36 And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. 37 They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Message: The Crowd's Response to Jesus
Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.
What the Lord is Saying:
Preface: Jesus speaks to all the people, going beyond just the scribes, and declares clearly that when speaking of being clean, the key is what comes out of a person, not what is taken in. Jesus goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon in an attempt to get away from ministry in Galilee for a time, perhaps in hopes of getting away from the crowds. But news of him is there as well and a woman appears to him requesting that an unclean spirit (demon) be removed from her daughter. Once again here, the emphasis seems to be on the disciples and teaching about the faith he is looking for in people. Jesus continues his journey, arriving in the region of Decapolis, and this time the healing of a deaf man is mentioned, fulfilling a prophecy from Isaiah 35:5. Jesus touches the man placing his fingers into his ear and touches his tongue giving him speech.
After healing the man, giving hearing and speech to this man He gave them orders not to tell anyone; Jesus had come to this region for a purpose and it seemed to teach his disciples and preach a message but he had to have know the impact healing would have had on people who were suffering. In this time, there was no medicine or hospitals or care that could occur when sickness or disease afflicted people. Upon being wounded, many simply died or suffered for long periods. So for Jesus to come and heal people must have produced a crazy amount of hysteria in this region. And yet He still had a mission: for people to repent and believe and believe in the Gospel of God. And he knew his work would not just incite good people to want him but also incite religious people to be concerned about him and make a commotion as well. And sure enough the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it.
Tabletalk devotional states: the common first-century Jewish expectation regarding the Messiah was for a conquering king who would overthrow Rome’s control of Palestine. If Jesus was widely acclaimed as the Messiah, it could inspire revolutionary zeal among the people and cause the Romans to arrest Jesus before it was time for His crucifixion.
Mark records that they were utterly astonished, saying "He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak." I think Jesus was really most concerned about teaching the disciples. The key to his ministry and its effectiveness seems to be the work of the disciples in proclaiming that message and he wants them to be properly equipped as we are to be equipped today. Often we get caught up in the power that God has over people, often healing people from something they previously thought was a part of their lives always, that they had been afflicted with, but Jesus clearly wants people to see the eternal result of the gospel and forgiveness of sin. It is almost as if he is saying, "Don't miss the real reason I have come."
Summary: Jesus is here to preach the gospel, to save sinners, to forgive. But he is also there for people to give them new life.
Promise: God is good all the time. To echo the words of Mark, I can apply them to all that Jesus is and he does do all things well.
Prayer: Lord, help me to not miss the message of who you are and what you are doing. I pray that we would embrace your words and see them as life changing. Thank you for the way you are working in people's lives. Keep us focused on the truth of your message.
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