And They Keep on Coming

July 19, 2009
Scripture Text: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, we see people who are either trying to get to Jesus, or trying to make Him go away. And each of these groups were very persistent in their own right. Those who wanted to see Jesus did everything that they could to get closer – even to the point that He felt the crush of the pressing crowd nearly continuously. Those who saw Him as a troublemaker were also very focused in their efforts – to the point that they would do anything, including lying in court, to see that He was defeated. And while those who opposed Christ eventually thought that they had won, it was only those who persisted in seeking Him who truly gained the prize.
They never gave up:
- The blind beggar Bartimaeus wouldn’t stop calling out to the Son of David for healing, even though his neighbors tried to silence him. (Mark 10:46-52)
- The woman with the hemorrhage wouldn’t give up, because she knew that even if she could but touch the hem of His cloak that her healing would be complete. (Matthew 9:19-22)
- Jairus, the local leader of the synagogue whose daughter had fallen gravely ill, never gave up on his hope for life, even when word reached him that the girl had died before Jesus could reach her side. (Matthew 9:18, 23-26)
- The Canaanite woman whose daughter had been possessed by a demon never gave up, even when Jesus began an apparently insulting dialogue with her, equating her to the dogs that gathered around the table of “good Jews”. (Matthew 15:21-28)
- The Samaritan woman who met Jesus at Jacob’s well in Sychar never ran away from the stranger who told her all about her life, and who loved her in spite of her indiscretions. (John 4:4-42)

And the list goes on and on. Hordes of people thronged to His side to hear the teaching and to feel His touch and experience the joy of His presence. I find it nearly inconceivable that the Pharisees and Sadducees could have missed out on those “Christ moments”. They came close to Him, they talked to Him, they heard His words, they saw the things that He did. They, above all, should have come to the realization of His truth much sooner than anyone else, but, as a whole, they didn’t, and their fear of this new approach to walking with God overwhelmed them.

The problem is that the Jewish leaders of that day, as well as many leaders throughout the centuries, have come to believe that it was all about what we do for others in this life that’s important. The laws of Israel attempted to legislate morality and faithfulness. Everything was spelled out - the types of sacrifice that was required for each specific sin, the offering that was required for each blessing, the attitudes and actions that were demanded for proper relationships, both those in human instances and in those with God, ritual and morality, life and death, birth to burial – everything was spelled out.
But that’s the trouble with law – it can only specify what is expected in terms of our actions – it can’t even begin to exercise control over what we think and feel and believe. In Matthew 5 (:21-26), Jesus is preaching His Sermon on the Mount, and is teaching about attitudes. He mentions the law regarding murder and the judgment that is placed on those who are found guilty, but He then goes on to say that even the anger that you may hold toward another will bring you to the same guilty verdict! He tells us that if we come to the sanctuary in faith to honor God for a blessing, and then remember that we have wronged another, we need to stop in our tracks and correct the relationship with the person before we even try to approach God to give Him honor!
The “things” we do are no more important than our attitudes and thoughts, and actually, the “right” actions of our hands may be rendered ineffective by our hateful and hurtful hearts!
And that is why, I believe, that secular and governmental leaders of every age have had trouble with being truly effective in the administration of their social programs. They try to justify and quantify the “what’s” of their efforts, while never even considering the “why’s” of God! The church of today is in this same dilemma – our efforts in social justice matters, while commendable per se, is beginning to shape our faith, while it is our faith that should be the guiding influence in our outreach. The Pharisees had it backwards in Jesus’ day, and after 2,000 years, we are still trying to get it right.

But the people who rush to Jesus for change in their lives are at least on the right track. While their purpose and intent may have been self centered, and at times even selfish, they at least were putting faith in the prominent position.

