I don’t know if you happen to remember the old TV show Dragnet. Sgt. Friday would go out to
interview witnesses, and invariably, in step with the somewhat less enlightened times, he’d
encounter a woman who would ramble on absently about this and that. Do you remember what he’d
say? Exactly: “Just the facts, ma’am.”
Well, in writing his Gospel St. Mark appears to be a graduate of the Sgt. Joe Friday school of
reporting. Unlike Matthew, and especially John He sticks pretty much to the historical narrative, with
a minimum of interpretation. And as we’ll see, this makes for some pretty condensed reading that’s
packed with significance as we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it. In fact, in today’s Gospel
reading in a mere 11 verses we have what almost amounts to a blueprint of the Christian life.
Specifically, we see a vivid, moving picture of the flow of grace.
I want to begin by acknowledging one source that really helped me to see this clearly. I occasionally
look at what others have preached about passages to stimulate my noggin, and found a gem of a
sermon by Charles Spurgeon from 1875. I’m constantly amazed not only by the timelessness of the
Holy Scriptures, but also by the teaching on them by faithful preachers through the ages. So, thank
you Chuck. (We’re tight, me and Charles.)
Well, let’s be original and start from the beginning. In fact, let’s be really original and start from
before the beginning. Or at least before today’s passage. By the time of this event some very
important things had already happened. John mentions in his Gospel that Andrew the disciple had
been a follower of John the Baptist. We recently heard this story, so you might recall that John the
Baptist directed attention away from himself and toward Jesus. He said that he was unworthy even to
untie the thongs of Jesus’ sandals, and said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” So step one
in the flow of grace described in today’s reading is that Andrew was told by John the Baptist about
Jesus, the Lamb of God.
John’s Gospel then gives the second step: Andrew goes to tell the news to his brother, Simon Peter.
He says to Peter, “We’ve found the Messiah!” So, if we work backward we see that Peter finding out
about Jesus was dependent upon Andrew’s message, and Andrew finding out about Jesus was
dependent on John the Baptist’s message. If either of these two links had not been connected,
presumably Peter would not have found out about Jesus, at least in a personal way, and history
would have been altered significantly. Are you with me so far?
This is one of many instances in the scriptures where we see a basic truth about how God works:
God elects to use human agency to spread his grace. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans: “How
are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without
someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written,
‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” And the wonderful thing that happens
when people are faithful to speak the word is that grace begins almost to take on a life of its own. It’s
like a stone thrown in a still lake—the ripples spread in every direction.
So, shortly after all this Jesus calls Andrew and Peter to follow him, and they do. This brings us to
the fisherman’s house in Capernaum. Here’s how Spurgeon describes the scene: “Peter was not
rich nor famous, he was neither a ruler of the synagogue, nor an eminent scribe, and his house was
not at all remarkable among the habitations which made up the little fishing suburb down by the sea-
shore. Yet to this house did Jesus go. He had foreknown and chosen it of old, and had resolved to
make it renowned by his presence and miraculous power. There hung the fisherman's nets outside
the door—the sole escutcheon and hatchment of one who was ordained to sit upon a throne and
judge, with his fellow apostles, the twelve tribes of Israel. Beneath that lowly roof Immanuel deigned
to unveil himself: God-with-us showed himself.” He showed himself to Peter.
It was a Saturday. We know this from the fact that not only did Jesus return to Peter and Andrew’s
house from the synagogue, but we see later that others who were sick or possessed were brought in
at sundown. In other words, this kind of work was not done during the Sabbath, which ended at
dusk. So Jesus, James and John return from church to Peter and Andrew’s house, and they
promptly tell him that Peter’s mother-in-law has taken ill. She’s in bed with a fever. Now, mind you,
this is before the days of antibiotics. A fever was cause for no small concern.
In his typical just-the-facts shorthand, Mark simply writes, “Jesus came and lifted her up. Then the
fever left her, and she began to serve them.” That’s all! But once again, this is packed with meaning.
The grace that had flowed from John the Baptist to Andrew to Peter, now spreads to his wife’s
mother, whom Jesus himself promptly heals. And what does Peter’s mother-in-law do? How does she
respond? She begins to serve. Her relief, her gratitude at the love and healing given to her by the
Master can only be expressed through action—through service.
And this is very much the model upon which every Christian is to base her life. The gift of grace is
free. We can do absolutely nothing to earn it. So when we receive it, the only fitting response is to
love and serve God and our neighbor. It reminds me of the movie version of The Fellowship of the
Ring, in which the elven maiden Arwen begins to treat the wound Frodo had received at the hands
of the evil wraith. She lays hands on him and says (in what sounds like a prayer), “What grace has
given me, let it pass to him.” (It wasn’t in the book, but it’s still a great scene.)
