I Need A Hero by Bonnie Taylor
https://youtu.be/OBwS66EBUcY
Have you ever noticed how people act around someone who is well-known? People pay extra to get front row seats so they can possibly just get to “touch” the celebrity. The behavior is like teenage girls at a concert with the current heart-throb. Just to be near is a “high.” The crowds wear their tee shirts pledging allegiance, ticket stubs are saved, framed, and pictures are taken to prove attendance; we purchase posters to hang on our walls. No sacrifice is too great to be where this icon is. Body guards are needed to protect the “hero” and their privacy. We are all in need of a hero! We need someone larger than life. We are looking for an escape not redemption?
Matthew 3:23-25, 33-35
Mark 1:23-28; Mark 2:1-2
Luke 4:42-44 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Jesus has been preaching and healing in and around Galilee early in HIs ministry. He started in Nazareth and then moved on to Capernaum. His healing ministry is gaining Him much notoriety. People are intent on finding Jesus wherever He is. They have “issues” and they want Jesus to “fix” them. He cannot get away for even a few minutes alone.
This is the situation Jesus finds Himself facing: Crowds clamoring for His attention. Begging Him to meet their needs. They are wanting Him to set up a corporate headquarters and bring in tourist dollars. Jesus is the man of the hour: Popular among the masses. He had a message and He had a product–healing. He is the current “larger than life” hero.
Would this be a temptation to the average man? Of course it would. Who among us has not longed for fame and popularity as teens or adults for that matter: Wanted the coveted spot on a cheer squad, sports team, or become a member of a sorority/fraternity/club, or the cheers of crowds of fans? We even sing karaoke for applause. In Jesus day and in our own, the “circus” coming to town could be a lucrative endeavor for everyone. People would come from miles around to “see and hear the new preacher with the magic touch.” Souvenir sales, food sales, synagogue traffic with sacrifice sales. This is a win-win-win.
Jesus desires to heal all but He was human and needed rest for He was on a mission. He must strike a balance between meeting needs, maintaining His own health, and “preaching the Kingdom of God” in all of Judea and insure completion of the mission He came to earth to accomplish. The struggle for our Savior was the longing to restore desperate individuals to health and wholeness vs insuring the salvation of the entire world. He was more interested in our redemption than our rescue from temporal discomforts.
Jesus did not fall into the popularity trap meant to distract Him from the purpose for which He was sent. He understood His popularity was fleeting! People are fickle and tomorrow another “hero” would capture their heart. Remember a thief called Barabbas? Have Mercy!
Jesus is our hero! He just refused to present Himself as “King of the world” until He was the Savior of all mankind. Thank you is not really sufficient.
Even today, we see many believers who start out well. God uses them, blesses them, and then the acclaim of man takes precedence over the favor of God. Jesus put HIs mission before the accolades of man. (Psalm 89:15, John 7:18, John 5:44) His journey continued. He loved His fellow man but He loved His Father supremely and was obedient. A lesson for us! Let’s keep our eyes on the Master and the mission. The FAME is His alone.
The King of the World by Natalie Grant
Treading in wait for the King
Yvonne Jones