Let me read an article by a Syndicated columnist named William Raspberry:

I know this must seem a strange message from a not particularly religious writer in an utterly secular newspaper, but I am increasingly struck by two phenomena. The first is the growing sense that America's major failings are not political or economic, but moral. The second is the discovery that most successful social programs are those that are driven -- even if only tacitly -- by moral or religious values .... Marvin Olasky, the University of Texas journalism professor, relates an experience when he spent a few nights as a homeless person on Washington streets. Every shelter he visited plied him with as many sandwiches and soft drinks as he wanted. But nobody -- even at a church-run shelter -- asked him a single question about how he became homeless or what he thought might help him toward independent living.
[They were using their hands, but not their hearts!]
Doesn't this neglect of the spiritual at least help explain the persistence not just of homelessness, but also teen pregnancy, substance abuse, school failure and the whole range of problems that we tend to see as stemming primarily from bad economics or racism? Shouldn't organized religion take the lead in doing what the rest of us fear to try?
[There’s a challenge for us all!]
Robert L. Woodson, Sr., head of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise .. writes, “We have been looking for cures in all the wrong places. We don't have a crisis in recreation, or social services, or consumer capacity. Certainly, our children need these things and need jobs, too. But these things have no redemptive quality, and what our young people need above all is to be redeemed.”--Syndicated columnist William Raspberry, Churches Ought to Be Doing What Government Can't, Tampa Tribune, 14 February 1995, Nation/World-7.

Mr. Raspberry wrote these words over 14 years ago, but they are even more important for us today. Why aren’t we rushing to Jesus’ side for “redemption”, instead of holding out our hands to government for whatever their “offering of the day” may be? Why does society think that “goodness of action” will always trump “purity of heart”? What do the crowds who followed Jesus thousands of years ago have to teach us today?
Simply this – if you have a vital need in your life, put your faith in Christ to work first, and let the actions that satisfy those needs become an extension of faith. How many times in the gospels do we read of Jesus telling a person who has just been healed that it is their faith that has made them whole? And how many times do we read that those who would not believe in Him also could not receive His healing?

And even while some of the powerful of that day tried every means available to defeat Jesus, others throughout Israel and neighboring lands continued to turn to Him for their needs. That is what the people of the United States need to learn – that no matter how hard secular authority in our nation, and throughout the world, tries to outlaw and defeat and threaten the people of faith, more and more will continue to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Our nation, and more importantly our community, is ripe for revival. There are dire problems in our economy, wars that continue to threaten our security and even our very existence, secularism that masquerades as faith, overt opposition to faith and faith based efforts, and attempts to silence the private, as well as the public voice of Christians.
While some may think that these issues are good reasons to avoid contact with the world – that we need to hunker down and protect our flanks –the truth is that these are the very reasons that we must once again begin to carry the Gospel message out to our neighbors - the message that Hope is in Christ, not in the world, that the Good News of Salvation will begin as soon as you start to walk in faith, that the” truth of faith” is the beginning of recovery, and that true recovery doesn’t come from governmental action!
We sometimes lament the fact that some churches are growing by leaps and bounds, while others appear to be stagnant, at best. The difference between these churches is that while one may be welcoming, the other is inviting. Welcoming is a reactive response. Invitation is a proactive one. How do you think the word about Jesus spread so quickly in first century Israel? It was totally by word of mouth.

My friends, it is time we began to put our faith into practice if we want to see the rush to Jesus Christ continue. It’s happening in far away places, and it’s beginning to happen in much nearer places. Do we become part of that movement, or do we just sit on the side line? It’s time to put the faith of our hearts into the actions of our hands and feet.
I want to challenge you to do that very thing in the coming week.
- Invite a friend or neighbor to join you at worship.
- Invite someone to come to one of our Bible studies.
- Show your love to someone who is struggling.
- Care about the circumstances that others are in, and don’t just give them “self fixes”.
- Be a 1st century Christian and open your heart as well as your mouth and arms.
- Walk your talk as obviously as you possibly can, and pray that others, who seem content to just sit on the sidelines, will begin their own journey toward the glory of our LORD Jesus Christ!

Will you give your faith in Christ a try? It just might cause a stampede!