Thomas J Parlette
“What? No Plan B?”
Mark 6: 1-13
7/7/24
Today marks a homecoming for Jesus. Today we hear about how Jesus preached to the people of his home town synagogue in Nazareth.And some people did not take his message very well. One of the reasons for this rejection was apparently over-familiarity – they just knew him too well. Jesus was going around healing, casting out demons and preaching about the need for repentance. Some people rejoiced over this. But apparently some were offended. They knew who Jesus was, or at least what he had been like as a boy. They had watched him grow up. He was the son of Joseph, a local carpenter. Sure, he was an energetic,sensitive and intelligent young man, but there was nothing special about him. He played with the other kids in town and got into his share of trouble, just like every other little boy. So, there were those in town who weren’t all that interested in listening to him telling them they needed to change their ways and repent.
So, Jesus was rejected in his own home town. In response, Jesus made plans to send out some of his followers to preach the message of repentance. Verse six of today’s passage says, “he was amazed at their lack of faith. Then Jesus went around teaching, village to village. Calling the twelve, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.”
When Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, he saw it as a sign of what was to come – his suffering, death and resurrection. When he was gone, others would have to carry on the work of salvation by offering healing,
lasting out demons and preaching the gospel. Jesus began to execute a new plan by sending out the twelve disciples two by two. Later, he would send out seventy and then commission the whole church to go and make disciples. The plan of bringing salvation would be the same plan Jesus followed. His followers are called to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach about repentance and forgiveness, just as Jesus himself did – but before receiving the Good News, people would need to be aware of their need for salvation.
I know that sounds like a pretty self-explanatory situation. Of course people would have to identify a need before looking for salvation. People need to know they are sick before they start looking for a cure. Before anyone can accept salvation, they must be aware of their predicament. In a sermon to the graduates of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, Paul Tillich once preached on the theme of healing,casting out demons and leading people to faith. He told the graduating seminarians that they would experience difficulties as they went to their new parishes with this message. Why would there be difficulties?
Because, many people think they do not need to be healed; many laugh at the absurdity of casting out the demons that rule their lives; and many reject the notion that they need to trust in Jesus for salvation.
“Therefore,” said Tillich, “the first task of the pastor is to make people aware of their predicament.”
It’s hard enough to heal people who know they are sick, harder still to heal those who don’t believe they are sick. It’s hard to heal someone else when you yourself are sick as well. It is so hard, in fact, that no one
can accomplish that feat – at least not by human power alone. Healing and cleansing are the work of God.
Some of the difficulty with this predicament comes from the many misunderstandings we have about healing.
One misunderstanding comes from how you define healing. The Bible defines healing in terms of
salvation. To be saved doesn’t just mean you’re going to heaven. Salvation means wholeness. And wholeness includes the body, as well as the soul. The Bible thinks of healing in wholistic terms.
Another misunderstanding comes from establishing who is to do this healing. Jesus’ view is that healing is not limited to health professionals. Jesus sent his followers out to heal. Some people see
healing as limited to the body, physical ailments. They are aware of physical pain and suffering, and see doctors, nurses and hospitals as the only means of dealing with their sickness. Some people are not as aware of the mental and spiritual sides of healing, and some are not aware of the fact that faith can play a major role in healing. Disease literally means “not at ease.” Disease is disharmony, disturbance, dysfunction or disunity in the parts of the whole person. Healing means restoration of the unity of the body, mind and spirit. The disease that seems physical may be mental at its root; the disease which
seems mental may actually be spiritual; the disease which seems individual may be social at the same time. The human spirit must be reunited with God’s divine spirit for true wholeness to be restored.
That’s why repentance is mentioned alongside healing in this passage. “Heal the sick” means to help people regain their lives as a whole, not just cure a specific illness. For example, standing in front of a
starving man while preaching the gospel, but neglecting to give him something to eat, adds to his sickness. For a medical doctor to remove a stomach ulcer, but neglect the condition that caused the ulcer – whether its spiritual, psychological or social – is far less that the healing Jesus calls for. Healers in Jesus’ name are called to do more. Miracle healings occur – yes, but that’s not the central meaning of Jesus’ command that we should go forth and heal people. The meaning is deeper and wider than that. Healing in this instance is the act of reuniting the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions of life.
Dr. Lou Kettel, the one-time dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona once described wholistic medicine this way –“The patient’s physical well-being, mental well-being and spiritual well-being are the three traditional aspects of whole person care. Regardless of who treats the patient, all who care must deal with the whole patient.” Healing is a ministry of God. Jesus commanded that we bring healing to one another by his power. Sometimes we protest, “I can’t do that, I’m not qualified. I’ve gotten problems of my own, I can’t heal someone else.” But even with our flaws, we, like the original 12 disciples, are sent to bring healing to the body, mind and spirit. Now, God is actually the one who brings healing, to us, and then by extension,
to others, through us. Henri Nouwen is famous for saying that we are all “wounded healers,” healers in need of healing ourselves, casting out evil forces and at the same time in need of our own cleansing. That is our predicament.
