Serving with devotedness

In Mark 1 we are given a description of a ‘working day’ in the life of God’s Servant, showing His untiring devotion to God. Finally, when evening came and the sun set, suddenly the whole town was in front of the door of the house where He was staying.

What do all these people want from Him at such a late hour? Mercy! They came with the expectation that He would heal all those who they brought to Him, all those who were suffering and demon-possessed.

Let’s try to put ourselves into these circumstances for a moment. Jesus Christ had been teaching the word of God in the synagogue for some time during the day, then He was confronted with the power of Satan, freed a possessed man and then went to visit the sick. That was quite a schedule.

How would we have reacted after such a day, when suddenly the whole city with its needs is standing on the doorstep, and a huge mountain of work is piled up in front of us in the evening?

In such situations, don’t we tend to think, at least secretly, ‘Really, now this too!?’ Perhaps one or another of us might be talked into helping as much as possible, but how often does this happen with an annoyed attitude or inner displeasure?

The Lord, on the other hand, reacts quite differently: instead of being irritated or displeased or turning people away, He takes care of their needs and responds to their troubles:

“And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him” (Mark 1:34).

Late into the night He cared for the sick and weak, healed them all and cast out many demons. In the same account in Matthew’s Gospel it becomes clear what this compassion really cost Him, because there it says, “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases” (Matthew 8:17).

What can we learn from this incident for our lives? That there are times when God wants us to go that extra mile, even though we may already be exhausted. Sometimes He wants us to really sacrifice ourselves for the needs of others, and to do so without allowing resentment or discontentment to rise in our hearts.

J.P.S.