22. What is important to Jesus?

THIS THE SABBATH, IS JESUS GOING TO REST?

When is your day off? On Sunday? In many countries, in fact, it is on Sunday, but for the Jews it is on Saturday, for Saturday is the Sabbath. The Sabbath begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening. On the Sabbath day we do not work, for it is a day of rest. We remember that God created everything in 6 days and that on the 7th day He rested. On the 7th day, we think of Him in particular. So, what do the Jews do? Well, they go to the synagogue, a place where they come together to pray and worship God. So, on the Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples would go to the synagogue. Jesus would read the Word of God and explain it. Imagine all these people who were there listening, they were very close to him, they were silent, for they loved to listen to him, for His words were a source of comfort. They encouraged them to love God more and more! But suddenly, a very agitated man arrived. Everyone stepped aside. – What do you want from us, Jesus? He shouted out, you have come to ruin us. I know who you are: you are – the Messiah! The savior! An evil spirit was in this man and it made him very miserable. – Be silent, and come out of this man! Jesus told him. Immediately the evil spirit came out and the man was calm, quiet, and at peace. People were amazed. They looked at each other in wonder. – Did you see how Jesus spoke? They said, and how the wicked spirit obeyed His word! – Nobody can do that! It is the power of God in our midst! They kept on talking about what they had just seen. Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue. They were invited to eat at Pierre and André’s. Do you remember Peter and Andrew; we talked about them in our last story. They were fishermen. So, maybe a good fish dish was ready for them. Mmm, you can just smell the delicious grilled fish. In fact, there was nothing ready for the meal! – We’re sorry, it‘s normally Peter’s mother in-law who prepares the meal, explained someone but she can’t get out of bed, she’s burning with fever. She can’t even stand! Jesus approached her, took her hand and said: – Fever! Leave her! He ordered. The fever immediately left her. She got up. – Glory to God, she shouted, thank you Jesus, I am completely healed! Can you guess what happened next? Yes! She started to cook a meal and joyfully, she served a good meal to her guests. What an unforgettable Sabbath day! The disciples were amazed at what they had just experienced. The sun was setting, and the time to take some well-deserved rest was approaching. Suddenly, from the house people could be heard, children were running. – We’ve come to see Jesus. We want to see Jesus.” – I am bringing my little one who is sick to be cured. – My wife is blind! – I also want to be healed. – My son is tormented, he is so unhappy! In next to no time, the whole city was there, in front of Peter’s house, bringing with them the sick, infirm and those who were suffering. What was Jesus going to do, it was already very late! Can you imagine? Do you think that he’s going to hide or send them back or ask them to come back another day? He went to see every single sick person, every cripple, and He healed them all. When they went home, all of these people praised God who had done wonders for them. The disciples and Jesus could finally, go to bed. After such a day, they deserved to have a lie-in next morning. But very early before sunrise, Jesus was already up. He went to a quiet place and there, all alone, he prayed to God, His Heavenly Father. When He woke up, people were already looking for him, and asked – Where is Jesus? We want to see Him, He must stay with us, He mustn’t leave! ” – No, said Jesus, I must go on my way to others villages. There, I must also preach the Good News of the love of God. It is for that reason that I came. 1, 2 3, 4 AND YOU AND ME! I don’t know how you behave when you are very tired? Personally, I’m not always very nice. And you? If your Mom asks you to do something at that moment, you don’t really feel like doing it, do you? Maybe, you don’t even want to obey… Jesus is not like you and me. We see that in this story. He is always ready to help those in need. Today he is in heaven, of course, but He has not changed! Do you know He still wants to take care of us because He wants to do good to men so that they see that God loves them? This is the answer to the question that we asked us. 4, 3, 2, 1 AND WE PARENTS! Children are quick to see their parents’ concerns. Should we hide everything from them? What things can we share with them? How much can they deal with? If they see us talking to the Lord about our concerns, our worries, and trusting Him, then they will be encouraged to do so in turn. We want to be role- models for our children, teaching them by example that the Lord takes care of those who trust in Him. When help does eventually come, all the family, even friends, and neighbors can rejoice together and thank the Lord.