Jesus Never Takes "Shortcuts"

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I find this fascinating. The more I read the gospel of Mark, the more I see that Jesus, even after healing people, has people give that person something to eat. Does not disappear and reappear on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Gets into the boat and crosses like everyone else. Does not make the tax collector feel that the tax has already been paid, He provides the coin in the body of the fish which they catch. And so on.
Not one time does Jesus, before or after performing a miracle, take a “shortcut” and will this or that to be done in reality. He always has the disciples and others participate.
Feeding the crowds. He could have simply willed it that they would all have full stomachs! But He wants the Twelve to feed the crowds.
I did not notice this much in the past, but lately I am seeing this pattern of involving them and us in everything He does.
 
Fascinating; I had never thought of it in this way, but I think you’re right! :yup:

Another example would be the wedding at Cana … He didn’t just fill the empty jars (which he could’ve done), or cause wineskins or barrels to appear, but He asked the men to participate first, by filling the jars to the brim with water, before He changed it into wine.

Great insight! 👍 Thanks very much for sharing.
 
It took Him two tries to restore the blind man’s sight (Mark 8:22-26).
He waited for the men to make a hole in the ceiling to lower the paralytic (Mark 2:3-12)
 
And the two “tries” at restoring the blind man’s sight was probably related to his GRADUAL opening of the eyes of His own disciples, who did not see clearly at first, but saw His doctrines and teachings as men who see men like trees, and with more teaching, their spiritual sight becomes clearer.
And you’re right about Cana wedding feast. Jesus could have willed that the jugs of water be wine and instantly they would have been.
As a side issue, it is kind of humorous how Jesus at first refuses to perform that miracle because His time has not yet come, and then Mary says Do What He Tells You, in other words, perform this miracle for the guests, it IS your time!
 
He was willing to walk to the Centurian’s house and only relented due to the Centurian’s great faith and humility.

Peace
James
 
Good point, and having come here as fully man and fully God, He set aside his divine powers, except when performing miracles and healing and in other things, when He did indeed decide to walk. Even walking across the water, intending to pass by the disciples, He could have merely willed Himself to be on the other side and not be bothered with walking across the massive Sea of Galilee…we see this in all the gospels, but I have been studying Mark lately, as it is the most direct one, and the first written, and the most concise, but this does fascinate me, I don’t know why, that He involves US in His ministry. It is quite an honor to have God use is in so many ways. Even in leading others to Christ, He could just think them into becoming instant believers! But we are the ones sent out to preach the gospel. So we are part of His kingdom here on Earth. What an honor, instead of just being bystanders in all of this.
 
dcb188 said:
Good point, and having come here as fully man and fully God, He set aside his divine powers, except when performing miracles and healing and in other things, when He did indeed decide to walk. Even walking across the water, intending to pass by the disciples, He could have merely willed Himself to be on the other side and not be bothered with walking across the massive Sea of Galilee…we see this in all the gospels, but I have been studying Mark lately, as it is the most direct one, and the first written, and the most concise, but this does fascinate me, I don’t know why, that He involves US in His ministry. It is quite an honor to have God use is in so many ways. Even in leading others to Christ, He could just think them into becoming instant believers! But we are the ones sent out to preach the gospel. So we are part of His kingdom here on Earth. What an honor, instead of just being bystanders in all of this.
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Indeed. And to add to your aobservations, how many times did Jesus, upon healing someone say something to the effect of, “your faith as saved you”.
This speaks not only to God’s desire to involve us in such matters but to the very real need for us to respond to, and give ascent to, the grace that stands ever near and ready to aid us.

Peace
James
 
Yes, and what Jesus did or at least what He wanted to do, was at least partially dependent on US, and our faith. E.g. In his own town, He could not do that many miracles, or in Matthew, He did not do many miracles, all because of their unbelief.
So if He as God wanted to do something, He could have just done it, cured everyone, whether they believed in Him or not, but again, He did not take these “shortcuts” as I call them.
There are hundreds of examples of this. And not only did God humble Himself to come to us incarnate, but He uses us as instrumentalities of His will, which I find, again, to be a great great honor!
Reminds me of the one who is sent to Nineveh, and goes to Spain instead, like putting distance between himself and God will do the trick 🙂 But God could have just willed him to be in Nineveh at that moment, but instead, allows him to rebel and then figure it all out and finally go to Nineveh as ordered to in the first place.
God’s insistence on our own participation in His Plan is amazing. Moses with his speech impediment, begging off, saying others are more qualified.; God could have healed Moses immediately, saying, there, now you have no impediment, go, but He does not change Moses physically, just spiritually. He does not force Himself on anyone, but calls everyone to come to Him on His terms not ours, but yet is gracious enough to allow us to become involved in most of what He does.
 
I think if we knew, really really knew, just how God really is, in reality, it would eliminate 99% of our questions about life, if we would just allow Him to be God instead of the kind of God we would like Him to be. Trusting in God is one of the key issues.
 
Our Lord showed us, that even though He has the ability to correct physical and spiritual ailments, He chose to exert no power over the hearts of others. He also revealed that it was through a combination of the will and human effort that good was accomplished.
 
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