Let Us 'Press' Upon Jesus!

Luke 5:1-3 New International Version

Jesus Calls His First Disciples 5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

Monday - February 7

Luke tells us that the crowds “pressed in” on Jesus to “hear the Word of God.” The same Greek word that describes the crowd “pressing in” on Jesus here by the lake is also the word that Luke uses to describe the crowd being “urgent” and “pressing in” on Jesus at his trial in Luke 23:23. On that day they did not want to hear the Word of God! We like the idea of Jesus. We love the idea of his healing, peace, and love. We love the idea of eternal life. We do not love that all those blessings come through our own death. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” You have died! Your eternal life has already begun in Christ alone! Let us “press in” upon Jesus to hear more of the Word of God which gives us eternal life.