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Finally we come to the exciting result: When the
good news of the kingdom is unleashed, people will trip over themselves to find
the way in.
- Immediately they left the boat and their
father, and followed Him.
- The news about Him spread throughout all
Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with
various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He
healed them. Large crowds followed
Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond
the Jordan.
- And he left everything behind, and got up and
began to follow Him.
- While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's
house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him
and his disciples.
- When Jesus came down from the mountain, large
crowds followed Him.
- And amazement came upon them all, and they
began talking with one another saying, "What is this message? For with authority and power He commands
the unclean spirits and they come out." And the report about Him was spreading
into every locality in the surrounding district.
- But when the crowds saw this, they were
awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
- Jesus was going through all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
- Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew
from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people
heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large
crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
- Departing from there, Jesus went along by the
Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting
there. And large crowds came to
Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and
many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. So the crowd marveled as they saw the
mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind
seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
- When Jesus had finished these words, He
departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;
and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.
Now technically, it is true that not “everyone”
was interested in the good news of the Kingdom as Jesus preached it. In each generation there will be those who,
by and large, are representative of the religious community and will fight to
promote their religious facade and work hard to justify themselves “in the
sight of men.” But, conversely (and
thankfully!), many of the “losers and failures” in the eyes of those “elite” will
abandon the sinking ship of RELIGIONDOM
and rush into the KINGDOM of God.
This enthusiastic, widespread response becomes a
kind of “hallmark” if you will, when the good news of the “Kingdom at hand” is
being unleashed. This was a prayer of
the Apostle Paul when he requested: “Finally,
brothers, pray for us that the message
of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with
you. And pray that we may be delivered
from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith.” (emphasis added)
We must stretch our faith to pray big
prayers. May we pray for the good news
of the Kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ to be unleashed through our lips and
with our lives. May we pray that this
message of the Kingdom, which “does not consist
in words but in power,” will be preached “not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power.” May we expect this gospel
to “spread rapidly and to be honored.” And may we look forward expectantly to the
harvest being plentiful.
In Jesus our King,
Pastor Scott
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