Jesus - Part 1, The Eternal Shockwave
2003 : Week 13 | Website Version
Today’s message is the first in a series about Jesus. We hope to add new messages to it indefinitely. The aim of the Series is to provide glimpses of our Savior, His life and His Deity. With Easter fast approaching, it seemed appropriate to begin this. As Christians, getting to know God the Father, God the Holy Spirit and God the Son should be central to our lives. We pray that these messages will cause you to meditate on Him.
When Jesus walked the hills, valleys and waters of the Middle East, He had a tremendous impact on people. There was no one like Him before, and there’s been no one like Him since. He sent shockwaves across the land, and we still feel the surge today. The tidal wave He created continues to stream forward, and it will flow through eternity.
We read the things He did in the Bible, and the Holy Spirit illuminates them in our hearts, souls and minds. They become real to us, but can you imagine having been on a hilltop to hear Him speak? Can you imagine eating from the loaf of bread He had miraculously created before your eyes? Can you imagine hugging Him after He had preached? What did it feel like to look into His eyes as He healed you? One minute you couldn’t walk, the next minute, for the first time in your life, you’re jogging.
The people who had contact with Jesus, couldn’t keep it to themselves. They told their family, friends and strangers how wonderful He was. There were no newspapers, televisions or radios to let people know, but news of Him spread. Today’s passage is an example of how popular He was. Jesus is teaching in Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee, and we’re told that a great multitude follows Him. We can estimate that there were thousands there, since other stories indicate crowds of about 10,000 men, women and children to see Him.
The multitude of people going to hear Jesus is impressive; equally impressive is the distances they covered to see Him. In our scripture today, Mark lists some of the places people came from, and it covers all points of the compass:
- Jerusalem, in the Roman province of Judea was approximately 70 miles south of Capernaum.
- Idumea, also known as Edom was approximately 120 miles South of Capernaum.
- The city of Tyre was approximately 34 miles North of Capernaum.
- The city of Sidon was approximately 50 miles North Capernaum.
- Capernaum extended West from the Sea of Galilee.
- Beyond the Jordan was an area South East of Capernaum.
These distances may be lost on us today, since we can cover them in a car or plane in no time, but consider what it meant to cover these distances 2000 years ago. The journey would have been time consuming, and there would have been many dangers to overcome on the way: thieves, wild animals and bad weather. To get there, you would have to walk or be carried by an animal.
Further, many of the people who wanted to see Jesus were ill, so their journey would have been even more difficult. Some were so sick they couldn’t make the journey themselves, and they needed the help of friends and family. There is a vivid example of this in Mark 2:3-12, where four men carry a paralyzed man to see Jesus. When they get there, the crowd swarming Jesus is so big that they can’t get into the house to see Him. The sick man’s friends climb onto the roof, tear a hole in it, and lower him down on a pallet. There, the paralyzed man finally comes face to face with Jesus. Their efforts weren’t in vain, and Jesus heals the man.
Can you think of any stranger that you would walk 120 miles to see? Would you carry your paralyzed friend, all that way, to see someone you’d never met before? Would you rip the roof off of a house so your friend could see them?
You’d do all that and more, if you thought the person could make a difference in your life. You’d travel that distance if you were blind, like your friend used to be. He met Jesus, and he now sees perfectly. You’d carry your sick child 120 miles to see Jesus, because He had healed your neighbor’s baby. You’d go if you had lost all hope, but others told you Jesus restored it. You’d go if you thought He was more then a man; you’d go if you thought He was God. In all these instances, the 120 miles you had to walk would mean nothing to you.
They went to Jesus 2000 years ago, for the same reason we go today: because He’s a healer, because He restores hope, because He preaches forgiveness and because He’s God. He’s waiting for you to make the journey of faith and visit with Him. You don’t have to endure the hardships of walking 100 miles; you can commune with Him right now, wherever you are. Take the time to pay Him a visit today. Jesus is still the great healer, the Almighty physician and the living God.
May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and always…
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