Great Crowds Followed Him
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Matthew 4:23-25
23. And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. 24. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 9:20-22
20. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment; 21. for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well." 22. Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well.
Matthew 12:13
Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, whole like the other.
Matthew 11:28-30
28. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Jesus spent a great deal of his time healing people, didn’t he? Everywhere Jesus went, great crowds followed him. Word had spread that this man had great power – to heal the sick and raise the dead! I’m pretty sure I’d be among that throng, running after him, following him to see what he was going to do next, and struggling to work up the courage to ask for my own healing.
That’s not really why he came to earth, though. That was not his primary mission. That was an “aside” while he strove to reach his goal. It was necessary to physically heal people so they would be drawn to him and trust him. Then he could start to work on their souls! There was, as they say, “a method to the madness!” Jesus didn’t come to restore a shriveled hand, or to stop a woman’s bleeding. He didn’t do all those miracles for the fame and glory of it all. He did them so that he could reach us at our deepest place of need, meet that need, and allow us to begin to understand that He wants our hearts and our souls.
And to prove how much he loves us, he died on a cross. He took all our sins, all our brokenness and shame, all our regret and our pain, and he carried them to that cross. He made our burden light, by taking on that burden himself. He loves us so much, that he considered crucifixion an “easy yoke” in order to redeem us. He confined himself to human form so that we could be assured he understands every heartache; that he has tasted the saltiness of tears; and felt the stabbing agony of being betrayed.
More than that, He allowed his hands and feet to be pierced by wooden nails. He wore a crown of thorns, and his last words were uttered to beseech His Father’s forgiveness for us. For you. For me. For all of us. He laid down his divinity and took on the form of flesh and blood and bone. He became like us – but so much more. He became
all of us and
each of us.
My prayer today is that you’ll lay down your burdens. And take up the easy yoke of Jesus.
Mary
