At Capernaum
211
In the excitement which then pervaded Capernaum, there was
danger that the object of His mission would be lost sight of. Jesus was
not satisfied to attract attention to Himself merely as a wonder worker
or a healer of physical diseases. He was seeking to draw men to Him
as their Saviour. While the people were eager to believe that He had
come as a king, to establish an earthly reign, He desired to turn their
minds away from the earthly to the spiritual. Mere worldly success
would interfere with His work.
And the wonder of the careless crowd jarred upon His spirit. In
His life no self-assertion mingled. The homage which the world gives
to position, or wealth, or talent, was foreign to the Son of man. None
of the means that men employ to win allegiance or command homage
did Jesus use. Centuries before His birth, it had been prophesied of
Him, “He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in
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the street. A bruised reed shall He not break, and the dimly burning
flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the
earth.”
Isaiah 42:2-4
, margin.
The Pharisees sought distinction by their scrupulous ceremonial-
ism, and the ostentation of their worship and charities. They proved
their zeal for religion by making it the theme of discussion. Disputes
between opposing sects were loud and long, and it was not unusual to
hear on the streets the voice of angry controversy from learned doctors
of the law.
In marked contrast to all this was the life of Jesus. In that life no
noisy disputation, no ostentatious worship, no act to gain applause,
was ever witnessed. Christ was hid in God, and God was revealed in
the character of His Son. To this revelation Jesus desired the minds of
the people to be directed, and their homage to be given.
The Sun of Righteousness did not burst upon the world in splendor,
to dazzle the senses with His glory. It is written of Christ, “His going
forth is prepared as the morning.”
Hosea 6:3
. Quietly and gently the
daylight breaks upon the earth, dispelling the shadow of darkness, and
waking the world to life. So did the Sun of Righteousness arise, “with
healing in His wings.”
Malachi 4:2
.
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