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Seeking The Lord’s
Blessing
The gospel of Mark records
the account of some who rejected the blessing of having the Lord in
their midst. In Gadara, the Lord was actually asked to leave! Even
though He had healed a demon-possessed man, the citizens “began to plead
with Him to depart from their region” (5:17). In Jesus’ home town of
Nazareth, a “few sick people” were brought to him for healing, but only
a few. “He could do no mighty work there,” apparently because they
simply rejected the blessing of the Lord’s presence in their midst
(6:5). How unfortunate.
We are happy to read of
others who did seek the Lord’s blessing. The 2nd chapter of Mark
records the efforts of four men who stopped at nothing to bring their
paralyzed friend to Jesus. Unable to bring him close because of the
throng surrounding the Lord, these men “uncovered the roof where He was”
and “let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying” (2:4). What
tremendous faith! We also read of a ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, who
“begged [Jesus] earnestly” to come and lay his hands on his daughter
that she might be healed and live (5:23). These sought the Lord’s
presence and His blessing, and their faith was highly commended.
“But why would anyone not
wish to have the Lord in their midst?” you ask. A look at the cities
mentioned above reveals much. In Gadara, Jesus had allowed the demons
that He had cast out to go and enter a herd of about two thousand swine.
Consequently, “the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea,
and drowned...” The town lost a primary source of income and livelihood,
and when they became aware of it they begged Jesus to depart. Apparently
they loved material possessions more than they loved the Lord. In
Nazareth the people simply couldn’t get past their pride. When Jesus
began to teach in their synagogue they asked, “Where did this Man get
these things?... Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary...?” (6:2,3)
-- i.e., “Who are you to teach us?”
It is sad to read of
people such as these casting off their opportunity to have the Lord’s
blessing. How sad, even further, to know of people today who, time after
time, refuse to come know the Lord, to be in His presence and to
ultimately receive a blessing. All too many reject the Lord because they
view Him as costing them too much time, energy and/or money. Too many
refuse the Lord because they “aren’t about to let someone else tell them
what to do.“ Shades of Gadara and Nazareth indeed.
What could be said of you,
dear reader? Do you take advantage of every opportunity to know more
about Jesus and to thereby be blessed by Him? Or do pride, this world’s
goods, or one of a host of other things keep you from such a benefit?
These are sobering questions that need to be seriously contemplated by
many -- even by some who claim to be “Christians.” Whether we seek the
Lord or reject Him will determine our whereabouts throughout eternity
(John 12:48).
--Mike Noble
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