But Peter’s mother-in-law’s service is only one ripple on the lake. Another ripple laps against a
further shore when the villagers begin bringing in their sick and demon-oppressed loved ones. And
you know there had to be an intermediate step or two here. It can only have been that word got
around. Blessed are the feet of those who bring good news. I’m guessing there were many happy
feet in Capernaum that day, because the word spread quickly. Do you see the pattern? There are a
series of links in the chain of events that end up in blessing, and each link is a flesh-and-blood
human being.
I once read a short story called “Counterparts” by James Joyce in his book The Dubliners. It’s a
story of how abusive behavior by a boss toward a worker ends up visiting itself in turn upon the
victim’s wife, then his children. They’re counterparts in a tragic tale. Well, Mark’s story is the polar
opposite of James Joyce’s story. God’s blessing is passed on from person to person, and every link
in the chain is blessed in the end. It’s an account of counterparts being the agents of Christ’s
healing and grace.
And this raises some relevant questions for us this morning. As Christians are we constantly
scanning our environment for God’s blessings to us that can then be passed on to others? And
when we comprehend any particular blessing, are we then indeed faithful to pass it on? Do we let
our neighbors know of the Lord’s wonderful working in our lives? Do we let them know that He’s
there for them, too? This brings us down to the very basics of the Lord’s expectations for us who’ve
been given the free gift of grace. There are many people here in this church this morning we’d
never have seen here if not for the faithful words and actions of others who are here this morning.
And of course my confident prayer is that everyone in the unfolding chain will be blessed by this.
That’s one aspect of all this: being brought with fellow sojourners into the presence of the Lord. But
there’s another aspect of Mark’s story that brings it right down to the vision that the Lord himself
gave to this congregation at its inception. Do we really believe that the Lord still heals, here and
now? Like the villagers of Capernaum, are we willing not only to tell people about the Lord, but to
bring people to him for healing and deliverance?
As you know, we have prayer teams at church on Sundays, we have soaking prayer teams who give
concentrated attention and prayer for special needs, and we have a monthly Taizé service in which
people can come into the peaceful presence of the Lord and experience His rest and care and
healing. One day we’ll also have a healing center standing near us, where the best of the medical
arts will combine with the healing power of prayer to provide relief to many in the community. These
are all things we have the privilege of sharing with our neighbors in need, because they’re links in
the chain of grace that stretches right from Jesus Christ through us to them.
And the final piece we can take away from this Gospel story also has to do with this thing called
‘prayer’. If we have a hard time motivating ourselves to pray, perhaps we should turn our attention
once again to what Jesus does in our passage. After he heals many of the sick and possessed, that
is, after he spends that holy combination of self-effort and God-power, he gets some shut-eye. Then
in the wee hours of the morning, he goes to a deserted place and prays to his Father in heaven. He
finds a place of peace and silence, and talks with His Father, our Father in heaven.
I’ve heard it said that if you get exhausted doing the Lord’s work, you’re not relying enough on His
power. I have to disagree with this. Even if you are relying on the Lord’s power, you’re still spending
your energy in cooperation. The Spirit is like the very life-giving air we breathe, but when we run we
still get tired. Therefore, here Jesus models for us to get the rest we need and spend some quiet,
rejuvenating time alone with the Father. This not only gives us much-needed renewal, but it keeps
us in touch and in tune. It helps us to recognize His guidance, to hear (as we said a couple of weeks
ago) the still, small voice without the cacophonous background of urban life in the 21st century. The
tradition of ‘quiet time’ is so named for good reason.
Our passage concludes by reporting that, once Jesus had rested, he began his work once again in
earnest. And that work was to continue proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God by word
and by deed. This work continued with the apostles, the faithful believers in the early church, and all
generations of Christians ever since. Through them grace has flowed to us today, and continues to
flow out from here to a hungry and hurting world. In God’s sovereign and very deliberate plan, you
are a link in the chain of grace. Each of us is.
I pray that the privilege and responsibility of that reality penetrates every one of us to the marrow.
May we all gain a new appreciation for having been personally chosen as receivers and vessels of
God’s grace. May we be attentive to the flow of grace in and around us. And may we be clean and
strong links in a chain through which untold multitudes will one day be blessed. Amen.
interview witnesses, and invariably, in step with the somewhat less enlightened times, he’d
encounter a woman who would ramble on absently about this and that. Do you remember what he’d
say? Exactly: “Just the facts, ma’am.”
