Luke 6:17-19

Luke 6:17-19

And while coming down with them, He stood upon a level place.  And a great crowd of His disciples – along with a great multitude from all of Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon – came to hear Him and to be healed from their diseases.  And the ones being troubled by unclean spirits were being healed.  And the whole crowd was seeking to touch Him because power was coming out from Him and He was healing all.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

 Yesterday we saw Jesus pray all night over the decision about calling the twelve disciples.  Why is this such an important decision?  Today we see Jesus being surrounded by everyone else.  A great crowd of His disciples surround Him.  There were many people from whom Jesus could have picked disciples.  No wonder He wrestled with the decision the night before!  For now, at least, the crowd sticks around with Jesus.  Even if they weren’t chosen by Him, they still want to see the healings and works of power.

Why it is important to see that at this point in Jesus’ ministry He had a great multitude of people that Luke calls disciples?  What does it say about Jesus that the people who aren’t chosen into His inner circle stick around?  What does it say about the people?

Second Thought:

We continue to see Jesus at work.  The sick are being healed.  People with unclean spirits are being freed.  Jesus changes life.  An encounter with Jesus leaves us different than how we were before.  When we meet the Son of God, He has the power to make us different and alter our existence here on Earth.

How has Jesus changed you?  How have you been healed?

Third Thought:

The people want to touch Him.  I can imagine a great crowd pushing in on Him just to get a touch of his robe or His hair.  It’s what human beings do.  We want to experience the odd or unique.  We believe that proximity to the miraculous makes us better or special.  We superstitiously believe that if we touch something powerful – or even lucky – that it will rub off on us.  Human beings are a strange lot, and our desire to get close to the powerful often infringes upon others.  Imagine how Jesus’ disciples felt as the crowd pressed in.  Imagine how Jesus felt as people just want to touch Him.

How does this passage talk about human nature?  When you read this passage, are you impressed or embarrassed regarding human nature?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 6:20-21