Attention

We are still following Jesus in His attitude, action, attention and appreciation, which are being harvested and harnessed for us and to us, from this text. And when He had entered a house, away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. Mark 7: 17. Two closing statements have been offered so far, pertaining to our wholesome, guaranteed, victory Lenten Walk with Jesus.

Our first concluding statement dealt with Jesus’ attitude in coming away from the crowd, and this was stated.  In this Lenten walk with Jesus, we must imitate His attitude. The question to keep ever aware of is this. If we have not Jesus’ attitude, how else will God the Father be pleased with us, and grant us this privileged fellowship with His Son?

The second concluding statement dealt with Jesus’ actions, in that He came away from the crowd, and this was stated. In this Lenten walk with Jesus, to speak about the perfect attitude, without corresponding actions of uncompromising obedience, is to be a total fake. How then can we expect God the Father to be pleased with us, and grant us this privileged fellowship with His Son? 

Today we move on the third observation, as we note the attention of Jesus. All we are told in the text is that Jesus entered a house, away from the crowd. I don’t know what this does for you, or even says to you, but I offer you three facts, which have kept me truly clinging to faith, with all that I know and have.

We now focus on the kind of attention Jesus gives to the people. The first fact is that Jesus never ignored the masses. When He saw and heard how the religious leaders were confusing and teaching false doctrines to those illiterate masses, He acted. Jesus turned His attention away from the lawful, legal minds and attended to the common folk. You must understand that Jesus’ attention was given to the Pharisees and Scribes and all the present gentlemen of that calibre. Then Jesus called the masses to Him and dealt with them. He turns His attention from the masses and goes to be alone with His disciples. The first thing we must note is that Jesus knows precisely and definitely, where, when and to whom to give His attention. If we trust Him on this, we will give our attention to those He turns His attention to, when and how He does it, and not as we deem fit.

Our other focus takes us to the kind of attention Jesus gives to the place. After feeding His Word to the masses, Jesus entered a house with His disciples following Him. The crowd was not in a house and they were not permitted to, or invited to follow Jesus into a house. Nothing has been stated about the house He entered or whose house it was. The single, little syllable, a, conveys to us that it was not any specifically meaningful house. It was not, for example, Peter’s mother-in-law’s house, or the house of John Mark, for that matter. It was just a house, an ordinary unnamed and unmarked house. However, it was a house that was willing to have Him and His disciples enter it. Here, I see Jesus living out His commands to His disciples about entering a house of peace and staying there. But whatever house you enter, first say, Peace to this house. And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. Luke 10: 5 - 6 .The excitement for me here is that Jesus will enter any house that will accept His peace. Jesus’ attention is on a house any house where He is welcomed.

The second thing we must note is that Jesus knows exactly which house, or place to give His attention to, to be able to enter it with His Peace. If we trust Him on this, we will give our attention to the places He turns His attention to, according to His knowledge and wisdom and not according to our carnal judgments. 

Three facts were offered to us concerning the attention of Jesus in the main Bible Text. Having discussed the attention Jesus gave to the people and the place, we too spread out, as it were, in the third fact, as it is one that is personal and so very dear and super comforting to us, as Jesus’ following disciples.

This will be brought to us to tomorrow.