Devotional:

“53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” — Mark 6:53-56

I’ve read these four verses repeatedly, praying for God to give me something more than just another devotional about Jesus healing people. He had done this before, healing the masses in different cities. But as I’ve read, prayed and listened, it has opened my eyes to some harsh realities about the boxes Christians tend to keep God in until we need something fixed.

This healing that Jesus did in Gennesaret took place after Jesus walked on water, which we talked about in our last devotional. Usually, these four verses are included in that passage rather than looked at separately, but we know that every miracle in the Bible was written for a reason and is God-ordained and Holy Spirit inspired and, because of that, deserves our attention, time and devotion. What does He have to show us through these four verses 

Let’s back up to verse 45. Jesus tells the disciples to get in the boat and head to Bethsaida after feeding the 5,000. Bethsaida is in the northern region of the Sea of Galilee, but the storm and winds were so bad they couldn’t make it there. They ended up in Gennesaret instead, about six miles south. They did not intend to come to Gennesaret after they left the 5,000 that evening, the storm is what brought them there.

Jesus and the disciples brought their boat to shore in Gennesaret, most likely to find food and shelter after a rough night on the water, not intending to go right back to doing miracles. I love this about Jesus, He never missed an opportunity to show compassion for people; nothing was too big or too small for Him.

These people came to Jesus in droves from all over that area. Jesus allowed them to be healed by touching His garment’s fringe, no questions asked, no teachings, just healing. Those fringes on Jesus’s garment were called “tzitzit” and Jewish rabbis would wear them as reminders of the Lord’s commandments in Deuteronomy and Numbers. They are still worn today by some Orthodox Jewish men.

“38 “Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. 39 And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.” — Numbers 15:38-39

Most people in Gennesaret, both Jewish and Gentile, were familiar with what these tassels were and what they meant. This is also why the woman with the issue of bleeding reached out and touched Jesus’s “tzitzit,” it was more than just a piece of clothing. God commanded these to be worn; therefore, they had a specific purpose and meaning.

This passage is both sad and confusing to me. It is sad because all these people are flocking to Jesus as fast as they can. Not because of who Jesus is, but because they need something fixed. It isn’t because they believe Jesus is the Savior of the world who came to take away their sins and give them eternal life. It isn’t because they finally see the Messiah they’ve been promised standing right in front of them, It is only because they need something from Him and they see an opportunity to capitalize on it.

It’s also confusing. It seems like Jesus chose to heal so many people that day with no reservations, but He didn’t sit and teach, answer questions or tell them who He was. There was no requirement for them to believe in Him first, but maybe their faith in His healing power was enough. And sometimes, I wonder if He did all those healings just for the sake of compassion. We know Jesus was compassionate and loved people very deeply. And although people’s souls may not have been changed that day, Jesus knew He was planting a seed. He knew this wouldn’t be the only opportunity for them to follow Him and sometimes showing compassion like Jesus did that day can be enough to open up even the hardest of hearts.

We have a lot in common with the people in Gennesaret. We tend to come to Jesus when we have something we need fixed. And sometimes, Jesus fixes it and sometimes, He doesn’t. And sometimes, He fixes it for people who don’t believe and we don’t understand why.

It is easy to go down the road that leads to bitterness instead of the road that leads to compassion. Jesus had compassion that day when He could have chosen bitterness because the people were using Him to get what they wanted, not what He knew they really needed.

Instead of bitterness, how can you let compassion lead you to plant seeds even when it feels like a hopeless cause?

What if you planted the seed and Jesus continued to grow and nurture that person? What if you never took the opportunity to plant the seed?

Who is Jesus to you? Is He just someone you have on retainer for when you really need something fixed? Or is Jesus your Messiah and your Savior?

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:33

What if you’ve been coming to Jesus only because you’ve needed something fixed? And what if He finally gave you what you asked for? Would you stop coming to Him? If I knew my kids only loved me because of what they could get out of me, I’d never give them anything! Because I would never want them to stop loving me and being in my life!  

Jesus desires so much more from us than the things we ask for. He desires a relationship that goes beyond our worldly needs. Seeking Him first, not the miracle, is what God wants of us. The miracle is secondary, a relationship with Jesus is primary and that is the true miracle of Jesus. We get to be His sons and daughters.

Lord, draw us closer to You. Sometimes it takes blessing us and sometimes it takes breaking us to really see You, for who You are. Help us to seek You first and not the miracle. And God, give us compassion, like You had that day in Gennesaret, to plant the seeds for others to see You and draw closer to You. Please help us to remember that no job is too big or too small for You to change hearts and lives for eternity. Amen.