Sick people flocked to Jesus. Guys with shriveled hands, women hearing voices, scary characters who were typically chained to trees, young men trucked around on a pallet all day (and let’s not forget the bleeding woman)… it seems that if you had any physical or mental malady, then by the second chapter of any gospel you’ve zeroed in and hunted down Jesus to ask a favor.
I cannot let it drop: a religion and a faith belief existed for centuries (eons!) but when Jesus showed up, it’s evident that the religious system had nothing to offer these people. The crowds followed Jesus, sick and hurting, hoping his words and touch would bring healing.
But the religious folk? They watched Jesus from afar, offering critical commentary on his perceived shortcomings, waiting for him to misstep on the Sabbath. They waited anxiously to announce how exactly this round peg of a messiah wouldn’t fit through the square hole they’d carved through their understanding of scripture.
Those whom religion served best needed nothing from Jesus, or so it seemed to them.
It’s fascinating to me to watch how those at the top of the food chain resisted the change, they missed the messianic meaning. More so, they tried to control and limit the Goodness of the News Jesus brought with him. “We need to limit this, we can’t just have people being healed on the Sabbath!” they said in their board meetings.
Jesus offered a faith that served those who needed it rather than a belief that continued to serve those at the top.