A great multitude was following Jesus because they “had
heard what great things he did” and were following Him.
The map at the left details the cities and towns from which the
multitudes came from.Mark 3:7-12
But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great
multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, And from Jerusalem, and
from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great
multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. And he
spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the
multitude, lest they should throng him. For he had healed many; insomuch that
they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried,
saying, Thou art the Son of God. And he straitly charged them that they should
not make him known.
In
the last study, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand.
The Scribes and Pharisees were in contention with Jesus because the man
was healed on the Sabbath. The Scribes and Pharisees immediately began dealing with
Herodians to “destroy” Him. The
Jewish Herodians were in league with the local Roman government under Herod
Antipas. It is important to
remember that Herod the Great is the one who searched out Jesus using the
“wise men.” He died a year or
so after that event. In his stead
the Romans assigned Herod Antipas to govern in Galilee and some other countries,
but not Judea. The Herodians attempted to make Herod the Great the Messiah.
Upon his death, they turned to Herod Antipas.
They had befriended Rome and favored many of the same things the Romans
did such as the building of theaters and coliseums.
Their love for power and control didn’t stop with the Romans; they also
accepted many other Gentile customs especially concerning building temples to
idols. The Herodians and the
Sadducees often “thought” right down the same lines.
The
passage we are studying today takes place immediately following the departure of
the Scribes and Pharisees to deal with the Herodians.
Jesus
withdrew from the scene and departed to the Sea of Galilee, or to the isolated
desert regions that surrounded the sea. There,
Jesus and His followers would find seclusion and avoid the Scribes, Pharisees
and the Herodians plans against His life. His
time had not yet come. Jesus
vigilantly took care of His life and by so doing was giving a living lesson to
His followers, and that includes us today, that we should not unnecessarily put
our lives in danger.
As
we remember from earlier lessons, Capernaum was Jesus’ hometown and was
located on the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum
was a busy commercial city with a harbor and a major trade route.
Jesus needed to get away from the throng and seek peace and comfort.
This is the first time that we find Jesus “withdrawing” from the
crowds.
“and
a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, And from
Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and
Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came
unto him.”
A great multitude was following Jesus because they “had
heard what great things he did” and were following Him.
The map at the left details the cities and towns from which the
multitudes came from.
Judea
is the region marked in the lower section of green on the map.
It was a large area and ultimately was where Jesus ventured to spread the
Gospel.
Jerusalem
is in Judaea and yet Mark lists it separately.
We can only guess why, but remember for the Jew, the walled city of
Jerusalem was the focal point of their lives even if they didn’t live there.
It was not only the location of the Temple, but was also the political
center of the region. It was the
capital, the place of wealth, and honor, and power.
Idumaea
is mentioned next and inhabited by the Edomites.
Remembering your Jewish history, this is the land that was given to Esau,
one of the sons of Isaac (Genesis 25:30). From
them sprang Herod the Great.
From
beyond Jordan.
This term is used for all those areas that were on the east side of the Jordan
River. Almost all the sacred
writers lived on the west side of Jordan.
Tyre
and Sidon.
These were very old magnificent coastal cities of Phoenicia. Tyre is mentioned
twenty-four times in the Old Testament (location of some of the materials for
the building of the Temple, 2 Chronicles 2:11-16).
Its inhabitants were great merchants and the cities splendor was so well
known that they were always a target of conquering countries; Babylonians,
Egyptians, and Romans. Tyre was
situated about twenty miles south of Sidon.
So
it is with this geographical lesson we learn just how much Jesus’ fame had
spread. It also shows us that
people were willing to make the long trip just to see Jesus and be healed by
Him. Can you imagine the travelers
as they made their way to Capernaum? This
was no army in the military sense, but this was the forming of the Army of the
Lord. These recruits wanted to be
changed, they wanted to be made whole, and they wanted to be set free.
Each
night they would seek shelter and food along the roads.
