Poured Out

By Shirley Mitchell

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

John 12:3

In the first story about Mary in the Bible, she is found sitting at Jesus’ feet while He is teaching. Her sister Martha is distracted by the preparations and complains to Jesus that she is not helping her. Luke 10:41-42 says, “ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’ "

In the last story – which includes today’s Scripture – about these two sisters, Martha was giving a dinner to honor Jesus six days before the Passover. The week before, Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead. Since Martha had just witnessed the greatest miracle of her life up to that moment, she was celebrating by serving dinner while the men reclined at the table with Jesus. Then Mary took an expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. She poured out the most expensive thing that she had. It may have been the treasure that she was saving for her marriage dowry. Nothing else would have held more value than that. She broke the ornamental jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head (Mark 14:3) and His feet (John 12:3). It was costly to her, but she had decided that she must pour it out to her Teacher, Messiah, and King.

People’s attitudes toward Mary and Martha have always bothered me. We have compartmentalized Martha to be the type A personality. If you want something done, then you go to a Martha. We think if we had more Martha’s in the church that we would get things done. In our fast-paced world filled with a list of to-do’s that could never be accomplished in our lifetimes, many of us relate to the “Martha” stereotype. Bible study gets put on the side while we get done our “have to” responsibilities. We collapse into our beds in exhaustion only to wake up in the morning to the alarm clock and be right back in the race.

Mary is known for lying around at Jesus’ feet and taking in a good Bible story and being uncaring and inconsiderate to her sister’s hard work. We think the Mary personality just attends Bible study and never serves in the church. She just brings her kids to the nursery for care and lets the Martha’s tend to the kids. She shows up for the fellowship dinner and socializes while the Martha’s work in the kitchen.

But I believe these two ladies were much more complex than the “get it done” girl and the “lazy, social” girl. I don’t think Mary’s choice was easy to sit at His feet or else Jesus would not have praised her.

A true Mary who has sat at the feet of Jesus, who has seen Him demonstrate His love and power in her life, will not just go to Bible study and suck in all the Word that she can and leave the service to the Martha’s. An authentic Mary is like a mighty rushing river that cannot be held back from ministry for the kingdom. You can’t stop her if your life depended upon it.

She will worship with no concern for how others may react to her. In fact her worship is unbridled! When you and I serve God out of the “Mary” in us who has chosen the better part, we will never find ourselves more alive. Our ministry may not be stress-free, but less stressful, because we are acting out of the Holy Spirit flowing out of us. We find fulfillment and significance. We uncover what we were created to do.

I can’t help but wonder if Martha had prepared enough beforehand that she, too, found the release of her soul as she served the dinner that night. As she waited on them at the table, did she find the joy that she had been lacking on the prior occasion? Did she find that her natural compulsion, when under the rule of the authority of Jesus, was also her passion?

I’ll be the first to say that writing is not my natural compulsion. However, when I write for you, I feel like the real “me” is being released. I feel like I’m getting a glimpse of the Shirley I will be in heaven. I feel closest to God when I pour out my heart for you through what He has shown me in His Word. If I am robbed of the time to do it, I almost feel like a part of me is dying like someone moaning in agony on her death bed dying a slow death. When I do it, my spirit is alive. I believe it is because I am in unison with the Holy Spirit playing a divine symphony in the heavenly realms. Just as the aroma in that room that night pleased Jesus, so I believe that when you and I serve out of the Mary within us that we please our Father. When we cannot stop ourselves from pouring it all for our God, we have won the ovation of our God and Father. Beloved, there is nothing sweeter in all of life than that!

