Daily Devotions
Mark
"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart."
Text: 1 Peter 1:22
THE MIXED MULTITUDE THAT FOLLOWED JESUS
Wherever Jesus went, He was bound to be surrounded by a huge crowd. What was the composition of the crowd like?
1. Those who were seeking to be healed
Those who were sick would make every effort to seek Him out. Relatives and friends would likely be there too.
2. Those who were possessed by demons
Again, we may expect relatives and friends bringing them to be healed by Jesus. They would make up part of the crowd.
3. The Disciples of Jesus
They would be there, learning from their Master. Their presence would, of course, be mandatory.
4. The religious leaders of Israel
The following make up the religious leaders of Israel. They followed Jesus with their own hidden agenda. They were out to assess who Jesus really was.
a) Scribes
These were professional scholars of the Scriptures. They were experts in copying the law (by hand). They were the theologians of the day.
b) Pharisees
This was a sect that insisted on a fastidious keeping of the laws of Moses. They formed part of the religious leadership of Israel.
c) Sadducees
This group of leaders was a powerful one. Many of them belonged to the priestly family.
REACTION FROM THE SCRIBES
As Jesus pronounced forgiveness of sins, the scribes reacted badly. Unfortunately, they did not have the courage to voice out loud their doubts.
“And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning
In their hearts, ‘Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?
Who can forgive sins but God alone?'”
MARK 2:6-7
Worse than grumbling in their hearts, they had already judged Jesus as a blasphemer! And they had not given Jesus an opportunity to explain Himself!