Matt. 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
In context, this passage is the introduction to Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount. This is a subtle, yet interesting commentary on those who are the disciples of Jesus. At the end of verse one, it says that the disciples came to him. Why? Because they WANTED to hear what he had to say. At the end of chapter 4, we find that Jesus had performed various miracles:
1. He healed all manner of sickness and disease (vrs. 23)
2. Casting out demons (vrs. 24)
3. Curing the Mentally Ill (vrs. 24)
4. He comforted the tormented (vrs. 24)
But mixed with that, he taught and preached in every place that these miracles were done. So as these people followed him from place to place (Matt 4:25), He stopped and postured himself to teach. What then was the reaction of his disciples when he set to preach? They came to him. so they could hear him .
There are many people today that would claim to be followers but have a completely opposite reaction to Jesus. Many people who claim to “Love” Jesus want to get as far from a Bible lesson as possible. You can’t get them to come to a Sunday morning Bible study before worship. They cannot be persuaded to come to a midweek Bible study. They are often quite scarce at worship services where Jesus’ teachings are proclaimed. And are sometimes even offended to hear the Bible referred to outside of a church service. Does that sound like someone who wants to FOLLOW Jesus?
Is it reasonable then to make the claim that you are a disciple of Jesus and not want to hear his teachings or not care about what he says? Absolutely NOT! There are some instances in life that we could be a follower of some famous person and not care about what they think or say. I, for instance, could be a fan of Tiger Woods because of his extraordinary talent at golf, and could care less about his political views. But with Jesus, He is not known for his athletic prowess. He is not popular due to his incredible musical ability or acting brilliance. The ONLY reason others follow him is due to his teachings as a religious leader. So to say that one is a follower and does not want to listen to Jesus defies logic.
Do you claim to be a follower of Jesus? Shouldn’t you want to study God’s word to listen to Jesus? Shouldn’t you want to come to every service of the Church to hear God’s word proclaimed?
Reflecting the SON,
Dennis Hogan
12 Hours of Jesus is a community focused effort to teach the world more about Jesus. Our first event is May 10th in Radcliff Kentucky.
Questions, comments or further explanation? Contact me at: dennis.hogan@icloud.com
If you have friends, family, or acquaintances that you feel could benefit from RTS, please forward
their e-mail address to me and I will add them to my mail list.
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