Pray with me: Oh, God, You are life! You are our strength and our shield! You fulfill Your promise to never leave us! You are worth all sacrifice! Release Your Spirit through us. We want to serve You with the unbridled passion that Mary had. Show us the ministry thing that makes us feel like if we don’t do it, then we will die! We will just die! Disobedience is not an option because we cannot be stopped from doing it. When we serve You, either in the kitchen like Martha that night or on center stage like Mary doing the wild and the crazy, may we always do it for Your exaltation and never self-exaltation. May we become physically ill at the thought of ever receiving glory that is due Your Name. We serve for the applause of One, just for You, Lord. It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry

Examination of the Temple Treasury

By Shirley Mitchell

“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.’ "

Mark 12:41-44

One of Jesus’ final acts in the temple was to examine the offerings of the people. Jesus sat down in a place with the perfect view of people putting money into the treasury. This was more than normal people-watching. This inspection went deep into the hearts of each person who placed his money in the temple treasury.

Jesus either recognized the widow’s poverty by her attire or by His divine knowledge. I suspect it was both. This widow gave the smallest offering one could give, one-eighth of a penny or 1/100 of an average daily wage. Yet, her gift touched her entire being. God honored it by doing great things with her small contribution.

God doesn’t exempt the poor from giving. The widow’s offering surpassed all other offerings because she gave sacrificially. The wealthy people’s gifts did not touch their lives at all. There gifts may have been large and a great benefit to the temple, but it didn’t require sacrifice. It didn’t require for them to evaluate how much did they really believe in supporting the temple and obeying God.

Half of Jesus’ parables concerned money. 15% of all that Jesus said pertained to our attitudes about money. His final act in the temple was to oversee the gifts to the temple treasury. Was it because as many people today claim, “Preachers are always begging for money”? Why do you think Jesus was so concerned with people’s gifts to the temple and with money?

Our God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills never needs to beg. I wouldn’t respect a god who had to beg his followers for money in order to thrive. Strangely, our giving to godly purposes is for our sake and not His. God has entrusted us to manage His affairs. We are to be stewards of His resources. God owns it all, and we administer it on His behalf. We are to be loyal and accountable to our Master’s business. His affairs are the priority over our ease, safety, and pleasure. God owns everything, but He decided to give some of it to us to teach us how to manage it. Why? Our faith is revealed by our giving. Our faith is strengthened by our giving. 1 Peter 1:7 says that our faith is worth more than gold.

I will never forget what a manager said one time at work while we were doing a market analysis of users of our machines, “Income doesn’t really matter. People find a way to spend money on what they really think they must have.” Do you really think that you “must have” God’s Name glorified?

I want you to remember two things about the places we decide to spend our money or give our money:

1. We give money to things in which we truly believe.

2. We give money to things that we want to empower.

Americans have been blessed with so much that it is hard for us to fathom giving all that we have to live on like this widow did. It is one thing to give to God out of abundance; it is another thing to give out of sacrifice. Surplus giving will result in mediocre living. When you and I give out of sacrifice, we are saying that the kingdom of God is more important to us than our own well-being on earth. Money represents the fuel which provides earthly energy to something. What do you want to empower?

God does not need us to empower Him. He is all powerful. We love money because it represents our physical livelihood or our pleasure. When we give to God, our hearts are saying we desire for God’s kingdom to be advanced over our own desires and sometimes needs. The power does not come in the money. The power comes from the hearts of the people belonging to their God. God responds to His people’s devotion and releases His supernatural power that catapults them into a spiritual explosion.

Jesus called His disciples to Him so He could praise her to others. The Holy Spirit inspired them to record her story for people from every generation to hear. Jesus esteemed this woman. He was delighted with her choice to choose God. Her affections were set on Him. Can you imagine impressing Jesus enough that He recognizes your actions in front of others? What an honor! Oh, sweet sister, how I want my life to please Him, too. Don’t you?

Pray with me: Oh, Father in Heaven. It is the desire of my heart for my giving of my resources to be because I truly want Your Kingdom to be empowered. Help me to overcome any unbelief in my life. Create in me a heart that desires to give sacrificially and not out of my excess. Couple the earthly energy of my money with the greater power of my Faith so that Your Name is Glorified throughout the entire earth, and heaven is impacted for eternity! It’s in the Name above of names and the Name that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

The Rocks Will Cry Out

By Shirley Mitchell

“Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’

‘I tell you,’ he replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’ "

Luke 19:39-40

Jesus accepted the public worship of His followers and did not silence them. He stated if the people were silent, then the stones would cry out. It was a day to give praise. Let’s explore history to understand why it was such a great day that inanimate objects would have to praise God for the event.

