Rev. George Miller
Jan 14, 2024
Mark 2:1-12
On the streaming service HULU there is a new documentary
on world famous entertainer Raffaella Carra.
Born in Italy, Raffaella was the Beyonce of the 70’s and
80’s, putting on stunning shows with dazzling outfits.
Raffaella was adored in Italy, but when she toured South
America, the people went into a near religious frenzy.
Their love for her was so great that her fans began to idolize
her like a saint or a deity.
There is a clip where Rafaella is trying to make it
across the street and the crowds have descended upon her to the point that she
can barely move. You see someone reach
out a hand, and pluck a strand of hair from her head.
This image of people wanting a piece of her, interrupting
her intimacy is like today’s reading.
Mark tells us Jesus has returned to Capernaum and is now at
home.
Jesus was in the wilderness where the demons dwell, being
baptized and meeting us in our loneliness.
Jesus has been at the work site of Andrew and James who
were fishing and mending broken nets.
Jesus has been in Peter’s house, where he entered the
most private of places to bring healing to the family matriarch, affirming her personhood
and role.
Then, like Raffaella and Beyonce, Jesus embarks on a tour
of Galilee, sharing his bright light, proclaiming the good news, evangelizing
to everyone.
When his tour wraps up with remarkable success, he returns
to Capernaum.
Word gets out that he’s at home.
People crowd around Jesus, so much there’s no room, not
even by the door.
Next thing you know “Bang”, “Crack”, “Whoosh,” the
ceiling falls in and a man on a mat living with paralysis is lowered down by four
of best friends.
Holy Maria and Madonna!!!
Raffaella had a fan take a string of hair from her head, here Jesus has
men take the roof off his house!
…wait! Did I just
say “his house”, as in the house of Jesus?
Haven’t we always been told that Jesus was a wanderer? Haven’t we heard again and again that Jesus
was homeless?
Doesn’t Jesus himself say in Matthew 8:20 (and Luke 9:58) that the
Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head?
Mark 2:2 says that Jesus is “at home.” How is this possible?
Welcome, sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers to the
wonderful world of the UCC where we take scripture and look at it very closely and
try to figure things out.
Mark, which is the first Gospel written, and said to be
the most historically accurate, has done something to further expand our mind
and our faith.
Mark makes it clear that Jesus is headquartered in
Capernaum. Mark also says that Jesus is
at home.
But what does home mean?
Does home mean that Jesus is staying at his Momma’s
house, eating up all her food and letting out all of her electricity?
Maybe this is Peter’s house and after being healed, his
mother-in-law said to Jesus “You are now part of the family; our house is your
home.”
Does home mean that Jesus is at home the same way we feel
when we return to our childhood town; or how we feel when we go to our favorite
spot in the world, like the beach, or Back Bay Mission?
Does Mark mean “home” as in “heart” or home as in “house”?
Mark is not here to answer our questions, so we will never know, but here is the
beautiful thing-
we now have another opportunity to think deeper about
Jesus and why we follow him.
When Jesus was speaking to the people, and they filled
the home, blocked the door, and took down the roof…
…does it mean more to you historically, theologically, spiritually
if this was the actual home of Jesus; or does it mean more to you to think of Jesus
as a 30-year-old homeless man?
In the traditional way of viewing Jesus as a wanderer of
the land who depends on the kindness of others, we see the value of hospitality
and how our Savior depended on the food, shelter, and goodness of others.
So if Jesus depended on the welcome of others, then we
should do our best to welcome the hungry, the cold, the traveler.
On the other hand…if Jesus actually had a home, and he actually
had day to day upkeep and day to day responsibilities, like sweeping the floors,
going to the market, then that makes Jesus more real…. more human…more like us.
And if Jesus actually had a home with bills and things to
get done, then this means Jesus really knows what it’s like to be us; like
really really know.
Which means that all Jesus taught, all he said about
blessed are you who hunger, blessed are you who thirst wasn’t just cool-sounding
poetry, but that he knew, he actually knew.
Which means that when Jesus toured the nation, when he
went from desserts to storms at sea to standing before Pilate…
…he could have been safely at home in his PJS, undisturbed,
watching the Great British Bakeoff on Netflix.
Which means when those crowds filled the room, it was his
living room.
When those four guys cut a hole in the roof, it was his
roof!
I can’t tell you what to believe or how the Holy Spirit is
calling you to understand this text, but for me, today…
…for me, today I feel even closer to Jesus than before because
it indicates “for me” that Jesus really put everything on the line and he
really gave it all to us and everyone around us,
So that we can be witnesses to the Kingdom of Heaven,
so that we can see Heaven on Earth,
so that we can experience our stupid, stupid mistakes
being forgiven,
so that we can be reminded that we are not forgotten, we
are not forsaken, we are not insignificant.
If Jesus really had his own house, and if Jesus really
really allowed his roof to be taken down and his front door blocked, we have an
even more amazing image of Christ.
That not only did Jesus choose to begin his ministry by
going into the wilderness where the wild things are and our loneliness dwells,
Not only did he go into our places of honest work and
broken nets,
Not only did he go into our homes, and into our most
intimate spaces and validate our mundane day to day tasks,
Jesus invites us into his home, Jesus invites us into his
house, to evangelize, to speak, to heal, to forgive, to restore.
The home of Jesus is indeed the house of the Lord…and we
are invited in, and we are all worthy.
And that is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
For that, let us say “Amen.”
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