Signs of Humanity

Mark 7:24b And he entered a house, and would not have any one know it; yet he could not be hid.


Mark 7:35-36 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And he charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 


Jesus shows his humanity throughout the gospels. He had that leave me alone feeling from time to time. He wanted to sneak into town and hide out for maybe even just a few hours. He must at times have felt drained and exhausted by the constant demands of teaching and equipping his disciples as people came flocking to him for healings, miracles and wonders. 


Isn't it nice to know that even our Lord felt the way we do. I read on Facebook again and again about friends who are just looking for a few minutes without some demand upon their time. They love their job, spouse, kids, home, and/or life but sometimes they just feel overwhelmed. As a priest the phone could and did ring at any moment day or night. At times the call would come moments before Marsha and I were to leave for a night out, or just before we were getting into bed, or right at dinner time. I would so much want to just find a time to be left alone. I always responded to the need, often because Marsha insisted, and usually we were both exceedingly blessed by what happened.


I've never been able to completely figure out why Jesus told people to keep quiet about Him. At times I've thought it had to do with His not wanting conflict with the authorities before his disciples were ready, but when it happened they still didn't seem ready. At other times I've thought it had to do with his human need for rest and sanity. He needed to be left alone at times. I've also wondered if it was because the focus was being placed on Him by those he touched instead of on His Father. That one is a problem in the church. People who do God's will who are glorified instead of the God. We need to point away from ourselves. Jesus in His humanity pointed to the father. We in our humanity need to point to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If others turn the focus back to us, we need to fight it with all our abilities.