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Gospel: Mark 3: 7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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If you compare the beginning and end of Jesus’ public ministry, it would seem we are talking about two different people.
In today’s Gospel, we find Jesus at the very beginning of his ministry. He’s caused such excitement that “crowds” are following him, literally thousands of people – so many that Jesus has to get into a boat in order to not be crushed to death.
But three years from now, he’ll be abandoned by nearly everyone, even his closest friends.
What happened? Why was there such a dramatic decline in numbers?
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Those who sought Jesus early in his ministry were often looking for a transaction. They discovered that the sick, the paralyzed, and the possessed could be healed if they touched him. So, people pressed in on him out of desperation.
But as he moves further into his ministry – and begins teaching the crowds – Jesus urges them to go deeper, to think about who he is and what he’s saying.
He tries pushing them from a transactional to a transformative relationship, where they seek Jesus not because of what he can do for them, but for who he is.
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The same dynamic happens in our spiritual lives.
Initially, we might be drawn to God out of what he can do for us. “Lord, I need this or that.”
But as we move deeper, the Spirit pushes us into a transformative relationship, where we seek Jesus because we love him. We want to be with him. There’s nowhere else we’d rather be.
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So, where am I in my relationship with the Lord? Is my devotion based upon immediate results or is it driven by love?
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“You will find me,” says the Lord, “when you seek me with all of your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
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Image credits: (1) Wisdom Hunters (2) America Magazine (3) The Salvation Garden
Softening hearts of stone is no easy task.
💜 amen to that