Jesus’ ministry exposed him to constant pressure. The crowd pressed upon him in public places (3:9-10; 4:1; 5:31). People with diseases pressed toward him in order to touch him for healing. When he went to his home, the crowd pressed him so much that he was not even able to eat a meal with his family (3:20). His family pressured him for attention (3:31). The religious people pressured him to conform to their traditions of acceptable behavior (3:2; 3:22). A synagogue ruler pressed him to come immediately to heal his daughter while, at the same time, a hemorrhaging woman pressed […]
Read more →I recall the day in 1986 when I told my twelve-year-old daughter and my ten-year-old son that I was pregnant. I will never forget the expression on their adolescent faces. Both of them looked absolutely stunned. My son eventually managed a smile and said “Cool!” My daughter, however, began to cry—no, she wept. As she wept, she wailed, “But I like things the way they are! I don’t want them to change!” Thank God that her heart was soon converted and she eagerly welcomed her new baby brother into our household. As I recall the day that I shared the […]
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