Wednesday 15 Feb 2023

February 15: Mark 8:22-26

Key Verse: Mark 8:26
Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don’t even go into the village.’

Devotion:
When you read verses by themselves you begin to wonder why Jesus did some of the things He did; this is why our study of the bible study should always take into account the whole bible and not just a couple of verses by themselves! Jesus was having a hard time with people in Bethsaida and because of that He took this man outside of the village before He did anything.

When Jesus performed the miracles He did, it was always to bring glory to God and to focus peoples minds on God. If He had stayed in the village and done the healing there, we don’t know what would have happened – but Jesus knew something would go amiss and so took the people out of the village.

Sometimes when we are faced with strife we need to take a step back and think of another approach rather than fighting against the local people. When we are faced with disagreement and conflict which we know will affect how people perceive the Gospel, we need to change our approach. We must not bring doubt into the equation when we are trying to tell people the truth. Jesus was doing the same thing here, knowing someone would disagree or make a scene, so He avoided the conflict and doubters altogether.

When Jesus had healed the man He told the man not to go back into the village and not even to tell them about what had happened outside the village. We can only imagine what was going on to force Jesus to come away from the village in the first place! We should be willing to stop and listen to what God is telling us through the Spirit and through Christ and through His Word; only then can we too avoid the disagreements and doubters who may affect our own faith.

Points to Ponder:
Do you get upset by people talking against God?

Will you try to avoid the doubters and see how your faith changes?