Saturday, 05 June 2010 21:22
How Jesus Proclaimed the Gospel
Proclaiming the Gospel: It’s not necessarily about trying to convince people who don’t want to be convinced that Jesus will make their lives better. When Jesus started preaching, here is what He said:
"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15
Notice how Jesus didn’t start off by saying anything about what a wonderful God He is. He didn’t beg and plead with people to come follow Him. Instead, it was as if He was saying, “A change is coming, a big one. A different King is coming and is about to take over, so get with it, believe it, and act accordingly. ”
Jesus never really came out and said He was God but He never apologized for being God either. He let everyone worship Him, whether on Palm Sunday or when Peter fell down in front of Him and said, “Get away from me Lord, I’m a sinful man.” The point is that Jesus didn’t proclaim the gospel from a point of weakness. He was bold and straightforward.
Just in case the people didn’t quite get who He was, He made a point of doing things that no one else could do. Look at what was reported to have happened when Jesus first started giving this message:
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. MT 4:23-25 (NIV)
Jesus didn’t come out with a whimper, but with a BANG! He made a point of healing not just one or two people, but EVERYONE! Can you imagine if someone walked into Florida Hospital and healed everyone and sent them home? It’s not hard to imagine why Jesus drew a large crowd very quickly.
Jesus healed people because He loves people. But He also healed people to make a point. He didn’t want anyone to miss who He is. Look at the message he gave to the disciples of John the Baptist when John was doubting who Jesus was when he was in jail and about to get his head cut off:
Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." MT 11:4-6
Jesus used the testimony of all the supernatural events to prove to John that yes, He is God’s son, because only a supernatural being, or His agent, could do such incredible things.
So what do you think? Did Jesus make His point?
Published in
Tony's Blog
