primary focus. The
point of the gospel is to proclaim that in Jesus Christ the
As disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are
called to serve him. In the passage before us this morning the case of Simon’s
mother-in-law is instructive for us in this regard. When Jesus lifted her up
and the fever left her, this woman immediately began to serve Jesus and the
other disciples. So it is with us. When Christ heals us from our sickness, from
self-centeredness, from our anger, from our possessions, etc. there is no
lingering weakness in us holding us back; we are immediately available to serve
him.
In our discipleship we are called to
proclaim the good news of God’s love and forgiveness. We are called to proclaim
that the
Reverend Marc V. Mason
February 5, 2006
Trinity Presbyterian Church
Travelers Rest, SC