Rather than cut and paste the whole Scripture this week, I am going to do something a bit more true to what we are doing in our groups; I will retell the story in my own words. I have included the passage as a reference, and I highly recommend you read it rather than just take my word for it. I will likely stick to this pattern for all of our "storying" passages, though not for any other entries that I feel led to make.
Jesus was with some of his early disciples, namely Simon, Andrew, James, and John, and entered the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath and began teaching. As he taught, many were amazed because He was teaching with authority in contrast to the teaching of the scribes.
A man who was possessed of an evil spirit cried out to Him, asking what they had to do with one another and if He had come to destroy them. He publicly announced that Jesus was the Holy One of God, and Jesus commanded him to be silent and leave the man. The spirit threw the man into convulsions and came out of him. This amazed the people, who marveled at this Rabbi who taught with such authority that even the unclean spirits obeyed! At this, His fame spread.
Afterward, He entered Andrew and Simon's house along with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a fever, and Jesus healed her. She got up and began to serve the men. In the evening, they brought many who were sick to him, and soon the whole city was at the door. He healed several and cast out demons, but He would not permit the demons to speak of who He was.
Jesus got up early the next morning while it was still dark and found a secluded place to pray. His disciples were looking for Him, and when they found Him they said that everyone was looking for Him. Rather than coming with them, Jesus told them He wanted to go to a different town and preach because that was why He had come. In this way, He went all around the region of Galilee preaching and casting out demons.
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From this sampling of the life of Christ, I see my Lord in two contexts: First, as a Man of great authority who even has power over the demons, which have been severally worshiped as gods through man's history. He came healing diseases and casting out these spirits. He was no quack TV faith healer; rather He was a Man who had ultimate authority over the entire creation that had been made through Him and even over the powers, world forces of darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. This, in fact, was Emmanuel--God With Us--and neither demons, disease, tempest, nor death itself could operate outside of His command. He was the "last Adam," as Paul penned, undoing the destruction which the first Adam unleashed, and in all probability reclaiming the authority that the first Adam was created to have. Jesus was and is the Messiah, the Holy One of God, the King of kings, and the great I AM. He is not a Man to be trifled with.
The second context is Jesus as Head of the church, making me as a Christian a member of His Body. I see Him leading by example in this passage, having compassion on others and meeting their physical needs in addition to their spiritual needs. More importantly, I see Him escaping the mass of humanity to spend some time alone with His Father in prayer. In my own walk with the Lord, I have found this element--this spending time alone with Him--to be essential, crucial even. The busier I am with serving others, the more I need to carve out time to spend in His presence, drawing from His strength long past the time my own reserves are depleted. When I have neglected this vital time, everything suffers--including everyone in my path! Apart from the Vine, I can do nothing. Nothing save make a mess of things, that is. Nothing worthwhile.
Within the scope of this second context, I see Jesus as a pleaser of God and not of man. He does not heed the call of the crowd nor of His friends but instead remains totally faithful to the Divinely-given task He was given. This is an area where I fail miserably. I find that, despite my bold intentions, I often try to please others. I will set myself to be faithful to the calling God has given me but wind up knuckling under to the demands of my children, my family, or any number of others. I have been guilty of writing to please men (which, by the way, rarely has the effect I hope it will) or worse, writing to please myself. I have arranged my schedule according to the expectations of others, changed plans... you name it. I need to be clear--I am not talking about Divinely-appointed interruptions here. God has the right to interrupt my carefully laid plans at any time and whether I whine about it or not is my affair. The right belongs solely to Him. I am talking about rearranging or changing merely because someone or another expects it of me. This is especially true with my family, for I have a devil of a time saying, "no" to them sometimes.
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