Could it be?

Mark 3:7-19

In these first five verses, we see Jesus leaving the synagogue after healing the man with the paralyzed hand.  It is essential to recognize the very human part of Jesus, His emotions when they would not answer His question; they were both anger and sorrow.  Angered at how stubborn they were and grieved that those who were the teachers of the Jews were so blind to the Scriptures.  So He leaves that area with His disciples and heads for the sea, and we are told a large crowd follows Him from Galilee to Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan.  It looks like the whole Jewish world was following him.  If you have not read the account in Mark 3:7-12, do so now.

But why was such a large crowd coming from so many areas of the Jewish world, Mark reported they had heard the stories and many came hoping to be healed?  Jesus had given orders for His disciples to have a small boat ready for Him so that the crowd that wanted to touch Him would not crush Him.  How once more we see what takes place when unclean spirits or evil spirits come in contact with Jesus in verses 11-12, “And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.”

As we move into verses 13-19, we see Jesus going up into the mountain and summoned those He wanted, and they came to Him.  It seems like when you read this that more than the twelve were called, but only the twelve were chosen to be His apostles.  Mark gives us their names and the names Jesus gave them, and when Mark comes to Judas Iscariot’s name, he states he is the one who betrayed Him.

Verses 14-19, “And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.”

I’m still amazed that those evil spirits or unclean spirits have disappeared from our culture.  Could it be we are deceived when we see a person on a significant T.V. network making fun of our Vice President because he talks to and hears Jesus talking to Him?  Could it be she is under the authority of an evil spirit, and could it be that when a 19-year-old goes into a school in Florida and kills 19 people that he might also be under the authority of an evil spirit?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice