All of the canned goods, all of the diapers, all of the
Operation Christmas Child supplies have one purpose – to gather others to
Jesus. He’s really what they need! He’s really what we need!
Last week Tom Hughes made a profound observation that is at
the heart of this week’s “Gather” message.
He said, “Often it’s your misery that Christ uses and transforms into
your ministry.” How often we’ve seen
that to be true.
In the south of France is a little village that I visited 37
years ago named Vezelay. In that village
lived a group of Gentile Protestants who were persecuted for more than three
centuries. Throughout the 16th,
17th, 18th, and much of the 19th centuries,
these Gentile Protestants were denied the right to property, liberty, and in
some cases, life itself.
During World War II many Jews who were fleeing the Nazis
came to Vezelay for refuge.
Unfortunately, the Nazis were already there. The Jews were at great risk. Their future was in the balance and the
Gentile Protestants knew it. So what did
they do? They opened their doors to
them. There was no organization. There was no strategy session. There were no meetings between families. They simply did what they did, and because of
their action, the lives of thousands of Jews were saved.
Now why do you suppose those Gentile Protestants risked
their lives for Jews they didn’t even know?
I’ll tell you why – because of their own suffering. You see they had a heritage that said, “It’s
easier to open the door than to keep it shut.”
They had a heritage that prompted them to ask, “Why them?” instead of
“Why me?” They had a heritage that
recognized that suffering and mercy is pointless unless it results in ministry
to others.
Let’s suppose Jesus was born rich instead of poor. Let’s suppose He was born as the product of a
husband and a wife and there were never any question about His legitimacy. Let’s suppose that when He goes to Gethsemane
to pray, He asks His Father to change the plan and He succeeds. Let’s suppose instead of dying on the cross
He never dies, He simply ascends to heaven.
How much easier would it be to follow that kind of Jesus?
Isaiah puts it this way, “Surely He has borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows…” Meaning what? Meaning that He’s a Christ who’s been through
it all, seen it all, suffered it all, and conquered it all so that you and I
might receive what we need – total identification with Him. Only a suffering Jesus can meet a need. Only a suffering Christian who has received
His mercy and grace can meet the real needs of others.
This week we will take another look at Mark 5:1-20. Here Jesus tells a former demoniac to go home
to his friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for him and how He has
had mercy on him.” It’s the same thing
He’s told us. That’s why we gather stuff
to give to others. We do it so that they
might hear and see that His mercy is available to them, too. While we gather cans and boxes and toys, the
real purpose is to gather others to Him!
In preparation for Sunday’s message, “Gathering to the
Gergasenes,” you may wish to consider the following:
- Read Mark 5:1-20 and our companion text Isaiah 61:1-4.
- What was the nature of Beverly Sills’ suffering?
- Last week Tom Hughes mentioned Saul’s conversion (Acts 9). Why does Jesus knock him off his horse on the road to Damascus? (Acts 26:16)
- Why does Mark include this story when he’s known for his brevity?
- What’s the correlation between the storm in Mark 4:35-41 and this text?
- This is the first of three times Jesus travels to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. What do we know about this place?
- How is this man the personification of the fullness of man?
- What is the significance of his question in verse 7?
- Why does Jesus gather this man to Himself?
- Why does Jesus refuse his request in verse 18?
