Matthew
12:15-21; Mark 3:7-12[1]
But
Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from
Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond
the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard
how many things He was doing, came to Him. So He told His disciples that
a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they
should crush Him. For He healed many, so that as many as had
afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. And the unclean spirits, whenever
they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of
God.”
But
He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“Behold! My Servant whom I have
chosen, My Beloved in
whom My soul is well pleased!
I
will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He
will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and
smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and
in His name Gentiles will trust.”[2]
A
Little Background
Galilee,
Judea, Idumea and Perea (aka TransJordan or “across the Jordan River) are all
regions within Israel. Tyre and Sidon were in Phoenicia, now modern-day Lebanon. By the way, the wicked princess Jezebel was also from Sidon.
Observations
and Insights
Even
in a day without modern communication technology, news of Jesus’ ministry
spread quickly. It was not uncommon for Jesus, pressed by the crowd, to sit in
a boat to teach. The prophecy from Isaiah 42:1-4 explains the nature of Jesus’
ministry. Despite the crowds, Jesus was not an attention seeker; he didn’t stand
in the streets to incite the people. He did not need, nor want, advance
marketing teams to organize ahead of his arrival. In fact, it seems from Mark 1:45 that the crowds prevented Him from moving freely. He even forbade the demons
from speaking of Him (see also http://justasimplesheep.blogspot.com/2014/03/jesus-and-deliverance-ministry.html).
Today,
ministries often strive to start some movement or advance an agenda, but that
was not Jesus’ goal. Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for us, to seek
and save those who are lost. The people wanted instant deliverance from their
immediate problems: disease, distresses, demons, Roman oppression. But
deliverance from these injustices would be temporary and incomplete. Jesus’ one
purpose was to redeem us from the injustice inflicted on us all from the Garden
of Eden—the curse of sin.
Jesus
lived in human flesh; He saw our lives, heard our cries, and felt our pain and
bondage. Those who came to Him with their bruised and broken lives in willing
repentance, He did not scold or rebuke. The tax collector, the prostitute, the thief,
the poor in spirit—these He received, and gave life and victory.
[1]
Note:
Much of the Harmony readings will be pieced together like a puzzle putting the
four Gospels together into one narrative. I am copying the order or format from
A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels,
George W. Wright, Holman Bible Publishers, 2001. However, I am using the New
King James rather than the HCSB. This order is from the research of Wright and
is open to discussion. Of course, you can also read the passages side by side
separately if you prefer.
[2]
Isaiah
42:1-4
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