Day 296: Mark 1, 2 and 3

“Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” (Mark 1:38).

 

In the first three chapters of Mark, I count at least five times when the crowds nearly overwhelm Jesus and his disciples. Even avoiding towns doesn’t provide a solution; the crowds find him anyway (1:45). Once four men cut a hole in the roof to get their sick friend close enough for Jesus to heal him (2:2). On another occasion, Jesus tells his disciples to have a boat standing by and to keep the motor running… just in case (3:9). And yet another time, people crowd into the dining room interrupting a short break in which Jesus is trying to eat a meal (3:20).

On the Sabbath, while gathering at Peter’s house after synagogue, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. Once the sun sets, all the neighbors bring their sick and demon-possessed. Jesus works late into the night, and the next day even before his prayers are completed, the lines form again. Jesus’ response? Let’s go somewhere else . . . so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.

Without a clear sense of purpose, Jesus could have spent his entire ministry like a ping pong ball bouncing from crisis to crisis. But Jesus knew why he was there and he kept the main thing the main thing.

Do you know why you’re here? What’s God’s purpose for your life?