Clamoring to Get to Jesus

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

CLAMORING TO GET TO JESUS

Mark 3:7-12

7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.

NIV

After this incident in the synagogue on the Sabbath with this man who had a shriveled hand, Jesus withdrew from the town center, where most likely the synagogue was located and went to the seashore on the Sea of Galilee. What Mark tells us is that people from all over now were coming to see Jesus. We are not told as to how they found out about him, but we can be sure news about someone who heals people, who actually has the power to heal, is big, really big news and it sure appears many were in need of some kind of healing. These people are not just sinners, heathens with no knowledge of God. These are Jews, God's chosen people who have a history of God and all He did for their forefathers, but it seems that for the past several hundreds of years God has been rather silent. The best they can remember is a prophet Malachi who lived some four hundred years ago, and now, here is this religious teacher who has the power of God on him. This Jesus is not like the Pharisees, or Sadducees, or any of the teachers of the law. He actually heals people, he speaks the truth about the kingdom of God. So people pushed and shoved to get closer to him, they were hemming him in so much so Jesus could hardly have room to heal anyone or teach them anything. It was almost like a riot, everyone clamoring to get his or her needs met. There is no doubt this was all motivated by their needs. Maybe his disciples were trying their best at crowd control, but it seems they were not being very successful, so Jesus told them to have a small boat ready at the shoreline for him. He made his way there and we are told by other accounts they cast out just far away from the shore so the people could not wade out to the boat, for we would be certain, if they could they would have. Jesus taught them about the kingdom of God. Not only did he meet their physical needs, but he also gave them hope that God was no longer silent and His kingdom was at hand, God was once again doing something big among his people. Here is where we can take a lesson. How much are we crowding to get to see Jesus? How much do we push and shove to get close to Him? Sure, once we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we say that we are in Christ and He is in us, that we and Jesus are one as He and the Father are one. But then why are we not getting touched? Why are so many sick among us?  Why are there so many weak-hearted, faint in their spirit, almost like dry bones? Should we not be clamoring to get closer to Jesus? Should we not be so excited about the “Good News” about the healer, that we are spreading the news so that people are coming from all over to be touched by Jesus? Sometimes we think we have that “Us four and no more” mentality. Jesus is here, Jesus is healing people, and Jesus is giving us hope about the future, our future, life everlasting in the kingdom of God. Why are we keeping it such a secret? Where are the crowds, pushing and shoving to get into the presence of Jesus? Is it our fault? Are we not telling anyone? Maybe we either aren’t that enthusiastic about Jesus as we should be. Maybe we don’t really believe he will heal everyone. All we know from the scriptures, whoever came to Jesus believing he had the power to heal, he healed them. We cannot find one time he said, “No, I am not going to heal you” Just go away and live with your infirmity. Yes, Paul was told that God’s grace was enough, but we don’t even know exactly what Paul was struggling with. But this was Paul, a great man of God who had a great mission and this was all about boasting in his weaknesses so that in Christ he is strong. A one-time situation, with one man. However, when it comes to Jesus, he healed them all, and he gave them hope of a brighter tomorrow. We certainly are not like Paul, but we can be sure we are like all those people who needed to be healed and to have that hope of everlasting life in the presence of our Lord. So let us clamor to be near Jesus.