A Russian priest was walking along minding his own business when a royal guard stopped him at gun point. The guard demanded to know: "Who are you? Why are you here and where are you going?" The priest fixed his gaze on the soldier and then asked, "How much do they pay you to do this work?"
The solider, somewhat taken aback by the response, replied, "Why, three kopeks a month. "I’ll pay you 30 kopeks a month if you will stop me every week and ask me these same questions," the priest said.
Who are you? Why are you here? Where are you going?
Who are we? why are we here? Where are we going? In the busyness, injustice, the difficulties of life, it is so easy to forget these important questions. Who am I, really? Why am I here? Where am I headed?
So many questions. In the passage from Isaiah today there were nine questions in 10 verses. Questions the prophet asks to remind his audience of the power and sovereignty of God – especially in troubling times. Isaiah was speaking to a hurting people, a despairing people, a people far from home. Isaiah’s questions lead us to contemplate a God who promises to renew our strength in trying times. A God who makes our spirits sore like an eagle, when our wings have been clipped by life’s trials. A God, who even when we’ve been crippled by hurt or illness, will enable us to walk and not grow weary -- – to run – and not faint. Isaiah reminded the demoralized: You are an eagle people – God’s own. That’s who you are. That’s your identity. Don’t forget that. You are here to soar and give testimony to God’s steadfast love.
The whole city of Capernaum was full of questions too. They quickly learned that Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law of her fever. Word got out. The whole city gathered at the door of Peter’s house. People with all sorts of illnesses. Diseases. Struggles with the demonic. Everyone is searching. Can this miracle worker cure my blindness? Can this miracle worker fix my skin disease? Can this miracle worker take away the growing, painful lump in my stomach? Can he heal my crippled child? Can he dry the tears that won’t stop flowing since my husband’s death? Everyone is searching for something to make life feel right again. To reclaim our purpose and focus in life.
In the Biblical world view, illness was often due to a personal or family sin. Illness revealed God’s displeasure. Illness could be due because of not following religious laws. And illness, in many instances, made the patient unclean, forcing the patient to live on the social fringes of society. Who am I? The answer becomes - I am my illness. Illness decided your place in the community. People were desperate for a cure. So, they could once more be a part of life – a full member of the community again.
Who am I-- when I’ve been captive all my life? Whether we know it or not, we are searching for our identity. Like the crowds at Capernaum. Because deep down, we know there’s an answer. – one we’ve been waiting for – all our lives.
When Jesus went to Simon's house, he had just come from healing a man with an unclean spirit in the synagogue. Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a fever, and Jesus walked over, took her by the hand, and "raised her up." That same word for raised or lifted up is used on Easter morning -- "he is not here, he is risen" -- but it is also used of Jesus being lifted up on the cross. Simon Peter's mother-in-law is raised up from her illness, and what does she do? She begins to serve, or more accurately, to minister. She is the first active witness to what a resurrected life in Jesus looks like. More important, she finds a new identity, one established outside of illness. Her questions are answered. She is the first minister in the gospel of Mark. And you know what? That’s who we are too. Ministers of the gospel. That’s what we’re here for. And that is our destiny. That’s who we are.
Jesus doesn’t just heal physical infirmities. He heals our misunderstandings about ourselves. He answers all the questions we have about life. He gets us to see our true purpose, our true identity – what we are here for, where we are headed in life. We are a people raised up by Jesus from all our difficulties and turned into ministers prepared to serve.
We are like the eagles Isaiah talks about. God promises his eagle people – us - renewed strength: no matter the challenge ahead: you will not grow weary. You will not faint. That is our identity. Our purpose. Our destiny.
There’s a story about a farmer who found a young eagle who had fallen out of his nest. He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat and behave like the chickens. One day a naturalist passed by and asked why it was that this king of all birds was confined in the barnyard with the chickens. The farmer replied that since he had given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken it had never learned to fly.
"Still, it has the heart of an eagle," replied the naturalist, "and can surely be taught to fly." He lifted the eagle toward the sky and said, "You belong to the sky and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly." The eagle, however, was confused. He did not know who he was, and seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.
The naturalist took the bird to the roof of the house and urged him again, saying, "You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly." But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food.
Finally, the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There he held the king of the birds high above him and encouraged him again, saying, "You are an eagle. You belong to the sky. Stretch forth your wings and fly." The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble. So focused on the sun, it slowly stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens.
We too are eagles, who too often behave like chickens. And God lifts us up out of the chicken pen, takes us to the mountaintop, points us to the Son, Jesus, and whispers in our ear, “Fly.” It all comes down to answering the questions: Who are you? Why are you here? Where are you going?
It’s all there. Deep down. Answers to all the questions we have. It’s what everybody is searching for. To be lifted up. Out of infirmity. Out of sin and falsehood, and old labels. With eyes fixed on Jesus, the Son – Now you know who you are. Why you are here. Where you are going. Let Jesus raise you up from wherever you are stuck. Then stand. Serve wherever you are - and you will find Jesus leading you – and there you will find renewed strength for a new day.
Amen