Spreading The News!

Living in the Victorian seaport town of Port Townsend, Washington, seagulls are an everyday sight. Today as I walked I listened to them squawking and carrying on excitedly as they swooped about and dropped down to where they thought they would find food. It seems that when a seagull finds SOMETHING GOOD they just can’t keep their mouth’s (beaks) shut. They begin squawking in such a way that other seagulls in the area come flying in to get in on the goodies. Seagulls would have less competition if they were quiet about what they had found.

I was intrigued when I first watched Disney’s “Finding Nemo” (2003) when the seagulls appeared. The animators and writers -- rather than merely having the seagulls squawking -- creatively had them crying out, “Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!” I was glad to finally know what all the squawking of seagulls is about.

Several times when Jesus healed someone He followed it up with what might appear to have been a strange request. Note one of those examples from the Gospel of Mark.

After healing a man of his leprosy, we read…
“(43) And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, (44) and said to him, ‘See that you SAY NOTHING TO ANYONE, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.’ (45) BUT HE WENT OUT AND BEGAN TO TALK FREELY ABOUT IT, AND TO SPREAD THE NEWS, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.” ( Mark 1:43-45 ESV)

As Jesus’ popularity spread, many were brought to Him for healing (i.e. Mark 1:32-34) and it reached a point where it even became difficult to eat. ( Mark 3:20) For that reason Jesus and His disciples had to withdraw at times. However -- as noted in the text above -- the people continued coming. Even though Jesus told this leper not to tell, it appears that he (like some others Jesus healed) just couldn’t keep quiet about the GOOD he had received from Jesus. It was GOOD NEWS and being overjoyed about the gift of restoration he had received he just had to spread the news.

The early part of Jesus’ ministry was apparently not the time for full disclosure, but that time has passed and there is GOOD NEWS to share. Having received rebirth, renewal, and restoration in Christ, how can we keep silent?

Remember the response of Peter and John as the growth of the church began.
“(18) So they [the Jewish council] called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. (19) But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, (20) for WE CANNOT BUT SPEAK OF WHAT WE HAVE SEEN AND HEARD.’” ( Acts 4:18-20 ESV)

“Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!” The GOOD NEWS of Jesus had become their story and they could not help but speak it! “Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!” Isn’t it ours to excitedly squawk about too? As disciples of Jesus, let us live and speak in a manner that others will be drawn by the GOOD NEWS of what we have found and has become ours.

Have a great day COMPELLED TO SPEAK!
Carl

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