SHARING BREAD
1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left
Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
Matt
19:1-2 (NIV)
In our verses for today, we once again see the Lord Jesus
being followed by throngs of needy people - ever hoping for a healing touch
from the great Physician. Aren’t we all
needy apart from the Lord Jesus? Sadly,
some people simply fail to realize this Truth. Jesus looked with eyes of
compassion upon all – not simply the
physically infirmed - as being harassed and helpless as sheep without a
shepherd. Indeed the harvest was and is
plentiful:
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and
healing every disease and sickness. 36 When
he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and
helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to
send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matt 9:35-38 (NIV)
“It is shocking to reflect that a
change in the weather has more effect on some men's lives than the dread
alternative of heaven or hell. A woman's glance affects them more than
the eye of God. We cannot,
however, be content with this; we labor that those around us may savingly
believe by putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the grand
saving act: The man brings his soul and commits it to Christ for safe keeping,
and that entrusting of the soul to Jesus saves him. He makes the Saviour trustee
of his spiritual estates, and leaves himself and all his eternal interests in
those dear hands which once were nailed to the cross. Oh, how we long to see
the Holy Spirit bringing men to this, that they may believe in Jesus Christ by
resting in Him and trusting upon Him. For this we live, for this we would be
content to die, that many might believe.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
“Nothing has contributed more powerfully to wean me from all that
held me down to earth than the thought….of death and the last judgment.” Augustine
Those that were flocking to Him in our verses for today, on
the other hand, had pressing physical needs of which they were more than fully aware
of. Being ever faithful to His mission,
our Lord heals them showing Himself to be Who He had claimed – confirming His
Deity through His miraculous works. His
healing ministry was for the purpose of authenticating His Person. We discover the condition of the likes of those
often flocking after the Healer earlier in Matthew and the verses indeed paint
quite a dark picture of hopelessness – again, we are all hopeless apart from
Christ even if our bodies are whole:
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease
and sickness among the people. 24 News
about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill
with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those
having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Matt 4:23-24 (NIV)
Jesus knew it was paramount in the minds of His Jewish
hearers for His walk to match His talk.
His works would be expected to be equal to His claim of being the
Messiah and equal they were. Jesus
continues to remain in the business of healing those who seek Him - often
physically yet always spiritually. The
present tense of the verbs in the below verses remind us that we are to keep
asking, to keep seeking and to keep knocking. Our Father in heaven delights in
bestowing good gifts to His children – every good and perfect gift is from
above. Laboring prayers are never in
vain. One who comes to Jesus for
salvation will in by no means be driven away.
Our Lord tells us in the Sermon on the Mount:
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks
finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matt 7:7-8 (NIV)
“God never tires of giving.” William Still
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand,
that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast
all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NIV)
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and
whoever comes to me I will never drive away. John 6:36-37 (NIV)
“Faith
in God will always be crowned.” William S. Plummer
What I glean from this:
· Jesus has
compassion upon all.
· Apart from
Christ, we are all hopelessly needy.
· Our laboring
prayers are never in vain.
