Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to series 2 of the corona chronicles, the crown of thorns. We've seen Jesus preaching and teaching in the synagogue. We've seen him taking Simon's mother in law's hand and healing her and then healing the entire village. And now it's been night and Jesus wakes up and and we'll see where where he is reading from verse 35 of chapter 1 of Mark. Very early in the morning while it was still dark.

Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him. And when they found him, they exclaimed everyone is looking for you. Jesus replied, let us go somewhere else to the nearby villages so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.

So he traveled throughout Galileley, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. Well, I mean, the last few episodes that we've looked at must have been an exhausting time in Jesus' life because he's beginning his ministry. He's doing lots of teaching. In the previous episode, he he he healed a whole town, really, of that various illnesses. And and at the start of this reading, you do get the impression that Jesus is is exhausted, and it needs to come back and depend upon his heavenly father.

And that's a really interesting little verse, isn't it? Because Jesus Jesus was truly God, but he was also truly man, you know, and he needed to have that time away to bring all these cases, I suppose, in his ministry before the heavenly father -- Mhmm. -- before he embarked on the next stage. And there's a little rebuke in that for Christians, isn't there who, you know, often I think that I can do all that I need to do, you know, without without wish. Really?

But but goodness, if Jesus had to get up, to go and pray, and I don't, you know, and there's something seriously messed up about that logic, isn't it? Mhmm. And you wonder whether part of this praying was to sort of resend to himself on his mission perhaps because we we know at the end of the last sort of section, the whole town, love him. And in fact, we hear hear that everyone's looking for him. Yeah.

So there's a perhaps there's a sense of, well, you know, if I I mean, obviously, we dig this. But if it was me, I would go, well, this town loves me. You know? Yeah. I'll just be their mayor and you know, I'll sit on thrown here and I'll rule this little, you know, they'll cook for me, they'll bring me things.

Yeah. And I, you know, I forget the other things I've got to do. But we know that when Simon and his companions find Jesus and they say to him, everyone's looking for you. Yeah. Everyone loves you.

Everyone wants to be with you today. Yeah. Jesus says, let's go somewhere else. I know. That doesn't make sense as it.

As you say from those 2 sentences don't really belong together. No. It should be everyone. It's looking for great. Where are they?

You know, let's go down. You know, everybody's looking for you. Well, let's go somewhere else. You know? And, you know, what what what is that about?

Well, he so that he says, I can preach. Yeah. That is why I've come. And so, you know, as we see, yes, Jesus is incredibly compassionate, and he wants to enter into individual suffering and and to heal people and drive out demons. But he does recognize a potential distraction in that.

Doesn't he? That he hasn't just come. To help the physical needs -- Yeah. -- and to do to do the social bits and bobs. You know, there is a leeming and a weight upon is pretty he has come to preach.

Yeah. And, you know, although he would have his hands full with this town, actually, as we've already said, you know, with the disciples come, I will make you fishes of men. They just got to be a constant going and a constant scattering. And a constant preaching, which would be which would be hindered, really, if they just stayed around and -- Yeah. -- you know, did did all this stuff.

But there is there's kind of a dovetailing with with so the preaching is why Jesus has come, the healing and the casting out demons. Testify to his preaching. Yeah. They you know, people say, why is preaching with authority? Look what he can do with demons, even the demons obey him, even later on in scripture, even the wind and the waves obey him.

So let's listen to to what he says because he he speaks with authority. Yeah. So yeah. So there's a sense that they belong together. His preaching is his preaching is the main reason, but the healing and the the casting out sort of testify to the preaching.

Yeah. They do. Absolutely. They're they're signposts and pointers aren't they typically is. And I think that's a good that's a good reminder for us, isn't it?

Because, you know, at the moment, particularly, there's lots of concern about the the mission of the church, you know, and our responsibility towards this kind of social injustices and the social needs of our communities. Mhmm. You know, which which is which is an important discussion. And I think you know, the the the thing here is that, obviously, we must be concerned about that and to take steps towards that. But there is a there has got to be a leaning towards -- Yeah.

-- the pro the proclamation of the gospel. Now, the proclamation of the gospel without caring, yeah, people, is a, you know, is a sham. But caring for people without the proclamation of the gospel is also a chef. Sure. Yeah.

And so here, you know, yes, it's true that we need to do both. But remember, that in Jesus' ministry here, he is he is emphasizing and leaning towards preaching of the gospel. That is why he has come. Yes. You know, and that should be that should be true of our ministries as well.

Yep. Yeah. And so he travels throughout Galilei preaching in synagogues and driving out demons. It does seem to be an inordinate amount of demons in this It does. Yeah.

Yeah. But I think half the town was possessed. Yeah. Yeah. But all the more sort of testament to to who he is in his authority instance.

Yeah. Exactly. And I think I think that's right. So he's gonna be going around pretty soon. And and I think I think this is a reminder, isn't it?

People watching today that that, you know, Jesus Jesus is not just a good man, you know, from history, and he's not someone that we can just observe and think, oh, goodness. He was a lovely lovely blow. You know, he That would be not what he wanted to be seen as me. Well, of course, it would be in 1 sense, but he is a preacher. He's teaching about the kingdom of God.

And so the way we honor Jesus is by listening to his preaching -- Right. -- repenting at his preaching. Yeah. Not just appreciating some of the things that he did. So we would encourage you, maybe you're very new to the gospel, but to take time to actually study the teaching of Jesus.

Because that's what he came to preach about Bush Kingdom.