Psalm 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17
Mark 3:7-12 Full Readings
The Believing Crowd
Brethren, Jesus is increasingly becoming famous because of his miracles, and in today's Gospel we see that a “great multitude” followed Jesus from Galilee. “Hearing all that he had been doing” impelled them to seek him out and believe in him. Who was this mystery man? Some were intrigued by his words. Many sought physical healing, and Jesus was their last hope. Would they believe that Jesus was more than a prophet, more than a teacher? Would Jesus impress upon them his authority, majesty, and individual love for each of them? An encounter with Jesus brings with it great promises of abundant grace, spiritual awakening, forgiveness, and more. What did this great multitude experience? Love, healing, compassion, mercy and teaching from Jesus. We can experience the same graces every day when we pray.
Jesus moved into the boat so that the crowd would not crush Him: Why did Jesus separate from the crowd? It was also out of love. The crowds surrounding Jesus were weighed down by spiritual, emotional, and physical afflictions. Jesus would not be “crushed” by the weight of their burdens; rather, “He took on [their] infirmities and carried [their] sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). When our anxieties, our afflictions, and our worries weigh us down, we can cast them confidently onto Jesus. Nothing is so overwhelming that Jesus cannot carry it for us; if we will only give it to him to handle.
But Jesus separated from them, and by separating Himself from them, they were invited to listen to Him (for his primary mission as to reach and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom) and have faith in him rather than just trying to touch Him for the sake of a physical miracle. For Jesus, the spiritual wholeness He desired to give the crowd was of much greater significance than any physical healing He also gave.
Augustine of Hippo (354–430 A.D.) remarked, "It is by faith that we touch Jesus. And far better to touch him by faith than to touch or handle him with the hands only and not by faith. It was no great thing to merely touch him manually. Even his oppressors doubtless touched him when they apprehended him, bound him, and crucified him, but by their ill-motivated touch, they lost precisely what they were laying hold of. O worldwide church! It is by touching him faithfully that your 'faith has made you whole' (Isaiah 1:10-18; Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34; Mark 10:52; Luke 8:48; John 20:29)." (Excerpt from SERMONS, ON EASTER 148).
In our own lives, Jesus may “separate” Himself from us in somewhat superficial ways so that we will be more open to the deeper and more transforming purpose of His life. For example, He may remove certain feelings of consolation or permit us to encounter some trial through which He seems to be less present to us. But when this happens, it is always so that we will turn to Him on a deeper level of trust and openness so as to be drawn more deeply into a relationship of love.
When the demons he was casting out tried to tell him and confess that he was the son of God, he rebuked them. The demons knew that this man, Jesus, was more than he seemed. Jesus silenced them. Why? Augustine of Hippo, 354–430 A.D., tells us that "the 'faith that works by love' (Galatians 5:6) is not the same faith that demons have. 'For the devils also believe and tremble' (James 2:19), but do they love? If they had not believed, they would not have said, 'You are the holy one of God' or 'You are the Son of God' (Mark 3:11–12; Luke 4:34–41). But if they had loved, they would not have said, 'What have we to do with you?' (Matthew 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28)" (excerpt from Letter 194, To Sixtus).
The devil's testimony to the truth of who Jesus is cannot be trusted. They cannot be trusted. The key thing to understand here is that the demons often deceive others by speaking some truth in a slightly erroneous way. They mix the truth with error. Therefore, they are not worthy of speaking any truth about Jesus. This should give us insight into the proclamation of the Gospel in general. There are many whom we hear preach the Gospel, but not everything we hear or read is fully trustworthy. There are countless opinions, advice givers, and preachers in our world today. Sometimes the preacher will say something quite true but then will knowingly or unknowingly mix that truth with small errors. This does great damage and leads many astray. Let's continue to pray that we may come to believe and have faith in Jesus and pray that we may never be taken away by the devil's tricks.
Let us Pray
Lord, I am filled with bodily, mind, and soul afflictions. I come to you and beg you to take the weight from me so that I no longer feel crushed by it. Replace my worries with faith and hope so that my very being cries out, “You are the Son of God! Amen.
Be blessed
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