7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea, 8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. 10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. 11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. 12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
7 But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
As John Gill points out, knowing the designs of the religio-political elite against Him, Jesus and His disciples leave the synagogue but a great crowd follows them. Jesus controls his movements and He will lay His life down when it is time to do so. No one can rush it.
John 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
It has been said that every Christian has a set time to die and that no one can harm you before God has ordained it so.
Luke4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
He allows them to take Him right to the crest of a hill before He passes through them here. The crowd follows Him because they know what He has done for people who came near Him. University College London posted an article in December of 2009 online about the first archaeological evidence uncovered regarding leprosy and tuberculosis in First Century Judea.
A tomb in the “Field of Blood” that Acts, chapter one tells us Judas had bought with the money he received from betraying Jesus, and where he hung himself, was uncovered and one chamber in the tomb had not been robbed. In this tomb a team of disease specialists uncovered molecular evidence of leprosy and tuberculosis.
An online dictionary defines Leprosy in the following manner;
“Leprosy is a slowly progressing bacterial infection that affects the skin, peripheral nerves in the hands and feet, and mucous membranes of the nose, throat, and eyes. Destruction of the nerve endings causes the affected areas to lose sensation. Occasionally, because of the loss of feeling, the fingers and toes become mutilated and fall off, causing the deformities that are typically associated with the disease.”
Tuberculosis is also defined as;
“Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially fatal contagious disease that can affect almost any part of the body but is mainly an infection of the lungs. It is caused by a bacterial microorganism, the tubercle bacillus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although TB can be treated, cured, and can be prevented if persons at risk take certain drugs, scientists have never come close to wiping it out. Few diseases have caused so much distressing illness for centuries and claimed so many lives.”
If you notice that there is no mention of diseases in the Old Testament until God lays the sicknesses on the Egyptians as He draws the Hebrews out of Egypt. The disaster of famine, the peril of childbirth, and the sickness of old age are made note of, though, in Genesis. A May, 2009 Science Daily article claims that leprosy was found in a skeleton from India dated as early as 2,000 BC but no mention was made of how the scientists arrived at the date for the skeleton so it still remains to be seen.
8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him. 9 And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
Imagine how the crowds plagued by disease and wanting healing from their many diseases crowded Jesus, coming from scores of miles away. The evidence of a fallen world, sick and twisted, pleading to God for deliverance is abundant. Death and disease came into THIS world by Adam’s sin, which we have all inherited. We didn’t just inherit the sin, we inherited the disasters that go along with it.
In rural populations in third world countries today blindness caused by infections, diabetes, and a variety of other diseases cut lifespans short. A lack of access to clean drinking water and the water borne illnesses resultant are staggering burdens on the poor. A great crowd of people wanting to be healed of diseases over which they had no hope of cure in those days are thronging Jesus, pleading with Him to heal them. To avoid this crush He wishes to get in a small ship just offshore.
10 For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues. 11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.
Can you picture the ragged people, broken and sick with leprosy, tuberculosis, blindness, badly healed broken bones, open sores, and respiratory diseases, coughing, dragging themselves, perhaps holding a sick and dying child in their arms? Can you imagine the joy, the relief, and the renewed hope when He lifted those burdens from them? You were just as sick and diseased, only spiritually, when you received Christ as your Saviour. Why aren’t you experiencing joy? Notice that even the unclean spirits will acknowledge that He is the Son of God. They will, however, never call Him Lord.
12 And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.
To whom would Christ have not wanted the unclean spirits to make Him known? Remember, Satan, the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30: 16:11), the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), in whose power the kingdoms of this world operate (Matt. 4:8-9; Luke 4:5-6) cannot be everywhere at once. The powers of evil have their dwelling place in the second heaven, outer space to us;
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
This is not a reference to merely earthly rulers with high places meaning palaces and castles, as John Gill points out, but heavenly places, in the air above us. It is from here that Satan and his cohorts operate ruling the darkness of this world from the halls of Congress to the Kremlin.
Jeremiah 13:18 Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
They can’t separate us from God’s love.
Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
What was forbidden for them to see was the mystery, the plan of God that He would not only dwell with men in the form of Jesus Christ, but as the church, dwell in them. Christ was not ready to have this made known to those powers of evil but one day the time came and;
Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
God’s eternal plan through Christ was not yet to be revealed to the spiritual world of evil in which the world of men operates and has its being.
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