Sunday, February 24, 2013

Mark 1:32-34


Passage

As the night progressed, more and more sick people were brought to Jesus.  Soon an incredible crowd was gathered at the door of Andrew and Peter’s house.  Jesus healed many sick people.  Jesus cast out many demons.  But He forbade the demons from speaking because they knew who He was.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Grammar is such an interesting thing.  In the Greek text, there is no subject of the verb “brought.”  Like most declined languages, this happens often – so it’s no big deal.  From the form of the verb, we know it is 3rd person plural.  So, we grab the appropriate pronoun and insert it because English demands a subject.  The appropriate pronoun is “they.”  That’s not the neat part.

What is neat is that in these cases, the subject of the verb is assumed to be the prior noun of the same gender and number.  {We pretty much do the same thing in English when we’re trying to figure out the antecedents to an English pronoun.}  The prior noun is found at the end of verse 31: “them.”  Who are “them?”  It is Jesus’ own disciples!  The people that Peter’s mother served are the ones who bring all the sick to Jesus.  So often we think that the crowds of Capernaum brought their own sick to pester Jesus while He was trying to have an intimate moment with His disciples.  This is not what happened at all!  It is the disciples – amazed at how Jesus has already worked in their lives – who are going out and bringing people to Jesus!  Isn’t that a novel concept?

Who do you go out and bring to Jesus?  What has Jesus done in your life that you should be using to help bring other people to Him?  What does it say about us if we aren’t actively going out and trying to bring people to Jesus?

Second Thought:

Jesus healed many sick people.  Imagine the scene.  A large crowd gathers.  Someone is healed.  Another person is healed.  The whooping!  The ahhh-ing!  The excitement builds.  If we let Him be, Jesus is a person that creates and incredible amount of excitement in our life.

When you think of faith and spirituality, do you get excited?  Is excitement something people usually associate with faith and religion?  What does this tell us about how we may be sending the wrong message to the world?  How can we change that message?

Third Thought:

Jesus refuses to let the demons speak because they know who He is.  Again, it might be confusing as to why Jesus doesn’t want His identity getting around.  After all, aren’t we supposed to talk about Jesus?

The truth is that Jesus wants people to discover Him based on His teaching and the movement within people’s hearts.  He doesn’t want them to get caught up in the whole “Messiah is going to overthrow Rome and make us a great nation” turmoil.  Jesus wants people to come because they believe in how He can change their life, not because they think Jesus can bring them earthly glory.  With Jesus, it is all about personal relationship and personal growth.  It is not about glory and power and prestige.

How does this passage help you begin to understand why the “Jesus movement” stayed so small?  How does this passage help you understand that Jesus isn’t as interested in the big group mass-of-humanity as He is in the small discipleship 1-on-1 kind of conversations?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 1:35-39

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