Fifth Sunday after Epiphany; 4 February 2024; Epiphany 5B (RCL); Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-12, 21c; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39.
The first actual healing (not exorcism) in Mark’s Gospel is the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law. It is four sentences long. Mark relates it almost as a throw-away — no theological reflection on the episode; just, oh, by the way. We may cringe at the ending, that she immediately began to serve them, but I think Mark is making the point that she was re-integrated into her proper place and honor within the community of Simon’s household. We never even learn her name.
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