Mark 2:13 says that Jesus went out by the sea again, and the crowd came out to Him. But it is instructive for us to see just what He did when they came out. It says: “And He was teaching them.”

We often think if we are going to be like Jesus, we need to heal people, or meet their physical needs — and Jesus did plenty of that for sure. But it is also significant that on this and on many other occasions, Jesus TAUGHT the crowd. He knew that their deepest needs were not merely physical, but in their hearts, and that what they needed most was the change that could only come through the word of God. So Jesus was committed to teach the word to the multitudes that came to Him.

We should have that same commitment. There are physical needs to be met among the people to whom we minister, and we are certainly like Jesus when we do that. But let us also be committed to imitate His teaching of the word of God to the people He brings us.  Jesus never forgot that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” — and neither must we!