The Epiphany in the House, at the Door, and on the Road!

And he [Jesus] said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (Mark 1:38 ESV) Jesus responded to the disciples’ early morning search for Him with good news for all. While Peter’s home, his family, and the people of Capernaum were the focus of the Son of God well into the night, they were not the only thing on Jesus’ mind. In and through you and me, the good news of Jesus’ Epiphany goes out to all in our homes, at the door, and on the road!

Here at International Lutheran Church, we have seen how Jesus is revealed again and again as the Son of God in the Gospel of Mark. We pick up the events from last week with the word “immediately.” Jesus moves with intention. With the amazing events in the synagogue just steps away and fresh in the minds of the disciples, Jesus now enters the home of Simon and Andrew. But Simon’s mother-in-law is not doing so well. She has a fever and is in bed. We have no doubt felt “under the weather” or in a “bad way” one time or another. But illness is nothing to sneeze at. That is why Jesus’ “immediate” care for Simon’s mother-in-law is so revealing. Even a fever is cast out of His presence as He takes her by the hand. She is lifted up “on eagles wings” in the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:31 and immediately begins to do what she loved best – welcoming and caring for the needs of those who came into her home.

The story and Jesus’ ministry did not end there though. His healing touch is inspiring and inviting. Mark says that the whole village of Capernaum witnessed His Epiphany “at the door.” All through the evening and into the night, they all came – people with every kind of disease and illness – and again people oppressed by demons. Jesus healed them all. No wonder the disciples were anxious when Jesus went missing! Yet Jesus’ early morning disappearance shows us just exactly what the Son of God, the Son of the Father, has come out to do. After spending that needed time alone in communion with God, Jesus is ready to move on and to go into all the nearby towns and villages.

His purpose is to preach. His mission is to make known the grace and mercy of God in our homes, at the door but even on the road. His Kingdom has come and is revealed in the healing of every disease and illness and in the casting out of the unclean spirits. The Gospel itself prefigures the very purpose of both the incarnation and the crucifixion. Jesus “came out” that we would be led out of Satan’s grip and brought into the Kingdom of Light, His Kingdom of Grace, His Home! He “came out” so that we could come in! Through His death and resurrection, He has taken us “by the hand” and lifted us up, raised us up “on eagles wings,” forgiven us, given us new hope and a new life of service to our neighbor. Now He takes us from the door to the highways and byways.

Epiphany is not just about us knowing that Jesus is the Son of God. Epiphany is about knowing that the Son of God came out in order to make us sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. This passage ends where it began. In and through you and me, the good news of Jesus’ Epiphany goes out to all in our homes, at the door, and on the road!

Pastor Carl