When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Mark 6:53-56
Without the help of social media, selfies, a website, or even email, people recognized Jesus. He was memorable in all he did. His words were so powerful and unique that they were recorded and passed down to us. In the days of Jesus, writing was not the commonly taught and used like it is today. So while things were written, because of its expense and trouble, writing was reserved for official documents, the rich, and to record the writings of the most serious writers of the time.
Not only were his words memorable, but so were his actions. The way he interacted with the religious leaders, putting them in their place and raising up the humble and poor in spirit.
It was this “killer combo” that electrified the crowds to the point that they followed him wherever he went. Imagine for a moment, trying to follow someone who’s in a boat from land. And there was no Scenic Highway that when alongside the sea of Galilee. Not even sure there was a path.
But no matter the effort, people were gung-ho to do whatever was necessary in order to be in the presence of Jesus.
How much of an effort, and how big of a deal is it for us to be in the presence of Jesus? Do we follow him along the shoreline of life while he’s in the boat? Do we seek him out because he’s the most electrifying person and personality?
Do we run after Jesus? Are we willing to drop anything and everything to be with him? Or do we even have a timeslot for him in our schedule?
We like to think of ourselves as smart, intelligent, and oh so much better than people from the past. We have an air of sophistication and superiority over them.
And yet, here is a group of people who worked alongside the edge of a lake, just barely eking out enough to live on. They certainly had a “hand to mouth” existence with nothing in the bank. Nothing in the refrigerator. Nothing in the pantry.
Maybe it’s because of their very modest lifestyle and possessions that it was so easy for them to give everything up to follow Jesus. We might also be thinking that because they weren’t very smart, they could be easily fooled to do something very different, very unique, very frightening.
We think of ourselves as very modern, smart, and so much better than people who don’t have as much as we do. But our possessions might just be extra weight that slows us down. Drags us down. Holds us down. We tend to think of these things as helping us, lifting us up. But in this grand scheme of things, in light of eternity, they’re more than a distraction. They’re a deterrent to doing what is right now and for all eternity.
These people were willing to drop everything to follow after Jesus. There was no anchor that was going to hold them down, no weight that was going to slow them down. They were willing to abandon their schedules, their lives. They were ready to let go of everything for the one who would take care of them.
So, what is it going to take for us to drop the things of this life that are holding us back? We need to change our thinking from believing that things are helping, to the true understanding that they are hurting. We need a transformation to God’s prioritization. Evaluating life, people, things based on his view of reality and not ours.
His view is from eternity past through to eternity future. We only see a tiny slice of life during our few years here on earth. But God says there is a better way, a more complete way, a way that comes from him.
He doesn’t try to hide his way; he doesn’t put roadblocks or blockades to prevent us from seeing and selecting his way. We are the ones who do the turning away. We are the ones who put up the roadblocks. We are the ones who throw out the anchors.
He makes himself very clear.
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John 7:37,37
It’s time for us to lay down anything and everything that’s holding us back from following and believing in Jesus. When we believe in him, we exchange our view of what’s right and wrong for his eternal and godly view. We need to admit that our self-sufficiency is against the God who loves us, who died for us, and run after Jesus. Wherever he might be. Wherever he’s going.
It's time to stop hiding from Jesus.
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