“And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit….” (Mark 9:14–17)
This was my text yesterday. There is a great lesson to be learned here. Jesus did not insert Himself into this group of people like many people do – with a lot of assumptions and hearsay. He did not run the scribes off, clear the crowd, and listen to “His church” only. No no no.
Had He been starting a cult that is the way it would have been. He would have heard only one side of the story and we can only speculate how this would have gone.
He questioned the scribes and He heard from the multitude. Let’s not miss the small details from the life of Christ. Often we focus on the big pictures and we miss the little ones. This doesn’t happen with sequential exposition and I have sure enjoyed going through the Gospel of Mark.
Sometimes folks throw around words like “big preacher” and “little preacher” but all of that is debatable in a lot of conversations.
I have seen “little preachers.” A “little preacher” is someone who only gets one side of the story, some pice of slander, puts people down, and spreads gossip. Someone who hears something about a person, uses it for a sermon, and then refuses to speak to that individual.
Whether you are a preacher or not, if you aren’t willing to get both sides of the story, or talk to the person direct, it’s best to leave them out of your conversation and out of your sermons.
Thankfully, Jesus took the time to get the full story here in Mark 9, and He knows the whole story of each of our lives even when others don’t care to.
Let us be careful to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and always seek to get the story straight, even if it means talking to people who aren’t in “our circle” and not be so ready to cut people off. This is where the “big preachers” have walked and are walking.
“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35–37)
https://sermonaudio.sgbchortense.com/sermons/422241334337373/