From As Far Away As Syria

Just before the timeless passages that mark the “Sermon on the Mound” which begins in Matthew’s fifth chapter, we are told something easily overlooked.  I had to read it and re-read it several times to understand the magnitude of it.  In the closing verses of chapter four of Matthew’s gospel, we see Jesus Christ’s new Good News ministry “blowing up the entire system”, to borrow a more modern phrase.  Matthew tells us how Jesus begins to travel through Galilee teaching in the synagogues; He’s preaching and teaching, and healing too.  Matthew says He “healed every kind of sickness and disease” (Living Bible).  And Matthew tells us, word begins to get out, rather quickly.  The response is almost instantaneous, without benefit of tweet, blog, email or internet.  Matthew uses verbage like “enormous crowds” following Jesus wherever He goes, people from all over “Galilee, the Ten Cities and Jerusalem” (verse 25).  “The report of his miracles spread far beyond the borders of Galilee so that sick folk were soon coming to be healed from as far away as Syria.  And whatever their illness and pain, or if they were possessed by demons, or were insane, or paralyzed – He healed them all (verse 24).

    Can you imagine those who sought Him out?  Can you imagine the depth of their yearning for hope and healing?  Can you imagine their raw cries for relief from pain and other burdens?  What would drive people to travel (by foot, of course, in that day and age) the distances they traveled just to get to see the man called Jesus?  And to do so based on nothing more than word of mouth… and simple faith?  We have so little ability to understanding how astounding these words from Matthew truly are!  Our Jesus is available to us in far easier ways, it seems.  We blog and think together and there He is with us, working in us and changing us and saving us.  We don’t have to walk miles; we log on.   Funny, our modern world is still in need of His healing and comfort.  Is the Message we are proclaiming, in His Name, worth the trip?  Just asking…

JBH