Well, in writing his Gospel St. Mark appears to be a graduate of the Sgt. Joe Friday school of
reporting. Unlike Matthew, and especially John He sticks pretty much to the historical narrative, with
a minimum of interpretation. And as we’ll see, this makes for some pretty condensed reading that’s
packed with significance as we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it. In fact, in today’s Gospel
reading in a mere 11 verses we have what almost amounts to a blueprint of the Christian life.
Specifically, we see a vivid, moving picture of the flow of grace.
I want to begin by acknowledging one source that really helped me to see this clearly. I occasionally
look at what others have preached about passages to stimulate my noggin, and found a gem of a
sermon by Charles Spurgeon from 1875. I’m constantly amazed not only by the timelessness of the
Holy Scriptures, but also by the teaching on them by faithful preachers through the ages. So, thank
you Chuck. (We’re tight, me and Charles.)
Well, let’s be original and start from the beginning. In fact, let’s be really original and start from
before the beginning. Or at least before today’s passage. By the time of this event some very
important things had already happened. John mentions in his Gospel that Andrew the disciple had
been a follower of John the Baptist. We recently heard this story, so you might recall that John the
Baptist directed attention away from himself and toward Jesus. He said that he was unworthy even to
untie the thongs of Jesus’ sandals, and said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” So step one
in the flow of grace described in today’s reading is that Andrew was told by John the Baptist about
Jesus, the Lamb of God.
John’s Gospel then gives the second step: Andrew goes to tell the news to his brother, Simon Peter.
He says to Peter, “We’ve found the Messiah!” So, if we work backward we see that Peter finding out
about Jesus was dependent upon Andrew’s message, and Andrew finding out about Jesus was
dependent on John the Baptist’s message. If either of these two links had not been connected,
presumably Peter would not have found out about Jesus, at least in a personal way, and history
would have been altered significantly. Are you with me so far?
This is one of many instances in the scriptures where we see a basic truth about how God works:
God elects to use human agency to spread his grace. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans: “How
are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without
someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written,
‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” And the wonderful thing that happens
when people are faithful to speak the word is that grace begins almost to take on a life of its own. It’s
like a stone thrown in a still lake—the ripples spread in every direction.
So, shortly after all this Jesus calls Andrew and Peter to follow him, and they do. This brings us to
the fisherman’s house in Capernaum. Here’s how Spurgeon describes the scene: “Peter was not
rich nor famous, he was neither a ruler of the synagogue, nor an eminent scribe, and his house was
not at all remarkable among the habitations which made up the little fishing suburb down by the sea-
shore. Yet to this house did Jesus go. He had foreknown and chosen it of old, and had resolved to
make it renowned by his presence and miraculous power. There hung the fisherman's nets outside
the door—the sole escutcheon and hatchment of one who was ordained to sit upon a throne and
judge, with his fellow apostles, the twelve tribes of Israel. Beneath that lowly roof Immanuel deigned
to unveil himself: God-with-us showed himself.” He showed himself to Peter.
It was a Saturday. We know this from the fact that not only did Jesus return to Peter and Andrew’s
house from the synagogue, but we see later that others who were sick or possessed were brought in
at sundown. In other words, this kind of work was not done during the Sabbath, which ended at
dusk. So Jesus, James and John return from church to Peter and Andrew’s house, and they
promptly tell him that Peter’s mother-in-law has taken ill. She’s in bed with a fever. Now, mind you,
this is before the days of antibiotics. A fever was cause for no small concern.
In his typical just-the-facts shorthand, Mark simply writes, “Jesus came and lifted her up. Then the
fever left her, and she began to serve them.” That’s all! But once again, this is packed with meaning.
The grace that had flowed from John the Baptist to Andrew to Peter, now spreads to his wife’s
mother, whom Jesus himself promptly heals. And what does Peter’s mother-in-law do? How does she
respond? She begins to serve. Her relief, her gratitude at the love and healing given to her by the
Master can only be expressed through action—through service.
And this is very much the model upon which every Christian is to base her life. The gift of grace is
free. We can do absolutely nothing to earn it. So when we receive it, the only fitting response is to
love and serve God and our neighbor. It reminds me of the movie version of The Fellowship of the
Ring, in which the elven maiden Arwen begins to treat the wound Frodo had received at the hands
of the evil wraith. She lays hands on him and says (in what sounds like a prayer), “What grace has
given me, let it pass to him.” (It wasn’t in the book, but it’s still a great scene.)
