Matthew 5:1-2 Luke 6:17-19

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/The_Sermon_on_the_Mount.htm

The appointment of the apostles was followed very closely by a time of instruction about the kingdom and what it means to be a follower of Jesus.  The message that we will be looking at over the next several days gives us keen insight into the will of God as well as God’s view of the way the people who claimed to follow Him believed.  These people thought they knew God and were living a life in way that was pleasing to Him.  Jesus reveals the truth about God to His disciples and the throng of people who gathered around Him.  We all have been influenced by the traditions of our families and churches to understand God and His will in a certain way.  It is easy for us to become comfortable in these traditions and not really live according to the Word of God.  It is important for us to be reminded about how God looks at the world and then adjust all our traditions accordingly.

A VARIETY OF PEOPLE CAME TO HEAR JESUS: Many different people from many different walks of life came out to the region of Galilee in order to hear Jesus.  First, we see that His disciples were present.  These were men who had been chosen by Jesus to follow Him and now He wants to instruct them as to what it truly means to follow Him.  There is also a group that has come from Jerusalem and Judea.  This is a significant distance from His current location.  Jesus had been in this region and was meeting with significant opposition so He left and came to Galilee.  These would have been mostly Jews who were striving to practice the Law and live according to the traditions of their faith.  The people followed Him because they wanted to hear Him and because they were desperate to be healed by Him.  Next, we see a group of people from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.  A certain percentage of these people would have been Jews as well, but they were not likely as devote as the group from Jerusalem.  However, there would have been a significant number of Gentiles in this group as well.  The ministry of Jesus resonated with people from all different places and backgrounds.  God’s heart has always been for the nations of the world.  We all tend to be more comfortable when we are with people that are similar to us.  Following Jesus means breaking out of that comfort zone and loving people from all different races and places.

A VARIETY OF PROBLEMS WERE HELPED BY JESUS: These people came to Jesus in order to hear Him but they were also desperate to be healed.  They had significant needs and believed that Jesus had the ability to meet those needs.  Some were in need of healing while others were possessed by daemons and needed to be set free.  The text says Jesus was healing all of them.  It was rare for Jesus to perform “mass healings” like this.  However, on this occasion it seems Jesus wanted to get the physical and daemonic problems taken care of so He could teach the people the truths of God without distraction.  Sick people are usually clearly focused on being healed.  There does not seem to be a particular formula for healing.  Jesus responded to the pleas of the people for help while others came and touched Him because His power was coming from Him to heal all who were in the vicinity.  The power of Jesus was clearly on display and made His teaching that much more impactful.  Jesus is able to heal all diseases and command all daemons.  He does not always heal all of these problems like He did in this passage, but we can trust in His power and follow His commandments because we understand His authority over us and all the people and circumstances that surround us.


APPLICATION: Share in God’s passion for the nations.  Don’t allow traditions or any kind of prejudice keep us from hearing and following the Word of God.  Strive to meet the needs of people so they might be able to hear the message of the Gospel without distraction.  Don’t allow meeting physical needs to become a distraction from the proclamation of the Gospel.

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