That is why we need Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus sends his followers but to heal, facing the predicament of sickness. He also sends us to cast out demons, facing another predicament – the predicament of evil. We don’t fully understand the nature of demons or how they work in this world. But we know that they exist. Maybe not in a bodily form, but more as a spiritual entity. We can see their results of their work. How often do we come across a story on the news about some upstanding member of society that succumbs to temptation – drink, drugs, gambling, violence, adultery, what have you – and everyone in
town says the same thing…“I can’t believe it – He was such a nice guy, she was such a good person.”
Demons are real – they get the best of people sometimes. That kind of division within our human nature is a sign of demons. It doesn’t mean we’re all possessed, but it does require us to be alert and vigilant, so that demons don’t overrun our better nature. We may not fully understand the nature of these demons – but Jesus does. And he has come to cast out the demons that plague us. Let’s consider some of these demons for a moment…
Resentment, for instance – that’s a demon that almost all of us have wrestled with. Resentment can be thought of as internalized anger. If we have a resentment for a short time, after something unjust or unfair happens to us or a loved one – that is natural. But if we cling to a resentment for months or even years, we can do serious damage to our health. The demon gets us, and division sets in.
Revenge is another powerful demon – closely tied to resentment. Revenge can be resentment taking action. Revenge can take possession of us, driving us on and controlling us. “We have a right to revenge,” weconvince ourselves. “Look at what so and so has done to me – they should pay.” Revenge gets a foothold, encourages us to hold on for the ride and begins to take possession of our life, until eventually the demon whispers, “You are mine now, you belong to me.” Unless this demon is cast out, division sets in.
Lust can be a demon too. It starts naturally enough, a healthy attraction to a loved one – but it can get out of control, taking over a person’s every thought and action.
Lust can ruin your life if you let it. Martin Luther once said – “You can’t keep the birds of temptation from flying over head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.” Lust can become a demon and take over your life. It can divide from the inside and make you sick. Jesus says – “Cast out demons.” We reply, “but we can’t do that.”
And Jesus says, “You’re right, you can’t. Demons are too strong for you. So, I’ll do it. First, I will heal you, then I will heal others through you. And you don’t have to do it alone. You are called to work
together.”
You noticed, I hope, that Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs, two by two, so they could work together to bring healing. People might scoff at us we go forth to fight the predicament of evil like so many Don Quixotes, swinging at windmills, trying to bring good and failing so often, seeking treasure where others see only trash, seeking beauty where others see only ugliness, seeking to cleanse evil spirits where other see none at all. Many people are not even aware of their predicament with the powers of evil, and many people simply don’t acknowledge their predicament of sin.
That’s what happened to Jesus in Nazareth. The people of Jesus’hometown refused to acknowledge their sin and sickness, and therefore saw no need to repent, much less look for a savior. Those kind of people are still around today. They don’t see the need for repentance or a Savior, because they don’t see their sickness, they don’t see their own need.
Jesus told the 12 to go out for him, healing and casting out demons. He also told them to preach the gospel of repentance, by casting out the demon of unbelief – one he himself faced in Nazareth. Hearing
Jesus’ call, the 12 went out and preached Jesus’ message of repentance.The followed Jesus’ plan.
The plan was go out and talk up repentance. “Now is the time to turn back to God,” that’s your message, says Jesus. “Do it together, with a partner, because you’re going to need each other’s help. And don’t
worry whether you can do it, or if you’re qualified enough, because I will empower you with the Spirit. Don’t worry about your own flaws and weaknesses. God’s power, through me, will overcome all that.”
A story is told about what happened in heaven after Jesus ascended. Jesus told some of the angels about his plan to have his disciples go out in his name to heal, cast out demons and preach the Good News. The angels listened politely, then one of them spoke up.“You mean those guys, down there. The ones who don’t understand anything you tell them and get all the answers wrong. Those guys.”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“Well, that’s a nice idea, Jesus – but they’ll never be able to do it. They’re not up to it. They’re too sinful, they’re too weak, too many character flaws. I think you’re going to need a back-up. What’s your
Plan B.”
“There is no Plan B,” said Jesus. Sending out my followers in my name is the only plan I’ve got.”
Jesus repeatedly says “Come to me” throughout the scriptures. We’ve heard that many times. But today, Jesus says something else. “Go for me.” The church is not only called to be a welcoming place, it is also
called to a sending place. Jesus’ plan is to welcome sinners into the church – and then send them out into the world. Jesus says, “Heal the sick, cast out the demons and preach the Good News. Do it together so
you don’t get too discouraged. Do it by my power, because your power is insufficient, I know that – but do it anyway.”
That’s the plan. There is no back-up. There is no Plan B. We are the plan. We are the ones, healed by God and sent by Jesus to tell the world that the time has come to turn around and head back to God.
May God be praised. Amen.
