Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel. – Matthew 15:29-31
The response of the crowd tells you something about Jesus. This crowd watched Jesus display his power, his ability to heal and his overwhelming kindness to those in need. Their response? Awe and wonder and praise to God above. Like Disneyland to a 6-year old. Think of the joy infusing this mass of humanity as formerly hurting, desperate people strode forth in health and vigor. Think of what it would have been like to sit and watch. Person after person, the next case worse than the last. Jesus heals and the crowd’s awe-response grows and grows. Wonder if people cheered?
Then, to top it all off, Jesus miraculously feeds everyone before sending them home. All you can eat, with plenty left over!
If I could pick a day to go back in time and see Jesus at work, I’d be hard pressed to pick a day different than this one. Thankfully, Jesus is still generous with us, still available, still healing and feeding us. All good things come from his hand. Maybe we should cheer?
I'd love to hear your thoughts...