What Jesus Did! 'Checking Out Jesus' — Mark 3:7-8

Friday, February 16, 2024

Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him. They came from all over Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, from east of the Jordan River, and even from as far north as Tyre and Sidon. The news about his miracles had spread far and wide, and vast numbers of people came to see him.
— Mark 3:7-8 NLT

Key Thought

So often the people who think they don't believe in Jesus have never been exposed to him. Jesus meets us in many ways, but there are at least two ways that are crucial for most unbelievers. One of the most important ways for folks to meet Jesus is by experiencing him through the gospel stories. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament contain these gospel stories.) A second way for outsiders to experience Jesus is through his presence in the world today through the compassion, care, and character of Jesus' body, the people of his church. In both of these cases, the invitation is nearly always the same: "Come. See for yourself!" One of our biggest opportunities to bring people to Christ is to invite them to meet Jesus and not just to trust what they've heard about him. So let's invite people to meet Jesus by providing them ready access to the New Testament or the Bible (see note below), inviting them to appropriate movies, or giving them historically accurate videos about Jesus' life. Let's invite folks to come "meet" Jesus and "see him" for themselves.

Note: Bible societies offer inexpensive copies of the New Testament or the Bible, which can be given away. Also, there are free apps and free Bibles for mobile devices, and there is free access to Bibles by way of browsers on computers or mobile devices. An Internet search for "Bible societies," "free Bible app," or "free online Bible" will yield multiple resources.

Today's Prayer

Father, use me to invite people to come and meet Jesus. Open my eyes to see those searching for him, and fashion my life so that it is an appropriate example to them in their search. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • John 1:35-39
  • John 1:43-46
  • John 7:16-17

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Illustration

Illustration of Mark 3:7-8 NLT — Jesus went out to the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him.

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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