For centuries, cities were surrounded by walls made of stones. Guarded gates opened to those who were allowed to enter and shut out the unwanted. From the tops of the walls, watchmen surveyed the landscapes and the horizons to see anyone who approached the city as either an enemy or a friend. The condition of a city’s walls was a matter of pride or shame.

God gave Israel (the Northern kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom which included Jerusalem) repeated chances to repent from their idol worship and turn to Him. The prophet Jeremiah warned the people and prophesied that they would be turned over to their enemies and be held captive for 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). The prophecy was fulfilled when the Babylonian empire invaded Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Decades later in captivity, Daniel searches the Scriptures for this prophecy. He prayed for God to confirm the 70-year captivity period is near the end (Daniel 9:1-3). God not only told him that captivity would end soon, but He also told Daniel more of His plans for the future.

Daniel 9:25 says “…From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until…” This decree was issued by Cyrus, king of Babylon (or Persia), on March 5, 444 B.C. Ezra 1:1-2 tells us that “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing…The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.”

Jerusalem’s walls were also destroyed during the Babylonian invasion. The walls and the gates were in rubble. While living in exile, Nehemiah learned “…The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.” (Nehemiah 1:3) He sat down and wept, fasted, prayed, and reminded God of His covenant of love that God always keeps (1:5). God had placed Nehemiah in the palace as the cupbearer for the king. When Nehemiah was sad in front of the Babylonian king, the king asked him, “Why this sadness of heart?”

Nehemiah asked the king if he could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls. God granted Nehemiah favor and success with the Babylonian king, and this king gave him the provision to rebuild the walls. However, the enemies of darkness attempted to thwart God’s plan. Their enemy mocked them saying the stones could not be brought back to life. The Jews were so committed to bring honor and protection to their beloved city that they did it under the fear of attack. They risked their lives to rebuild the walls.

Are you grasping the big picture yet as seen from God’s holy throne? The walls that Nehemiah had rebuilt after the Israelites were released from the 70-year Babylonian captivity would have cried out because of the eternal significance of this event. If the people of this generation would not recognize the Messiah, then an inanimate object with a tie to the previous generations would have to recognize Him. Praise for the true and long awaited Messiah could not be repressed or veiled. The stones would bear witness to this day anticipated by men of long ago. The stones would have cried out for the men who fought to build those walls who had the faith to honor their God and risked their lives to rebuild the city. The stones would have cried out because all of creation is crying out for our Redeemer. The stones would have cried out to give praise to the Most High God who fulfilled His divine plan made before the creation of the world, using kings set into their positions of authority who withstood enemies’ attempts to thwart His plan from being fulfilled.

In my church’s Passion Play this year, the directors asked me if I would take the role of the mute. Jesus heals the mute right after the triumphal entry. After praying over it, God told me there was no way I could be silent during the triumphal entry. After writing today’s study, my heart will be overflowing with joy as I act out these people’s emotions over this long awaited day. Even now, my heart is filled with praise like the lyrics to the song we sing at the play’s closing:

“If we keep our voices silent, all creation will rise and shout.

If we fail to praise You, Father, then will the very rocks cry out.”

An inanimate object won’t give my God the praise that He desires from my lips and from my voice. That’s my job. That’s your job. It’s time to let a little WAHOO-ing out, darling!

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, God, I praise YOU! Thank you, Father, for what this day meant to people for many generations! This world is crying out for a Redeemer…One who protects us from our enemies…One who frees us from captivity. Jesus, You are the answer to generations who have cried out for such a Redeemer so I cry out in worship! It’s in the Name above all names and the Name that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study, Copyright ©2008 Christ Compels

Hosanna!

