Mark 3:7-12, Matthew 12:15-21
7 Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. 9 And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, 10 for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. 11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
Mark 3:7-12
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Matthew 12:15-21
Can you imagine hearing about Jesus and then physically having the opportunity to see and potentially either be healed or aid someone else to see and be healed by Christ?
I could use Christian verbiage now and write about how the Lord is the great physician and while Christ currently does not physically walk with us He is fully and completely alive in the hearts of those whom believe. I could reference faith, mustard seeds, and prayer but I won’t. What I will direct our attention too is this thought. If you knew Jesus was just down the street and was freely healing what would you make an effort to bring to Him and what would you hope for Him to do? Would it be something you struggle with personally? Would it be something a loved one struggles with? Would it be some combination of things?
I challenge you to think on these questions and in honesty spend sometime with God on these personal subjects to yourself. Consider God’s goodness and the ultimate grace He freely offers to all. Consider Isaiah’s words as referenced to by Matthew. Consider the ultimate hope offered to us in Christ.
As I grow older and see more wrong and suffering in life I am growing in the realization of this. Jesus is just as capable of healing, restoring, and fixing as He was over 2,000 years ago. I have seen first hand Jesus heal and correct both the consequences of sinful behavior along with the physical brokenness of life. I also know that Jesus does not always heal and correct the things we wish He would. Isaiah provides for us this great insight in trial. While the physical and emotional fixes are desired and welcomed when they occur that is not what we truly need the most. What we truly need the most is what only Christ can provide, hope in His Self.
I ask again, what would you bring to Jesus if He were just around the corner? If you are struggling I would suggest you, in prayer, ask Him to give you hope in the pain and the loss. Ask for a hope to see a fix but more importantly grow in greater hope in the one who is the fix.
