Show Don't Tell: Mark 3:7-12

Instead of saying "Large crowds followed Jesus," trace the map of desperation. Jesus withdraws to the lake with his disciples. A large crowd follows from Galilee. Then from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, the regions beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon—they come from everywhere. They've heard about all he was doing. The crowd is so large that Jesus tells his disciples to have a small boat ready so the people won't crush him. Picture the press of bodies, everyone reaching to touch him. Those with diseases push forward to touch him. Whenever the impure spirits see him, they fall down before him and cry out: "You are the Son of God!" But Jesus gives them strict orders not to tell others who he is. The demons know; the crowds sense power; Jesus maintains strategic secrecy. His identity must be revealed on his terms.