Journey With Jesus: 31 Days Devotion From the Gospel of MarkНамуна

Jesus' power, our response

What might Jesus have accomplished if He hadn’t departed from the earth? Perhaps He could have advised presidents and prime ministers, united North Korea and South Korea, settled border disputes, and stopped terrorists. He could have gone
to the hospitals and healed the sick. The list goes on. What would our response be if we had seen these acts of Jesus?

In Mark 4:35-6:6a, Jesus demonstrated His power on different occasions. He calmed the storm, restored a demon-possessed man, healed a woman, and raised the dead. All of these demonstrations are supernatural, spectacular, and stunning. Yet what is more interesting is the different responses of the people towards Jesus when they saw His works.

Responses ranged from fear to faith. In one incident, a bleeding woman was desperate for healing. By faith, she reached out for Jesus’ clothes, believing she would be healed by touching His garments (5:25-34). Jesus honoured her faith and freed her from her suffering (5:34). By contrast, in 6:1-6a, Jesus did not demonstrate His power among the people in his hometown because of their lack of faith.

From the various responses, we learn that faith doesn’t come naturally to us just because we witness a miracle or wonder of Jesus. It’s an intentional decision on our part to trust in Jesus after what we’ve seen.

Faith is also not a feel-good feeling or a sense of confidence based on our circumstances. It is the determination to believe in the big God who is always in control, whatever the challenge we face.

Faith is not rooted in spiritual experiences. These experiences may open our eyes to more of Jesus’ mighty deeds, but they do not make us believe. Faith stems from a decision to follow Jesus, who has revealed Himself as our powerful God and gracious Saviour.

What is a spiritual experience you’re seeking or a prayer you want answered? If Jesus seems silent or gives you a different answer from what you desire, will you still trust Him? Why?