Jesus Received Support

 

Jesus Was Supported

Luke 8:2-3

"And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,

And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."

No man will ever be completely successful and fulfilled without the help of other men. The help that a man will receive from other men can come in different many ways. Every man is a three in one being. Though we may not always see it like that, on a careful look, man is a spirit that lives in a physical body and possess a soul. If the spirit is alive, the man is in touch with God and communicates freely with Him. It is the spirit man that first finds peace with God. The soul is made up of the will, the intellect and emotions. The body is what houses the spirit and soul. If the body stops functioning, the man will automatically die and the spirit and soul will find another destination where they can stay without a body i.e heaven or hell. The total man (i.e spirit, soul and body) needs to be taken care of in a way that can bring out the best in the man. The soul needed to renewed by spiritual food i.e the word of God. The spirit needs to be constantly in touch with God by the help of the Holy Spirit. The body needs physical food to be nourished to carry out daily activities. There must be harmony for the man to succeed in life. Imballance can cause many unpleasant situations.

Leaders can be busy with physical activities to such an extend that they forget the balance of the total man. Some can go into unplanned fasting that will render them physically unfit to do other physical activities. Prayer, fasting, study and meditation and physical fitness is important for balance. Daily routine for best outcome is very important. How can the leader succeed without the help of other men. Other men need the best of their leader so they need to do their part to help him succeed. One way or the other, the leader needs the help of the people he leads. They need to support him.

Jesus was not an exception. Jesus needed the support of his disciples. He needs the support of the people in authority (who later led to his death), he needed to eat. He needed rest, sleep and some privacy. He needed people who will make his work easy. He was supported by some. 

"...Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance."

These women gave their substance to support Jesus. Based on the lifestyle Jesus lived, he needed money and other provisions to meet his daily needs. These women made provisions available to him out of what they had. They were not under any kind of pressure to support Jesus, they supported him willingly out of what they had. Who were these women?

"... certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,..Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him..."

Those who benefited from his teachings and prayers were foremost among his supporters. Some of the supporters suffered one thing or the other in life and Jesus came to their rescue. Though Jesus did not help them for a fee, they helped him freely of their substance. They were not under any obligation by Jesus to help him. In business, the expert may charge consultation fee and demand to be paid but not the case of Jesus' ministry. God touched the heart of the people to support. He received their support.

Matthew 26:18

"And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples."

Jesus needed a place to stay for a short time and he sent his disciples to go ahead of him to a certain man requesting to stay with him for a short time. Whether the man was fully familiar with Jesus or not, the man gave his place for Jesus to stay. This is support. This was not the only case where Jesus stayed in the house of a man. There were other cases. This showed that Jesus was supported. Jesus ate food, he slept, washed his clothes and body with water, mingled with people and sent some on errands. He was supported. God made it possible by using men and women around Jesus. What would have happened had every man turned his back against Jesus? It would have been possible that God would have used angels to make it possible but that was not God:s way of doing His work. God's way is using men and women.

No leader is ever truly completely successful and happy without the help of other men and women. The mistake of some leaders is either they are too demanding or that they are too self sufficient. Either way is not the best. The mistake of the followers is either they do not care or they do it with eye service. God is the true rewarder of men and will reward them when they respond to the leading from the heart. It does not have to be under compulsion.

For the leader to keep the total man busy doing the right things at the right time, he needs support. How he receives the support and how it is given to him is very important.

Pray:

Father, help me to learn to give my support when You nudge on my heart so that I do not stop Your work. Help me to also learn to receive the support You send my way so that I am fully ready to always do Your will all the days of my life. This I pray in Jesus name. Amen!