By Shirley Mitchell
“They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ ”

Matthew 21:7-9

The Mount of Olives is a ridge about two and a half miles long on the other side of the Kidron Valley east of Jerusalem. From this mount, Jesus instructed His disciples to find a donkey with her colt beside her. Scholars say the mother was most likely taken to calm the colt. The time had arrived for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, the “city of peace”.

Jesus had walked throughout Galilee and Jordan; yet, on this glorious day He chose to ride into Jerusalem to fulfill prophecy. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was nothing like a Caesar’s triumphal entry with fanfare and Roman guards that sometimes continued for two to three days. A Caesar or a conquering general would ride on a chariot of gold pulled by stallions. Officers would display the banners from the defeated armies. At the end of the procession, slaves and prisoners in chains would be forced to march through as the spoils of victory. Jesus’ entry was nothing like that. His followers were the lame, the blind, children, Galileans (of all things!), and the peasants. However, His entry did declare that a king was coming. When ridden by a king, the donkey was an animal of peace. However, when a king rode a horse, it was an animal of war. Jesus was presenting Himself in Jerusalem as the Messiah while His earthly ministry closed down.

Jews traveled to Jerusalem for the weeklong Passover feast. The road was filled with Jews on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The custom of their day was to spread out cloaks on the ground ahead of royalty like a royal carpet. The people cut down branches from the trees to wave in welcome. They shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David!”, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”, and “Hosanna in the highest!” Hosanna is made by two Hebrew words:

1. Hosha – “to save”
2. Na – “help, please”.

The people were shouting, “Save us, please”. Most people believed Jesus would now set them free from the oppression of Rome. They expected Him to be a national ruler who would exalt the nation of Israel and restore it to its former glory. The nation’s highest hope for centuries now filled the air. Tears must have run down the women’s cheeks. The men were so happy they weren’t sure if their hearts were going to keep on beating. Maybe they were skipping, leaping, patting each other’s shoulders, shaking hands, and hugging each other.

The Jewish leaders did not miss the significance of Jesus riding the previously unridden colt into Jerusalem. They knew He was fulfilling the Zechariah 9:9 prophecy. Yet, the Jewish leaders rejected the Messiah. They must have cringed at this unbridled spectacle. This mob could turn against the authority of the Roman rule and bring the Roman sword against the city.

Jesus saw through the crowd’s infectious enthusiasm. He knew what would happen in just one week. Therefore, Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. The Greek word for wept is klauso which means “to weep, wail, lament, implying not only the shedding of tears, but also every external expression of grief.” Klauso is weeping from the pit of one’s soul. It is much deeper than the tears that Jesus shed in the story of Lazarus. When He saw Jerusalem, He wept loudly and demonstratively. “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Jerusalem, the “city of peace”, did not recognize the “Prince of Peace”. The truth was hidden from the people.

I never want the truth to be hidden from me! I want to recognize what He brings in my life that will bring me peace. Don’t you?

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, my God, I join the crowds who rejoice in the coming of my Savior. I know the peace Jesus brings. I know the wounds He heals. I know the freedom of the chains that He has broken. It makes me want to skip, leap, and celebrate. Help me to recognize what will bring me peace. It’s in the Name above all names and the Name that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

Mary’s Choice

By Shirley Mitchell

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’

‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’ ”

Luke 10:38-42

Was honest labor being rebuked? Was hospitality? What was wrong with caring about Jesus and the disciples, making sure they were well fed and comfortable, the linens were clean, and the food was tasty?  What was Jesus really saying when He said that Mary had chosen what was better and it would not be taken from her?

Please don’t make the mistake of thinking Mary did not know that she had some responsibility to finish the chores and preparation of the home. She was not lazy either. Don’t minimize the fullness of her choice. She chose to respond to the situation differently than her sister. She chose to spend time in the Lord’s presence.  She made the better choice.

