[ p. 53 ]
HAVTNG left the synagogue, Jesus with his four followers returned to the house of Simon and Andrew. The mother of Simon’s wife lay sick of a fever. When they told Jesus of this, he went to her where she lay, and took her by the hand and raised her up. Then the fever left her and she looked after them all.
The news of what he had done to the madman in the synagogue had already sped through the town and beyond : to this was added the news of his healing the mother of Simon’s wife. In the cool of the evening, when the sun was set, they began to bring to the house all in the town who were sick, and afflicted with impure spirits; and the whole population of the town was gathered together at the door. Arid Jesus healed many of those that were sick, and cast out many impure spirits. And he would not allow those with the impure spirits to speak because they knew him.
[ p. 54 ]
What these words mean we know. These madmen and possessed would have cried out, like the man in the synagogue:
“What have we in common with you, Jesus of Nazareth? You have come to destroy us. We know who you are, God’s Holy One.”
The others would likewise have recognized him, and the Holy Spirit in him, and cried out against his compulsion, and revealed his purpose—to destroy the Law and the nation. It may be that the man in the synagogue had first revealed it to Jesus himself, and that, when he spoke with authority in the synagogue, he himself did not know that, simply by being what he was, he had come to bring not peace, but a sword, or that his wonderful news was a message of catastrophe. The revelation may have struck him with dismay; he could not bear to hear it. It may be that the mere proclamation of himself as God’s Holy One, as though some peculiar sanctity attached to him alone, offended him as cutting at the root of his whole message. For either, and probably for both, of these reasons, he exerted his power over the inspired madmen before they could speak.
Much had happened to him on this day. He [ p. 55 ] had come into conflict with the world that is. The voice of the madman had revealed to him the nature of his purpose;’ and the thronging of his door had shown him that it was as a worker of miracles, not as the prophet of the Kingdom of God, that the world of men would follow him.
Therefore, very early in the morning while it was still quite dark, he rose and left the house secretly, and went out of the city to a remote place. There he prayed. He needed a renewal of strength from communion with his Father to pursue the road that had suddenly opened up before him. How should he go forward? He found his peace with his decision.
When Simon and the others awoke and found him gone, they went in search of him. When they came upon him, they said to him:
“Everybody is looking for you.”
Jesus said : “Let us go somewhere else—into the villages round about—so that I can proclaim the message there. For that is the reason why I came out of the desert.”
The message, therefore, was his decision; not miracles, or what men thought miracles. Quietings of overwrought souls, yes, lest they should [ p. 56 ] again reveal a purpose which he could not admit, or claim for him a peculiar dignity which he refused. But no more healings of the sick. He must keep his message pure. The message, bright and undimmed : that was all in all.
“So,” says Mark, “he went, proclaiming the message in the synagogues, and casting out impure spirits, through all Galilee.” There was to be, and there was, no healing of the sick.
But the resolve could not be wholly kept. Once on that journey through Galilee, Jesus could not refuse. A leper had faith enough in him to speak so that he could not refuse. He came towards Jesus, and fell down on his knees, and besought him to heal him.
“If you only will,” he cried, “you can cleanse me.”
The words are memorable ; they are the words of perfect faith in Jesus’ power. Not to say the word to such a man was impossible. And Jesus’ reply is more memorable still.
His bowels were moved with compassion of the man : he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said: “I will: be cleansed!”
All that Jesus could do, he did. If the power to [ p. 57 ] heal indeed lay in him, as the leper believed, then the word must be said. To such faith he could deny nothing that lay in his power to give. What he gave was not healing, but the word “I will” ; and he gave more : he stretched out his hand and touched the unclean body.
The leprosy left it and the man was cleansed.
But Jesus was afraid of what he had done. He had only spoken a word his heart could not refuse. The man’s faith had healed him, not Jesus’ word. But how could the man know what Jesus knew, or how could the multitude distinguish? All unwilling, driven by the compassion of his heart, Jesus had stepped on the dangerous path once more. He withdrew his foot as though he had been stung.
He drove the man away immediately; but before he had gone he charged him angrily:
“Take care you say nothing of this to a soul. Simply go and show yourself to the priest, and take the offering Moses commanded to be given for your cleansing.”
But it was in vain. When the man had gone, he began to spread all manner of reports, tell the story everywhere.
[ p. 58 ]
Therefore Jesus could no more enter any town openly, but had to remain in remote places outside the towns. Even so, the people came from all sides to seek him.