Some could afford to stay in inns while others would just “camp out.” Due to Jesus’ fame they would meet other strangers on the
pilgrimage. Wouldn’t it be
interesting to sit around the campfire with them and hear the stories they have
heard about Jesus. With awe,
vigilance and deep seeded hope they came. And
as they did, others joined them.
In
the movie, “The Wizard of OZ,” Dorothy was following the yellow brick road
on the way to speak to the wizard in hopes of finding a way to return to Kansas.
As she did, she met others that had needs and she convinced them to go
along with her, “surely the wizard will help you get a heart, brain and
courage. We all know that the movie
was a dream that Dorothy had and the Wizard had no powers to help.
In
my minds eye, the way that Dorothy gave hope to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and
the Lion is likened to the way I see these pilgrims fanning the flames of hope
to others as they traveled on their journey.
Hope and healing were waiting at the end of the road.
Can’t you hear them convincing others to make the trek?
“I have heard that Jesus heals the sick, I am sure he could heal your
daughter! Why don’t you come
along with us? We are going to see
this Healer.” Good news is hard to hold in.
The
way by which these pilgrims sought out Jesus should be the same approach we use
today. We need to point others to the one who healed us.
Touch those that need to be changed.
Give testimony to those that want to be healed from their sins.
Receive joyfully those that desire to be set free.
Ask others to join you in your journey to see the Healer, Jesus Christ.
I
am reminded of the words to the song “He Touched Me” by Bill Gaither.
He
touched me, oh He touched me,
and oh the joy that floods my soul.
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.
Since
I met this blessed Savior,
Since he cleaned and made me whole,
I will never cease to praise Him,
I'll shout it while eternity rolls.
He
touched me, oh He touched me,
And oh the joy that floods my soul.
Something happened and now I know,
He touched me and made me whole.
He
touched me and made me whole.[1]
“And
he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the
multitude, lest they should throng him.”
Jesus
was always teaching and mentoring His followers.
In this instance asking His followers to go and retain a small ship and
make it ready to sail showed Jesus’ love for the group that is around Him, as
well as those seeking Him out. They
must move from the place in order to find rest from the throng of people.
In
order to really understand Jesus’ concerns, we only need to read the paper or
watch the news on the mentality of people when they get in a “mob”
circumstance. People seeking to
escape a fire in a nightclub trample other people to death.
Can you imagine the shear terror of the situation, knowing that you must
escape and then fall? As they are
fleeing they start stepping on those that have fallen with the only thought of
escape. People making the long
journey were single minded in purpose, “They must see Jesus.
He can heal them, and give them the Gospel.” They were pushing so close Jesus feared for His safety and
those that surrounded Him.
Jesus
was protecting everyone by seeking a means of escape.
The Sea of Galilee was close and four of His five close followers were
fishermen and knew how to obtain a boat and how to sail it once they were in it.
He was also making a way for those that He would be ordaining later that
day. He was directing the path of
the men he was preparing, to set them apart , “that should be with him, and
that he might send them forth to preach. And to have power to heal sicknesses,
and to cast out devils.”[2]
Jesus
needed to make sure that He would have the undivided attention of those He would
call.
“For
he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as
many as had plagues. And unclean
spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art
the Son of God. And he straitly charged them that they should not make him
known.”
For
those of you that have been following our study in Mark, you will recognize that
we have been witness to this same scene several times.
We are getting accustomed to Jesus healing the sick and casting out
unclean spirits. In this case as
soon as the unclean spirits see Jesus they fall down and cry out “Thou art the
Son of God.” Jesus charges them
to be quite. We have seen
Jesus demand that the unclean and evil spirits do not announce Him for who He
is.
Jesus’ concern is that these unclean spirits are not fit to preach Jesus as the Christ. A truth out of devils would render the truth suspect. The time was not yet come to announce the full manifestation of who He really was. As we will learn that time comes after His resurrection.
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