Growing Popularity. Mark 3:7-12.
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea And Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, For he had healed many so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”And he strictly ordered them not to make Him known.
Dear Royal Priesthood,
As the scribes and Pharisees were getting ready to do away with Jesus, he was getting increasingly popular with the masses.
Crowd (vv. 7-8). Sensational news spreads fast. A look at the map of Palestine and the surrounding regions will show that people came from all over Palestine and beyond. The fame of Jesus had spread quickly and came to see for themselves.
Control (vv. 9-10). Jesus apparently got into a boat and had his disciples row from the shore. The crowd was pressing against him to touch him, especially the sick, so the sea served as a natural barrier that prevented them from crushing him. Of course, people want to get near someone who can heal and perform miracles, but crowds seldom think about safety, if at all.
Confession (v. 11). There were people possessed by evil spirits also. When they saw him, they prostrated themselves and declared that he was the Son of God. This is what will happen in the future also, when “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11). Even the demons could not help themselves.
Caution (v. 12).While the unclean spirits may have been speaking the truth, they were doing it at the wrong time. Jesus was gradually revealing himself to the people who had his program for getting that done, so he silenced the spirits. Not every confession of truth serves God’s purposes. Timing and setting also matter. We have to remember that Jesus came to die for our sins. Everything he said and did was meant to lead towards that end.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.