Not only did Mary’s choice benefit her, Jesus allowed the situation to expose Martha’s heart. If Mary had been helping, then the incident would not have occurred which revealed Martha’s insecurities and feelings. Isn’t that encouraging that when we choose wisely and worship Him, that not only will Jesus defend us to the ones who point their fingers at us, but He also is able to expose their hearts? Mary kept quiet and let the Lord handle Martha. I had to share this truth with one of my daughters. Many times I have told her that the volume of her crying and complaining against her sister who has wronged her is so loud that I can’t get to the heart of her sister.

Mary’s choice benefited herself. It benefited Martha. It also benefited all women. In Mary’s time, a woman was expected to be concerned about many things, but never about ideas. No woman had been allowed to discuss spiritual matters with a man other than her husband. Women were treated as house slaves, men’s property. The Jewish religion was male-dominated. Women were only allowed to enter the women’s court of the temple to worship and in the gallery in the synagogues.

Jesus flung open the door to God’s view of womanhood. When He invited Mary to sit down at His feet and engage in Bible teaching, He shattered the gender barrier that separated women from the spiritual intimacy with their God. No longer were women at a distance, peering through the window, while men splashed in the pool of intimacy. Women were invited to dive in to splash around, too. Mary began the wave of women who chose the better part. I pray that you and I will never let it be taken from us again, nor will we give it away through being consumed by many things that breed neglect.

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, my God, I want to be like Mary and sit at Your feet. Help me to prioritize my life and to put You first. Make me attentive and not neglectful. I cry out for You! May my friends and my loved ones also splash into the pool of intimacy with You. There are no barriers between us because Jesus broke them all. It’s in His precious name that I pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

Set His Face

By Shirley Mitchell

"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.”

Luke 9:51-53 (KJV)

Near the end of His ministry, Jesus steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. He was resolved to head to Jerusalem to fulfill God’s plan for His life even if it meant His suffering. “His face” occurred three times in these few verses. When I looked up the word “face,” I learned that “to spit in a person’s face was an expression of utmost scorn and aversion” because “the face was considered to be the noblest part of a person.” When Jesus set His face toward Jerusalem, He was setting His “inward thoughts and feelings” with a fixed purpose for Jerusalem.

Jesus set His face to the Holy City of God like one would set his face to have a discussion with someone. It was time to do business with Jerusalem. It was time to do what He had come to earth to do. It was time to carry out the plan that had been decided before the foundation of the world. He was under the mastery of the Spirit within Him. He did not give in to sin and ignore the “conversation” that He would hold with Jerusalem.

How opposite this is from the human desire to avoid facing conflict and emotionally tough situations! Maybe we’ve wronged someone. Maybe someone has wronged us. Maybe it is a relationship more tangled than a kitten’s ball of yarn. Maybe there is a circumstance that you have deceived yourself into not dealing with because you think you can’t face it. Maybe there is a situation that makes you want to stick your head under your pillow and ask God to make it go away. You and I can’t be escape artists. As women under the mastery of the Holy Spirit, we can’t hide our faces. He wants us to lift up our heads and face Him. We face God, and then we obey Him by facing the situation in a way that honors Him.

Precious one, is there someone whom you are having difficulty facing? Do you sense that God is asking you to be the mature spirit-filled believer about this one? It is time to face our most difficult and draining situations. No longer will we cower or deny the existence of the trouble. When we obey God and relinquish the outcome to Him, we live the great adventure and the victorious Christian life.

Pray with me: Oh, LORD Almighty, we worship You! You are worthy of all honor, glory, and praise! Thank You, Jesus, for not avoiding Jerusalem or evading the cross. Thank You for facing the worst cruelty of all times. Help us to remain determined to face our most difficult situations. Just as Jesus resolutely faced Jerusalem, may we face the things that make us want to hide. May we not quit but persevere to bring You glory. It’s in the Name of above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

Drawn to Jesus

From Ash Wednesday through Resurrection Sunday, Shirley will focus on Jesus' last days on earth. Let's grasp the meaning of the resurrection, the greatest event in all human history!

