| Who's
in the house
Being better able to glimpse what was ahead he understood the transient nature of the place we call home and held onto the underlying matters which make home. |
Comforts
of Home
We are going to look at the
subject of “home” through the story of Jesus visit to an Peter’s*
home in Mark chapter 2 v1-12. During His ministry years Jesus had no set
place to call home, yet the concept of home was not alien to him. He had
spent thirty years under Mary’s homemaking skills before he moved out.
He would have challenged His parents now and again but I believe it was
here that he learnt about interacting with people and being himself
amongst them during those years. Once He left Mary’s day to day care
Jesus made use of the homes of His disciples from time to time (kept up by
their wives and extended families while they travelled with Jesus). Then
we know that Jesus used to spend time in the home of His friend Lazarus
and his sisters Mary and Martha. But Jesus held loosely to the comforts of
home. He, like us, was passing through life, but being better able to
glimpse what was ahead he understood the transient nature of the place we
call home and held onto the underlying matters which make home like love,
peace and the safety to be ourselves with no “masks”. Our material
homes will pass away but we can build a better home where the work of
Jesus can still find expression through the freedom to be ourselves. |
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Home for both family members and visitors I wonder how pleased Peter and his family were to welcome Jesus. I wonder if they knew He was coming. Had they prepared? Tidied up? Got in something special for dinner? Did they have plans to make Jesus feel rested and refreshed? Had they planned for Jesus to be able to “kick back” and be himself in private? Maybe you have prepared in this way for visitors. In some ways it is easy to have these thoughts to make visitors feel well cared for and at home so they can relax and be themselves. But what about those you may have daily care for—do you make the same effort to make them feel well cared for and comfortable? Do you over do it because that is how you like it? |
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This seeming disrespect for the material made room for the building of the eternal. |
Crowd Whatever plans Peter and family had for Jesus’ visit I am sure that they were not hoping for the houseful of crowd that they got. Did everyone wipe their feet when they came in? Are they moving the furniture so they can see better? And now what? Dust coming down from the ceiling; plaster now! People are making a hole in the roof! Talk about making yourself at home. Have some respect, we tidied up! You’re trashing our house. But in this house the work of Jesus was done. A lame man was healed. This seeming disrespect for the material made room for the building of the eternal. The man on the mat was able to become all that God wanted him to be in this home. |
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Is this the work of Jesus that is being done in your home? |
The work of Jesus And so I ask: is this the work of Jesus that is being done in your home? The roof, I am sure was put to rights but it’s destruction was necessary to reach Jesus. Are we willing to put aside the importance of the material of our homes, for a moment, to allow the work of Jesus to be done? |
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*The Bible does not explicitly state that this miracle happened at Peter’s house but if you look at the following verses I hope you will agree that it is not an unreasonable conclusion. Mark 1 v21 places him in Capernaum & v29-39 base him at Peter’s house before travelling in Galilee, ch2 v1 sees him again enter Capernaum and the (v1) “people heard that he had come home. (v2) So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door…” and the story continues. None of the points I have made are dependent upon who’s house it was . |
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