But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, but he warned them not to reveal who he was. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him: "Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious. And his name will be the hope of all the world." Matthew 12:15-21
What
does it mean to you to have hope? This passage mentions scripture found in
Isaiah 42:1-4, where it predicts that even the name of Jesus will be
the hope of all the world. Hope. We all need something for which to look
forward—to give us encouragement. As more people heard about the miracles Jesus
had performed, they came to Him from all over the Holy Land. This same portion
of His ministry is reported in the book of Mark and lists the areas from which
the crowds traveled to see Him.
The Sea of Galilee
People came there with hope...
that Jesus could heal them.
Jesus went out to the lake with his
disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee,
Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far
north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide,
and vast numbers of people came to see him. Jesus instructed his disciples to
have a boat ready, so the crowd would not crush him. He had healed many people
that day, so all the sick people eagerly pushed forward to touch him. And
whenever those possessed by evil spirits caught sight of him, the spirits would
throw them to the ground in front of him shrieking, "You are the Son of
God!" But Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who he was. Mark 3:7-12
Marvelous
miracles were performed that were both physical and spiritual healings. Here, even
the spirits were told not to tell who He was. Throughout His ministry, it was
notable that He didn’t want people to declare who had healed them. Already the
Pharisees were plotting to kill Him, and He didn’t need more publicity.
How far would you travel to have a
faith healer heal you? In that era, it took days to travel by foot or even by donkey.
It was about 70 miles from Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee, 50 miles from Sidon
to Capernaum, and a considerable distance from the southern end of Israel at
Idumea to Capernaum. A journey to see Jesus would take those folks several
days. It’s a big deal for us to just cross the Cascade Mountains on a six-lane
freeway in about four hours to go to Seattle to see a specialist, although many
people make that trek regularly, even in snowy weather. There is hope with a
special doctor. That is what people had in Jesus. Hope. Touch Him and be
healed. He was the hope of Israel, and today He still provides hope for all the
world. Hope in eternal life with Him—in Heaven. Is your hope in Jesus?
What do we learn about Jesus in
these passages about His healing the crowds? He was still mercifully
compassionate. Can you imagine how it felt to have all those people pushing and
shoving to get close enough to Jesus to touch Him? He wanted to remain private—no
evil spirits or people speaking about Him, who He was, and about His power.
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, we know that we are told over and over throughout the Bible by
Moses, David, Solomon, Paul, Luke, others, and by You, that those who seek God
will find Him. I am seeking You, and I know that You will reveal more about
Yourself as I study Your words and spend time with You. Thank you.
Verse
of Salvation ~ So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put
all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus
Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God's obedient children.
Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You
didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do,
just as God who chose you is holy. 1
Peter 1:13-15 (Underlined for emphasis.)
© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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