A man with leprosy came and knelt in front
of Jesus, begging to be healed. "If you are willing, you can heal me and
make me clean," he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and
touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!"
Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. Then Jesus sent him
on his way with a stern warning: "Don't tell anyone about this. Instead,
go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in
the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a
public testimony that you have been cleansed." But the man went and spread
the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds
soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn't publicly enter a town anywhere. He had
to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to
him. Mark 1:40-45
Don’t
tell anyone. Can you keep a secret? Jesus asked this man NOT to tell anyone
about his healing from leprosy. But the man just couldn’t keep a secret. He
told everyone—Jesus healed me. Look—I was a leper—now I’m clean. I’m healed.
Everyone figured if Jesus could do that for that dirty, rotten leper, He could
heal them, too. So a huge crowd of people continually wanted to surround Jesus
everywhere He went. He couldn’t publicly go anywhere without nearly be trampled
by the crowd. Life was a little miserable for Him. He had to seek out isolated
places—withdrawing from the crowds. But they still they found Him. Someone gave
away His secret…He had nowhere to retreat.
Do you ever feel that you have no time to
yourself? That is just how Jesus must have felt. No time or space to Himself.
Why couldn’t people just leave Him alone for a few hours? He needed time to
think—to listen to His Father—and to convey significant messages—with specific instructions—to
His disciples and other close followers. Not a moment alone because the leper couldn’t
keep a secret. If Jesus had just healed you of a life threatening disease could
you keep it a secret? Would you want to keep such good news a secret? Jesus
wants us to tell others about Him. If we will acknowledge Him to others, He
will acknowledge us before His Father (see Matthew 10:32-33). I for one want to
have Jesus tell His Father that I know and love Him…not that He never knew me.
Are you willing to confess Jesus…to tell others you know about Him? How did you
learn about Jesus? Someone told you. Me, too. So the only way others will learn
about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is for us to live our lives in a way
that others see Jesus in us…and then whenever possible, share that good news
with others. This is not an idea that we have to keep a secret.
Prayer ~ Jesus, I don’t want to keep You a
secret. I want the whole world to know what a wonderful, marvelous Savior You
are. I want them to know that before the world was created, our Heavenly Father
had a plan—for each of us to be saved from sin…and even from temptation. Give
us this day o our daily spiritual bread…and lead us not into temptation…but
deliver us from evil. Whether that evil is within us, fleeting through our thoughts,
or around us…it is not part of us…for You are part of us and You are entirely
Holy. Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Creator of Heaven and earth.
Daily
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 18-20; Psalms 11, 59
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
Easter is over—all those boiled eggs have
been eaten and it is time to consider again what foods Jesus ate. With the
travelers that He met on the Road to Emmaus He ate bread. Was it unleavened
bread? Likely since it was still Passover—or the Feast of Unleavened Bread that
is celebrated for the seven days following Passover.
Then Jesus ate fish, cooked over a fire on
the shore of the Sea of Galilee, with His disciples. Throw the net over the right side of the boat. They caught a net
full of fish…and He already had some cooking on the fire. Those were probably
tasty fish served with bread (see John 21:4-14) that Jesus—the ever humble
servant—had freshly prepared.
Roasted
Fish
One cleaned fish per person—depending on
the size of the fish—and the appetite of the people.
Olive oil - pour gently over or rub on the
fish before roasting
Salt and pepper if desired and available
Prepare hot coals on a grill. Grill the
fish for about ten minutes per side or until the fish flakes easily.
Serve with fresh bread.
©
2018 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted
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