Thoughts for the Day

Jesus departed with his disciples to the lake, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Jesus is forced to leave working in the synagogue(s) because of the sheer numbers of people following him. In the synagogues he has been verbally attacked by the scribes, the Pharisees and the Herodians, but now out on the shores of the Lake of Galilee he is likely to be crushed by the hundreds who come to touch him for healing. They come from the entire region - see the places mentioned by Mark on the map above, and realise the distances involved. Jerusalem to Capernaum is 79 miles (127 km) and many come from further away.

Jesus is a celebrity and everyone wants him. But what do they actually want? Basically most come to see him because of his miracles, not the message he has come to bring. This is great, but if they follow him for what he can do, rather than who he is, they are unlikely to keep following him for long. How often do we turn to Jesus when we're in need? We pray fervently for something, perhaps for a sick family member, and then when the situation improves our prayers fall away.

Whether we believe in demons or not, the cries of recognition from them was a distraction, since their understanding of who Jesus was, was misleading. They merely sought to control Jesus (for it was thought that knowledge of the precise name or quality of a person conferred mastery over them). The term "son of god" was also commonly used at the time for the kings of Egypt and later for Roman Emperors. They failed to understand that Jesus was God's Messiah who had come to give a message of self-sacrifice and love. He was not there to be a conquering King with a huge army of soldiers at his back. Instead he came to offer his life to save God's people.

Lord Jesus Christ,
help us to listen to the message
that You brought to earth,
and to concentrate on Your teaching.
May we turn to You to learn more
about Your work of salvation,
and about the Kingdom of God,
and not only when we need help.
May we also learn to emulate
Your love and self-sacrifice
for others.
Amen.