Our Galilees
Day 213
October 15, 2020
“Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.” - Matthew 5:1
Why did people crowd around Jesus? In the previous chapter of Matthew we read that Jesus:
...went throughout Galilee
...taught in the synagogues
...preached the good news of the kingdom
...and healed every disease and sickness
Jesus sat down on that mountainside to seize the opportunity to teach the crowds of people that were following Him, because of the things He did. This is the prelude to Jesus' well-known message called “The Beatitudes.” As believers AND disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to do the things He did. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to be “imitators of Christ,” and so this short description of what Jesus did helps give us a guide to follow as we ask the Spirit to move and work through us. When Jesus did these things, the news about Him spread, and large crowds came to Him and began to follow Him.
Our goal as believers is not that people follow after us, but that our lives point to Jesus and inspire others to follow him. Just like the early disciples Andrew and Philip, we must tell others about Jesus so that they can see for themselves the Son of God; the only One worth following.
What opportunities is God giving us to reach out to others? Let us also go throughout the areas in which we live (our Galilees), teach others when given the opportunity, preach the gospel to the lost, and heal the sick in the name of Jesus. As we do the things he did, may the Lord bring more and more “crowds” who will be ready to hear God’s Word and receive the words of eternal life. In your Galilee, the harvest is ripe.
Read Matthew 5