But Peter’s mother-in-law’s service is only one ripple on the lake. Another ripple laps against a
further shore when the villagers begin bringing in their sick and demon-oppressed loved ones. And
you know there had to be an intermediate step or two here. It can only have been that word got
around. Blessed are the feet of those who bring good news. I’m guessing there were many happy
feet in Capernaum that day, because the word spread quickly. Do you see the pattern? There are a
series of links in the chain of events that end up in blessing, and each link is a flesh-and-blood
human being.
I once read a short story called “Counterparts” by James Joyce in his book The Dubliners. It’s a
story of how abusive behavior by a boss toward a worker ends up visiting itself in turn upon the
victim’s wife, then his children. They’re counterparts in a tragic tale. Well, Mark’s story is the polar
opposite of James Joyce’s story. God’s blessing is passed on from person to person, and every link
in the chain is blessed in the end. It’s an account of counterparts being the agents of Christ’s
healing and grace.
And this raises some relevant questions for us this morning. As Christians are we constantly
scanning our environment for God’s blessings to us that can then be passed on to others? And
when we comprehend any particular blessing, are we then indeed faithful to pass it on? Do we let
our neighbors know of the Lord’s wonderful working in our lives? Do we let them know that He’s
there for them, too? This brings us down to the very basics of the Lord’s expectations for us who’ve
been given the free gift of grace. There are many people here in this church this morning we’d
never have seen here if not for the faithful words and actions of others who are here this morning.
And of course my confident prayer is that everyone in the unfolding chain will be blessed by this.
That’s one aspect of all this: being brought with fellow sojourners into the presence of the Lord. But
there’s another aspect of Mark’s story that brings it right down to the vision that the Lord himself
gave to this congregation at its inception. Do we really believe that the Lord still heals, here and
now? Like the villagers of Capernaum, are we willing not only to tell people about the Lord, but to
bring people to him for healing and deliverance?
As you know, we have prayer teams at church on Sundays, we have soaking prayer teams who give
concentrated attention and prayer for special needs, and we have a monthly Taizé service in which
people can come into the peaceful presence of the Lord and experience His rest and care and
healing. One day we’ll also have a healing center standing near us, where the best of the medical
arts will combine with the healing power of prayer to provide relief to many in the community. These
are all things we have the privilege of sharing with our neighbors in need, because they’re links in
the chain of grace that stretches right from Jesus Christ through us to them.
And the final piece we can take away from this Gospel story also has to do with this thing called
‘prayer’. If we have a hard time motivating ourselves to pray, perhaps we should turn our attention
once again to what Jesus does in our passage. After he heals many of the sick and possessed, that
is, after he spends that holy combination of self-effort and God-power, he gets some shut-eye. Then
in the wee hours of the morning, he goes to a deserted place and prays to his Father in heaven. He
finds a place of peace and silence, and talks with His Father, our Father in heaven.
I’ve heard it said that if you get exhausted doing the Lord’s work, you’re not relying enough on His
power. I have to disagree with this. Even if you are relying on the Lord’s power, you’re still spending
your energy in cooperation. The Spirit is like the very life-giving air we breathe, but when we run we
still get tired. Therefore, here Jesus models for us to get the rest we need and spend some quiet,
rejuvenating time alone with the Father. This not only gives us much-needed renewal, but it keeps
us in touch and in tune. It helps us to recognize His guidance, to hear (as we said a couple of weeks
ago) the still, small voice without the cacophonous background of urban life in the 21st century. The
tradition of ‘quiet time’ is so named for good reason.
Our passage concludes by reporting that, once Jesus had rested, he began his work once again in
earnest. And that work was to continue proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God by word
and by deed. This work continued with the apostles, the faithful believers in the early church, and all
generations of Christians ever since. Through them grace has flowed to us today, and continues to
flow out from here to a hungry and hurting world. In God’s sovereign and very deliberate plan, you
are a link in the chain of grace. Each of us is.
I pray that the privilege and responsibility of that reality penetrates every one of us to the marrow.
May we all gain a new appreciation for having been personally chosen as receivers and vessels of
God’s grace. May we be attentive to the flow of grace in and around us. And may we be clean and
strong links in a chain through which untold multitudes will one day be blessed. Amen.
February 5, 2012
Fr. Dan Tuton
Fr. Dan Tuton
Links in the Chain of Grace
(Mark 1:29-39)
(Mark 1:29-39)
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