One of The Few

Mark 1:32-38 “When evening came, after the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick and demon-possessed. The whole town was assembled at the door, and he healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, and went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying. Simon and his companions searched for him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everyone is looking for you!’ And he said to them, Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.”

I love sports, particularly Dallas area sports. Although I didn’t grow up in Dallas I have always lived close enough that I consider any team from Dallas the home town team. My favorite of the Dallas teams is the Dallas Mavericks. Basketball has always been my favorite sport and even though I have always been short, I loved to play basketball growing up. Even today I would love to play more often if my body could just hold up! 

I have been to many Mavericks games and the key to attending a Mavs game is to buy cheap tickets and arrive at the game early. If you get there when the doors open you can go all the way to the floor and see the teams warm-up. You have to try to get down there as fast as you can in order to get a good spot because the players will stop on their way back to the locker room and sign autographs.

It seems like it never fails, my favorite player will walk by, start signing autographs, and right before he gets to me he has to go to the back. Uh! It is so disappointing when you are so close to getting your favorite player to sign something! 

The reality is, there are just too many fans wanting the players to sign something. It is not realistic for them to be able to sign everything. They do what they can and then they have to move on because signing autographs isn’t the reason they are there. They have a bigger purpose than that!

Looking at the passage in Mark we find an interesting story. Jesus had just come to Capernaum, Peter’s mother in law is sick, lying in bed with a fever. Jesus takes her by the hand and raises her up. Later that evening people began to bring all who were sick, all who were possessed. The Bible says that the whole town was assembled outside the door! This was a huge crowd!

I think that sometimes we forget that the stories in the Bible are real stories involving real people. Sometimes we gloss over important details because we don’t see what’s really going on in a particular story. I for one, for the longest time, assumed that when Jesus was ministering in a town that he healed everyone there. I believed that everyone who needed something from God was able to get what they needed. But notice what the Scripture says in verse 34,

“And he healed MANY who were sick with various diseases and drove out MANY demons.”

Not everyone who came to see Jesus got what they came for. Often times we preach and teach that if you didn’t get what you came for the problem wasn’t God, it was you. Either you didn’t have enough faith, or you have some hidden sin in your life that is preventing God from giving you what you need.

But here in this passage, it is clear that Jesus never intended to heal everyone who came to see him that day. Notice what happens after this event.

Verse 35-38 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying. Simon and his companions searched for him, and when they found him they said, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ And he said to them, Let’s go to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.”

Imagine for a second, you hear that Jesus could be the Messiah, he’s in town and there are reports of people being healed. You grab your sick child and you travel as fast as you can to the house they told you about. You get there and you see the crowds, you can see the healed praising God and rejoicing. You can see the anticipation in the eyes of those about to be touched by Jesus. After hours of this Jesus calls it a night. Hundreds of miracles have now taken place and you decide to stay the night to see if you can catch his attention in the morning.

When you wake up Jesus is nowhere to be found, his own disciples are confused about his whereabouts. Peter and the rest of the disciples finally find him praying in a deserted place. Peter lets him know that everyone is looking for him! The whole town is aware of what has transpired and they are searching for him so that he can heal their families and loved ones.

But Jesus tells Peter, Let’s go to the neighboring city so that I may preach there also. Jesus probably would have loved to stay and continue to heal and bless those people, however, Jesus had a much bigger purpose than just a healing ministry. He came to preach the gospel and to ultimately become the sacrificial atonement in our place. 

So there you are having to travel back home with your child still sick. All the hope you had is starting to dissipate. You start to question if God is really as loving as you thought he was.

Today, we face this same dynamic. We come to God through prayer or church meetings and we bring our pains, our sicknesses, our financial problems, and our families in faith that God is going to touch them. Sometimes it happens but sometimes you are a part of the few who don’t see God move.

It is easy to get frustrated, it is easy to get hurt, bitter, and offended because you feel God let you down. Don’t worry you aren’t the only person who has felt this way. 

Matthew 11:2-6 “Now when John heard in prison that what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples and asked him, Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else? Jesus replied to them, Go and report to John what you hear and see; the blind receiving their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, and blessed is the one who isn't offended in me.”

John was offended, he had done everything that God had asked him to do and yet here he is sitting in a dingy cell instead of being blessed by God.

Jesus reminded him that his circumstances didn’t change who God was. He reminded him, MANY were healed. But not all. This could be the game-changer as a believer. When you realize that God is smarter than we are, that he has plans for us that we don’t always understand. 

Offense comes when God doesn't meet our expectations. Jesus is reminding us all, don't allow circumstances to cause offense in your life. Trust that he has your best interest in mind.

If you learn to trust him in your circumstances, you stop getting frustrated every time you see someone else get blessed instead of you. You stop getting bitter when you don’t see the results you were hoping for. When you realize that God is Sovereign and sometimes what we think we need and what God actually does for us doesn’t always line up. 

Just like when I was standing in line at the Mavs game waiting for my turn to get the autograph only to see the player have to go do what he was really there for, sometimes God’s purpose is bigger than my current issue. 

This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t care about my problems or that he isn’t big enough to fix them, but sometimes I can’t always see the bigger picture. Maybe my circumstance is there to make me stronger in my faith? Maybe my circumstance is there to help someone else deal with their problems. Maybe someone just needed to see a believer stand strong in their faith in the midst of a trial or storm. 

Whatever the reason that God didn’t do what I expected him to do, it shouldn’t change how I view God. Ultimately God will answer my prayers, either here and now, or when I see him face to face. I trust Him and I have enough faith to understand that His ways are not my ways. I may never understand, but I trust Him. 

How will you respond when you are one of the few? The few who came looking for Jesus only to find that he wasn’t where you thought he would be? How will you respond when you find yourself like John, sitting in a situation outside of your control and wondering why God is allowing it to happen? Do you trust him enough to keep your faith when the prayer you prayed seems to have gone unanswered? Or is your faith contingent on what God does?

Don’t fall prey to the lie that says it's your fault God didn’t move. Trust him in his Sovereignty, trust him with your circumstances. 

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.”