Luke 4:42-44 At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Jesus' preaching of the gospel's good news to the kingdom
was multi-faceted. It included mercy on people's earthly needs but did not
settle there. Jesus was teaching in the synagogues, driving out evil demons and
healing the sick, even bringing the dead back to life. We want to think that
his compassion and godliness moved the populace. However, that is only
partially the case. In those days, going to a doctor was very expensive, and
only the very rich could afford to seek the help of a physician. The primary
reason the people flocked to Jesus was for two reasons: he was cheap and
effective. Consequently, when someone came upon the scene that healed everyone
he ministered to and did not charge for the healing, the people spread his
reputation very quickly.
The physicians of the day still used methods that had been
around for many years. These treatments included bloodletting, massage forms,
and even prescribed dips in cold rivers or hot baths. Some even used mud packs
as a healing agent; others were encouraged to spend several nights in a Greek
temple and hope for a visit from one of the many Greek gods. However, lacking
the visit from an earthly god that did not excise, the temple attendants would
encourage the patient to walk in the winter without any sandals or other
protection of their feet. We could only assume these outlandish false cures led
to more serious medical conditions and lined more pockets of these want-to-be
doctors.
The first question is whether we believe these accounts of
Jesus healing the sick, letting the lame walk again, and even raising the dead.
But then the second question is this: How do we respond to Jesus? Have we given
him the allegiance he deserves? Does our belief lead us to seek to follow his
example of taking the good news to as many people as we can reach?
Jesus came as the Son of God to live among us as one of us,
to die and rise again so we could come back to God. But he also came to call
out to people for himself who would believe in him and love him to the extent
that they'd do what he teaches them to. The test of belief, according to James,
isn't that you can affirm the Apostle's Creed. Even the demons can do that
(James 2:19). No real test is what you are doing about it.
Are we following Jesus' example of proclaiming the Good
News to those around us? This question is for each of us as individuals and all
of us as the Church. What are we doing to further the cause of the gospel? What
are we doing to bring new people into God's kingdom? If we're not doing that,
then our belief becomes a wasted thing, no better than the belief of the evil
spirits who recognized Jesus for who he was but failed to turn back to him or
those townspeople who believed he could heal but didn't want him to continue
his mission of bringing salvation to their world. Well, let's pray that we
might be a believing people who are not only willing but excited to spread His
gospel to the ends of the earth.
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