Stress Test Devotional April 27
April 27, 2024
MARK 1:21, 29-34 | 21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 And he cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Jesus was called Rabbi, or teacher, by His disciples and more grudgingly, also by His opponents. Here in the fast-paced and compact Markan ministry account we see a key pattern. Jesus begins by teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. There were set readings out of the Torah for each week and the teacher for the day would choose a reading from the prophets. But then Jesus turns from teaching to healing, first with a possessed man in the synagogue, then helping Simon’s mother-in-law with an infection, and finally, in a public setting, healing all who were sick or possessed. Often He stopped teaching to heal, and curing diseases and afflictions both emotional and spiritual was a huge part of His ministry. Those who practice medicine, those who counsel, those who run healthcare or recovery enterprises, or who research new treatments for ailments are carrying on His ministry of healing, consciously or unconsciously.
Pray for all who work to bring healing and wholeness.