By Shirley Mitchell

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him."

Matthew 4:23-25

While my friend Wilma and I were talking the other day, she told me that she was preparing her heart for Resurrection Sunday through a devotion book. She said she had been thinking a lot about what drew people to Jesus. Before we could go any further, the church service started, and our conversation had to end. However, God would not let that go in me. He asked me to start preparing for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection and to meditate on the people's attraction to Jesus.

Jesus traveled from town to town preaching the good news. I imagine His arrival caused quite a racket. A crowd followed Him as He traveled throughout the region. He had captivated their attention. People stayed for days on a hillside to hear Him teach - forsaking their work and neglecting their need for food. Of course, they need not worry about a thing in the presence of Jesus. He provided a meal for thousands of them on two recorded occasions.

When He entered a new town, most people were probably going about their daily chores. Then someone may have shouted something like, "Jesus is coming. The Healer is on His way." "Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, everyone," or "The Prophet Jesus is here! He is here!" The people laid down their tools and set aside their cleaning to rush to hear His words and see Him.

He was a friend to any sinner; the nature of the sin, social position, race, or ethnicity didn't matter. He demonstrated this best when He met the Samaritan woman at the well and asked her for a drink of water. A Jewish man would never speak to a Samarian woman and make Himself unclean - especially if he knew what kind of woman she was. Jesus didn't point His finger at the town's scandalous woman. The Living Water filled the dark recesses of her soul and rescued her from bondage. She said to the people that she brought back to meet Him, "Come meet a man who told me everything that I have ever done." She was not just amazed that Jesus knew her before she met Him, but she was also amazed that He still treated her like she was valuable and worthy of meeting the Messiah.

People were also attracted to Jesus because He genuinely cared about them. Jesus showed compassion on the paralytic (Mark 1:40-45). The Greek word for compassion means that He was moved from deep inside of Him. He forgave him of his sins and made his crippled legs walk. In the funeral procession for a widow's son, Jesus saw him being carried out of the city gate. When He saw her, His heart went out to her, and He comforted her by saying, "Don't cry" (Luke 7:13). Then He raised her son from the dead.

Jesus also attracted some religious leaders who understood that He must be from God. When Nicodemus, a religious leader, came to Jesus by night, he said to Him in John 3:2-3 (The Message), " 'Rabbi, we all know you're a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren't in on it.' Jesus said, 'You're absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it's not possible to see what I'm pointing to--to God's kingdom.' "

People were also magnetized to Jesus because of His teaching. Many times Scripture tells us that when Jesus finished teaching the crowds were amazed "because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law" (Matthew 7:29).

Above all His kindness, compassion, authority, knowledge, teaching, and power, the overwhelming reason why people were attracted to Jesus was that He was the answer to all of their needs. Whatever problems they brought Him, He could solve. Whatever issues that lay deep in their hearts that they may not be able to identify, He could see through the complexity of the layers and bring healing to their souls.

My friend, Jesus is still the answer today for whatever it is that is bothering you. For whatever miracle you need. For whatever stronghold you need torn down. For whatever sin you need forgiveness. For whatever fresh revelation of the Father you need, Jesus is the Answer! Hallelujah! Let's seek Him like those people sought Him and followed Him wherever He went as He traveled throughout the land. He is the ANSWER!

Pray with me: Oh, Jesus, You are compassionate and caring. It was not Your will to turn anyone away who had a physical ailment or who was already dead! You reached out to all, and You demonstrated Your authority to heal the sick, to forgive sins, and to teach with power. You removed shame, sorrow, and grief. The entire time You pointed the way to God and revealed the Father to us. You showed us the kingdom of God. We praise You for that!

You are still the answer today for any problem that any of us have. We bring You our troubles, our worries, and our ailments. We stand in awe of You like the crowds did and worship You. It's in Your Name, we pray. Amen.