BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing English Emagazine December 2019 | Page 14

www.bymonline.org | December 2019
Pressing On In Serving Others
Rich Carmicheal
Have you ever noticed how willing Jesus was during
His three years of public ministry to be interrupted and
inconvenienced by those in need, and even willing to face
criticism in order to help them? Here are just a few such
examples:
In the midst of teaching to a wall-to-wall crowd in a
home, Jesus took time to forgive and heal a paralytic
lowered right in front of Him, though it caused some present
to criticize Him (Mk 2:1-12).
He spent time with tax collectors and “sinners” and
showed them mercy, though the religious leaders criticized
Him for doing so (Matt. 9:9-13; Lk 15:1-2).
While speaking to a large crowd, Jesus was willing to
leave at the request of Jairus in order to go and help his
daughter who was dying. While on the way to deal with this
pressing matter, Jesus took time to interact with a woman
who had pressed through the crowd and touched Him for
healing (Mk 5:21-43).
On one occasion when so many people were coming
and going that Jesus and His disciples did not even have
time to eat, they tried to get away by themselves in a boat to
a solitary place. However, many people ran on foot and got
there ahead of them. When Jesus landed, He had
compassion on the large crowd and began teaching them
many things (Mk 6:30-34). Later that day He took time to
feed them through a miraculous provision of fish and bread
(Mk 6:35-44), and then the next morning, after crossing
over into Gennesaret, He was again mobbed by people and
He took time to teach them and heal their sick (Mk 6:56; Jn
6:25-40).
Page 14
When Jesus entered the vicinity of Tyre, He entered a
house not wanting anyone to know where He was.
However, He could not keep His presence a secret, and a
Canaanite woman came to Him and begged for mercy
because her daughter suffered from demon possession.
Although Jesus wanted to be alone with His disciples, and
although the disciples urged Him to send her away because
she kept crying out, and although Jesus was sent only to the
lost sheep of Israel, He still took time to speak to the woman
and to deliver her daughter from the demon (Mk 7:24-30;
Mat 15:23-24).
Even though His disciples tried to discourage people
from bringing little children to Him, Jesus told them to let
the children come to Him and “He took the children in His
arms, put His hands on them and blessed them” (Mk 10:13-
16).
When interrupted by a rich young man, Jesus did not
push him away, but felt compassion for him and took time to
talk with him about what the young man really needed (Mk
10:17-22).
When Jesus and His disciples, along with a large
crowd, were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus shouted for Jesus
to have mercy on him. Although many people rebuked
Bartimaeus and told him to be quiet, Jesus stopped, took
time to ask him what he wanted, and then restored his sight
(Mk 10:46-52).
While passing through Jericho, He took time to go to
the home of Zacchaeus the tax collector, and as a result of
the time Jesus spent visiting with him, Zacchaeus received
salvation (Lk 19:1-9).