Mark 5:21 – Part 1: Jesus is about you

Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.

Luke 8:40 (Amplified Bible)
Now when Jesus came back [to Galilee], the crowd received and welcomed Him gladly, for they were all waiting and looking for Him.

The Preceding Events
It is interesting to note that word again in this passage. A brief look back over the preceding passages of Scripture reveal a great deal to us. Do you recall the account of where Jesus and His disciples were on a boat, and the storms blew and the hurricanes came?

Do you remember Jesus asleep at the time? That is until woken by His disciples, who were (some would ague) justified to wake the Master at this time because that they thought they would drown?

You know the ending. The storm stops, and everything is OK again. The boat carries on, and Jesus meets a man who has so many devils in Him, that even several thousand pigs couldn’t cope with the pressure. You also know this story, Jesus liberates this man – in quite a stylish way it must be said – and then spends a little time ministering to Him.

Jesus then commissions this guy to become and evangelist – well in fact, Jesus just tells this man to tell his testimony to his friends and family.

Jesus and the disciples get back into the boat, and head back to Galilee.

Just The One?

Can you imagine what the disciples maybe thinking here? Coming back, they might be thinking something along the lines of, “Man, we went all that way (it was no small trip let me tell you), nearly died in the process, just to minister to this one guy. I mean twelve of us. Surely we didn’t all have to go? One guy too. Just one.”

Think about it, Jesus takes twelve men, risks their lives and His just to minister to one man! That’s my Jesus. He is as interested in the one individual as He is the crowd. I have heard it said that God will move heaven and earth to minister just to one person in need if that is what it took! Why? …because of His great love with which He loved us…

Here the love of Jesus is shown so very clearly because of what He went through to minister to one man. A man that society had deemed unsuitable for loving and ministering to. An outcast. A monster.

Good job that Jesus didn’t see him the same way.
Good job Jesus doesn’t see you the same way.
Good job Jesus doesn’t see me the same way.

What Jesus did for that one man – He will do for you. He will do it for me. Again he will come to you.

Would you call this a successful ministry trip? No land slide conversions. No mass healing sessions. No TV. No Media.

Just one man set free.
Of course, that one man then went back and won his whole city.
I’d call that a successful ministry trip.

Searching For Jesus
So Jesus comes back to the place where he started from a few days before. As He approaches the shore, He and the disciples see the crowd. There is a bunch of people who received and welcomed Him gladly, for they were all waiting and looking for Him.

They are all looking for Him, and there is a rumour that this is where He will touch base. That shore is a little like church should be. It should certainly what I want my hone to be like.

When people search out Jesus. When they look for Him, it should be your door they knock on. It should be your church they attend – why? Because the rumours are that is where they will find Him. Not in the bar. Not in the drugs. Not in the nightclub. Why should they draw the crowds?

If only Jesus were allowed to minister today as He did in His earthly ministry. If we would allow Him to reach this world through our lives – oh how the crowds would come to the church again. I long for the day that when I arrive at my church, I have to get in line. I have to make a reservation just to get in.

How does this happen though? A nice ideal – but how do we become this magnet for the world? Why were the crowds there on that shore? How did they know to look there? What caused them to spend hours searching Him out?

What a reputation Jesus must have had for a crowd of people to search Him out? As we will read later, this crowd was a multitude. It was the whole city. It was a football stadium full of people. It wasn’t a few – it was masses.

Quite a paradox really. Last time Jesus landed at the shore – there was only one guy there to meet Him – and he had a bunch of broken chains, a severe body odour problem and in need of a serious attitude adjustment.

This time the crowds are there. “Thank God, finally something worth while.” The disciples may think. “Jesus can preach, we’ll have a few miracles. Take an offering perhaps – then go home and rest!”

These crowds are an important feature to this story.

I have a desire to minister the Word of God. I love doing it. I enjoy standing in front of a room full of people with my Bible, the anointing and something to say. I could do it all day given the opportunity. But there is one thing I must remember, as large a crowd of people that come to meetings to hear me – look out for the times where God would have me go deliberately out of my way to minister to one person.

That is one thing I have learned here.

God isn’t just about numbers. He is about you. He is about me. Doesn’t matter whether I am in a large audience, or by myself. God is about me.