Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “You know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”, and in chapter twenty and verse twenty-nine of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus and His disciples, “departed from Jericho” with “a great multitude” where we read:
And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
The verse reads, “And as they departed from Jericho, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “and as they departed” or “while Jesus and His disciples left and went forth” “from Jericho” which means “from the city of Jericho which means place of fragrance and was a noted city abounding in balsam, honey, cyprus, myrobalanus, roses and other fragrant products. It was near the north shore of the Dead Sea in the tribe of Benjamin, between Jerusalem and the Jordan River”. Matthew shared how Jesus and His disciples left “Jericho” to journey again.
The verse continues, “... a great multitude followed him.” Matthew added the words, “a great multitude” or “a massive and large crowd of people” “followed Him” which means “joined and accompanied Jesus and sided with His party”. Matthew wrote how a huge crowd of people joined Jesus and His disciples as they left the city of “Jericho”.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how huge crowds of people were attracted to Jesus. Over and over again people join Jesus and His disciples in their travels, and because Jesus was such a wonderful person, they wanted to be in His company. Many people followed Jesus for things He provided for them, and others wanted Him to do something for them, yet nonetheless, they “followed”. Wise people “follow” Jesus today, and because He is so accessible to those who “believe and trust” in Him as “Savior and Lord”, Jesus wants everyone to come alongside Him and see where He might lead.
Next time Matthew writes how there were, “blind men sitting by the way side”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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