Mark 6:30

Mark 6:30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Where did this carpenter get all of his knowledge and understanding? How did He become so wise? His wisdom and knowledge impressed not only the general public but the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, the Pharisees and Sadducees were somewhat galled by what they considered Jesus' pretentious understanding of the Pentateuch. They considered themselves to be the real scholars, the chosen few, the mature in the ways of the Law. They felt that they alone had the entitlement to lead the people to God, to explain his Law and to define his righteousness. Notice in the above passage that Jesus had compassion on the people, for He considered them as sheep without a shepherd. He knew the spiritual leaders of that time were not shepherds. Their concern was not for the people, but for themselves, for their own personal aggrandizement. “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces." (Luke 11:43) Jesus knew the people needed a shepherd, one who would give his all for the sheep, one who would care for them night and day, one who would sacrifice his life for the sheep.

Well, we have a shepherd, even Jesus who is spiritually manifested through the Holy Spirit that is within us. That is why we need emersion, not only in water but in the Holy Spirit. "I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ (John 1:33) Even Jesus when He walked on this earth needed the direction and POWER of the Holy Spirit. "One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick." (Luke 5:17) Jesus knew the power of God to heal was within him. He felt that power. The woman with the issue of blood released that power by her faith. We also have that power if we have the Holy Spirit in us, and we do have the Spirit within us.

We who believe are all connected by God's Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "I must go away so that I can send you the Comforter, and He will be IN YOU." As much as we are now connected by the internet, so are we connected by the Spirit of God. This Holy Thread runs from one believer to the next, connecting us all to each other through the Holy Spirit. The Bible says we are ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT--the Holy Spirit. Now we can all pray for each other, and we know God hears us, for we are on HIS HOLY INTERNET. We can pray for people who are thousands of miles away from us, and the message instantaneously reaches its destination. That is why our missionaries can receive so much help from our prayers: they are connected to us, not by time, but by the Holy Spirit. Where did Jesus' wisdom and knowledge come from? Where did this carpenter receive such an anointing that He could move people's hearts with his words? It was from the Holy Spirit. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit. Paul talks about us prophesying and exercising the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians. Why do we exercise these gifts? We function because the Holy Spirit is the dynamo that energizes our spirits and concomittantly the whole church. God is alive in us individually and collectively. He has connected the whole church together IN HIM THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT. Therefore, live for Jesus. Permit the Holy Spirit to sing songs through you, to speak words of wisdom through you, to comfort the brokenhearted through you, to touch the wounded with your hand. For that is Jesus' desire. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them.