August 29

Day 168: Misconstrued

In Mark chapter 5, the gospel writer records Jesus out doing miraculous stuff. The previous chapter gives us what is perhaps one of the better known acts: Jesus calming a storm at sea.

Those of us who grew up in Sunday School classes remember coloring a printed page of Jesus telling the storm to stop. It probably said, "Peace! Be still!" at the top.

The miracles in chapter 5, however, didn't really lend well to coloring pages. At least as I remember.

In the first instance, Jesus relieves a tormented man of a legion of demons. Afterwards, the man asks to go on with Jesus. To be part of the inner circle.

Instead, Jesus tells him to stay put, and "tell them [his friends] how much the Lord has done for you, and how he had mercy on you."

Not too much time later, Jesus returns from the other side of the lake, and heals the young daughter of a leader in the local synagogue. He even does a miracle on the way to doing a miracle.

But after this subsequent miraculous healing, Jesus tells the onlookers in this case that "no one should know [about] this."

Why the difference?

A number of commentators respond with the notion that Jesus had no fear of the people where the restored demoniac lived. That region was inhabited by both Jews and Gentiles, a long way from Jerusalem and political/religious power.

While the second healing miracle took place in home territory. Jesus had more to fear there.

I contest this. I don't think Jesus feared anybody.

I would propose, rather, that Jesus wanted to be seen and talked about for who He really was. The Messiah, the Son of God.

Problem was, God's chosen people in that generation already had a different view of what the Messiah would and should be. Jesus did not fit their views, or their plans.

Jesus knew they would misconstrue who He was, because they had already misconstrued who the promised Messiah would be and do.

We often do the same. We misconstrue who Jesus is, and what He did and does.

For some church people, Jesus remains nothing more than a lucky rabbit's foot, or a sky genie, or a giant ATM machine. For others, maybe just a feel good hook to get people to come to church.

Jesus would just as soon He not be regarded or promoted that way.

Instead, like the recovered demoniac, Jesus would have us tell others about how much the Lord has done for us, how He had mercy on us.

Or if not, Jesus might tell some of us to just keep quiet.

Some of us would be wise to not have Christian stickers on our cars. Or should never again post anything on social media. Other people could watch us, or read us, and come to false conclusions.

Better to say nothing than to cause someone else to misconstrue who Jesus is and what He has done.

- Mike Rydman, Lead Pastor, Radiant Church | Juneau