Please read Matthew 15:29-31 before continuing.

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Jesus returned, climbed a hill, and sat down.

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A simple statement, but Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, climbed a hill and sat down.  He sat on a hill so that all could see him.  Perhaps he was tired from his journey.  Nevertheless, He sat down and welcomed the people to come to him.

 

How fast the word must have spread that Jesus was there for a VAST CROWD brought their sick friends and family to him.  They carried their loved ones, either by a litter or in their arms, they brought them. They carried them up a hill to lay them at the feet of Jesus.  They could not fix their problem but with hope they climbed the hill and laid their loved ones at the feet of Jesus.  A quiet but desperate cry for help!

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Maybe there was a man carrying his sick wife, with their small children following after.  Maybe there was a widow crying as she carried one sick child up the hill, while other children followed.  Perhaps a woman asked her neighbors for help to bring her husband to Jesus.  Stop and consider the seriousness and desperation of these moments; the uniqueness of each situation.  Think about the hurt and pain that walked up that hill to see Jesus.

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Over 4,000 men, not counting women and children, climbed the hill, hoping for a miracle.  Hoping that the King of Kings, this man called Jesus, would touch their loved ones.  They laid them at his feet in quietness.

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He healed them all.

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Matthew doesn’t give a description of the crowd.  Were some rich and some poor?  Were there some of high-esteem and others of low-repute?  Were some athletes and others business men?  Were some old and some young?  We don’t know, but it was a vast crowd.   

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Matthew doesn’t record Jesus as asking who was perfect, who was rich, or who was of most value to society.  JESUS HEALED THEM ALL!  It wasn’t one miracle; it was a vast number of miracles.

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They were carried to the feet of Jesus, and then their lives were forever changed:

 

• Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking.
• The crippled were made well.
• The lame were walking.
• The blind could see again.

                The crowd was amazed and they praised God.

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The people who were carried up the hill and laid at Jesus feet were healed. Quiet desperation and longing turned to amazement and praise.

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In looking up ‘amazed’ in a Thesaurus we are given these words:  astonished, astounded, shocked, stunned, startled, surprised, flabbergasted, dumfounded, staggered, taken aback.  If you had been part of the vast crowd what words would you use to describe what you were seeing?

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It must have been ‘something’ to have seen Jesus healing all of the people brought to him.  Did Jesus heal them one at a time, or did he heal the entire crowd instantly?  Either way, the drama would have been astounding.  What did the little children do when their Mama was made whole?  What did the wife say when her husband was healed?  Sick children were up and playing.  Imagine the joy, relief, and exuberance shining in their faces.

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The crowd praised God.  The Thesaurus gives these words to describe praise:  admire, commend, extol, honor, pay tribute to, applaud, acclaim, and go into raptures over.

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This vast crowd praised God for the personal touch that God poured out on their lives that day.

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Precious people, life is a miracle in itself.  Health is a miracle.  Healing is a miracle.  The crowd praised God for the miracles they had seen.  May we too praise God, may we be astonished at his mercy towards us.  And yes, may we be flabbergasted and dumbfounded that God Almighty loves any of us.  Let us be taken aback by the fact that our perfect God sent his son to die for us because he loves us.  Let us be shocked that God wants to spend eternity with us.

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Jesus, we love you, we love you, we love you. ​

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!