Read Mark 3:7-12
This summer, the FIFA World Cup games brought people from all over the world to small cities across the US. But this isn’t new; American sporting events like football, baseball, and basketball draw thousands of people every year into sold-out venues. They come to see something sensational from their favorite team or favorite player.
Now imagine what’s happening at the Sea of Galilee during the time of Jesus. People from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan around Tyre and Sidon have come following Jesus. Especially the sick; they heard about the healing miracles and were seeking Jesus for healing. However, unlike our modern sport events, the crowds didn’t just want a seat at an extraordinary event. Their desire for healing was so powerful that they wanted contact with Jesus. In their sheer desperation, they pressed around Him, leading Jesus to get a boat ready, lest they crush Him, appearing to view Jesus as a worker of miracles and not someone with divine authority.
Except for the unclean spirits, who fell down in front of Him, recognizing His authority as the Son of God. We read the same thing happening in Mark 1:24-25, where a man with an unclean spirit recognizes Jesus as the Holy One of God. On both occasions, Jesus commands them to keep silent and not to reveal his Identity (Mark 1:24-25, Mark 3:11). Therefore, Jesus demonstrates His authority over spiritual powers and is controlling how His identity as the Son of God should be revealed.
The time of Jesus revealing the mission of the Messiah had not fully come. Instead, Jesus disclosed His identity through His actions. This is probably because He didn’t want people to know Him as a miracle worker. Later in Mark, Peter would declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, God’s Anointed One, beginning his suffering mission to the cross.
Jesus began his ministry with the proclamation of the gospel (Mark 1:14-15). A call to repentance and reconciliation with God. Yet, the crowds seem to respond only to His healing power. How should we respond when we hear the gospel? Do we seek Jesus only for our benefit like the crowds did, or do we come in repentance, recognizing His full authority and finished work at the cross?
