“He’s not Issam Nemeh”

O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and in the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.

I do a lot of reading and preparation for my sermons (it may not seem like it, but that’s another issue) . And as I read other sermons and commentaries I come across stuff that really is worth sharing but it doesn’t fit the aim of the sermon. At all. So I get distracted and lose the point because I get focused on something that isn’t the goal.

The story is told of a man who went to his doctor to ask if he could help him with his snoring problem. “As soon as I go to sleep,” the man explained, “I begin to snore. It happens all the time. What can I do doctor to cure myself?” The doctor then asked, “Does it bother your wife?” “Oh,” the man answered, “it not only bothers her but it disturbs the whole congregation.”
There was a pop song written and sung by Warren Zevon back in 1990, One verse says:

“I was gambling in Havana
I took a little risk
Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this”

Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. 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. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

This is from the Belleville Area independent 15 months ago: “There was a huge traffic jam on West Columbia Avenue in Belleville on Sunday afternoon as hundreds of cars lined up to get to a faith healer at St. Anthony Catholic Church. Channel 7 News had run stories six different times between Thursday and Sunday about the faith healer coming to Belleville and many people came with their sick children, ailing elderly people, and others in wheelchairs, on walkers and with oxygen. Almost 1,000 [people]were prayed over by Dr. Issam Nemeh between 1 p.m. Sunday and 1 a.m. Monday morning when he finally finished. About the same number had to be turned away, said church members who volunteered at the event.”

1000 people over 12 hours-that’s one person every 1 minute 23 seconds for 12 hours. I’m sure some of you were there or were trying to attend. 1000 more were turned away. Did you hear about it? 83 people every hour for 12 hours.

“Healing services were set for 1:30, 3, and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, but an additional service was added for 7:30 p.m., because of the crowd. The church was full and the overflow was kept in the Father Folta building. Some people who arrived at 1 p.m., didn’t get to see Dr. Nemeh until 8 p.m.

Volunteers stood in the rain directing traffic to ease the jam on West Columbia until Belleville Police told them they couldn’t stand in the street because it was unsafe. They continued to direct traffic in the parking lot and explain the situation to drivers.

One volunteer, who did not wish to be identified, said it was so hard to see those in need turned away, but it just wasn’t possible to deal with all those who came.

“How do you tell the children no?” she asked, saying it was heart-breaking to see. She said at the very end of the session, Dr. Nemeh tried to work in the extra people.

She said people came from the Upper Peninsula, Traverse City, Pontiac, and even Cleveland, where the doctor has a following. A nun from Nigeria arrived.

She said Dr. Nemeh only took one break for the day and that was to eat dinner.”

1000 people in attendance, many waiting for 7 hours, 1000 more turned away.
[When Deacon Dick first started at Trinity he asked if we could have a healing ministry here. I said “sure, but don’t expect too much response-we’ve tried that and not too many people took advantage of it.” But he said, “this is important, even if only one comes for healing, this is God’s ministry.”]

Usually when this gospel is preached you hear about Peter’s mother-in-law. But the real key to this gospel reading is this section: “That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. 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. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

"Everyone is searching for you." But that wasn’t true. What was everyone looking for? They wanted healing. They wanted hope. People didn’t come to see Dr. Issam Nemeh . They came to be cured. If the gospel stories seem strange to you at times, think of Issam Nemeh-the crowds, the publicity, the overwhelming needs of so many people.

People aren’t listening to Jesus, they’re not hearing him talk about the Kingdom of God-what do they want? They WANT TO BE HEALED. Or they want the demons driven out of them. Jesus came to spread a message that God was in their lives and was calling them to become new-and everyone was coming up to him saying, “hey, that’s great, but could you please cure my wife, my child, my friend-please heal ME.” When you listen to this gospel do you hear it?

“And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." Everyone wants you. Everyone wants a piece of you. They wanted to be healed, and Jesus kept telling them, “I am a healer, but I am not just a healer, I am starting a whole new life.” It’s not by accident that this passage includes the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law. As we listen to that story, we’re supposed to learn what healing is for. “He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.” We are healed-so we can serve, so we can live a new kind of life. We are changed so we can become new. Healing, having our demons cast out-that’s not the end. Jesus doesn’t heal people so they can go back to their old life. He touches us so we can begin new lives.
He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

“For that is what I came out to do.”
What do you think Jesus was thinking about when he got up before dawn and went off to a deserted place? What was on his heart? He came to bring a message about God and what God’s kingdom would be like and he was mobbed with people wanting to be healed.
All the struggle, all the battles in Jesus’ life are set up here in the first chapter. People want Jesus to be one thing-he came for more than that. The disciples don’t understand who he is, or what his purpose is-all they know is that people can’t get enough of him. So they constantly misunderstand.

Kate Huey writes: “This Jesus was no celebrity-of-the-moment, any more than he was a magician (like some) or a rebel leader (like others). And, to him if not to the crowds or even to his closest followers, his purpose was clear. He was not about being a "sensation," or a success, or even popular. What he "came out to do" – his whole purpose – was to proclaim a message, the Message: The [kingdom] Reign of God. Jesus will push his disciples, then as now, taking them in new and unexpected directions, moving on in ministry to do what he came out to do, even if it's not the most popular thing to do, even if it's the very thing that will lead to his death.”Healing is important. We need it, we want it. But it’s not the end. Jesus realizes as he goes out to that deserted place while it was still dark, that if we can we will turn him into Issam Nemeh-only a healer. But Jesus came for more than that. He came to touch us so we could live new lives.
“Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do."

So I get distracted and lose the point because I get focused on something that isn’t the goal. It’s easy to do. When you’re sick or hurting, when the demons voices are insistent or demanding, it’s easy to lose sight of the purpose.Proclaiming the message-that is what he came out to do. Of course everyone is searching for Jesus, we all want to be fixed. We all want our demons exorcized. We all want the pain to go away. The question is, are we willing to be changed? Amen.