Jesus was in dangerous waters. In Mark’s gospel we find these words: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.’” Mark then records the healing of man with the deformed hand on the Sabbath, adding these words: “At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.” When Herod or his people became involved, the situation became dangerous indeed.
“But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to reveal who he was. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: ‘Look at my servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world.’”
So he returned to Galilee, to the area of the Sea of Galilee. I keep calling him a rock star, and that’s what he was. A crowd followed him from the Jerusalem area. When he arrived in Galilee people came to see him from all over what we now call the nations of Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. “The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him. Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him.He had healed many people that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him.”
Can you see it? He is the center of that ‘vast’ crowd. The crowd is a living organism, constantly in motion as the people trample about trying to see him, to hear him. Their movement raises dust in the air, smell of unwashed bodies, low or raised voices giving the crowd voice, cries of ‘Hallelujah’ or astonishment as he heals one after another, hundreds, and then perhaps thousands. News of his healings, or of his words ripples out from that center, as though someone dropped a rock of wonder in a still pool. His disciples try to protect him, pushing against the crowd that is pushing to touch, to hold, to HAVE him. He is God’s beloved, wrapped about with his Spirit, Justice, Humility, and Hope personified. In the heat of the day the crowd slowly grows, borrowing his hope, infused with his promise, eyes opened to God’s heaven. They will never be the same again.
Think of the power of his presence with us. If you, like so many, come away from a worship service unmoved, unchanged, or unchallenged, it may be because the service itself was flat and devoid of Spirit. More likely it is because you expect little to happen, much less that you will stand in the very presence of God’s Christ. If our gatherings are primed with hope and expectation, coming from open and eager hearts, then he will be at the center of our crowd and our eyes too will be opened to the promise he holds.
Prayer: “How fabulous, Father, that your witnesses recorded these events so that I might have a glimpse at the incredible impact that Jesus had when he was in flesh. I pray for that impact in my life, today. Awaken my imagination and fire up my dreams. When I read his story, help me to hear the voices, to feel the dirt and dust, to smell the smells of that very real world…and especially to hear his voice. May I too borrow his hope, live with his justice, and embrace his humility. In His name, Amen.”