God's Kingdom Won't be Stopped

Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.

Mark 3:6-8

By just verse six of chapter three of mark's gospel, Jesus has unnatural allies plotting together how they might kill Him, but what we find in the next two verses shows us that even in the face of increasing opposition, God’s kingdom advances.

In verse 7 we read that Jesus has a large crowd following Him but they are all from Galilee which is the geographic area that Jesus’ ministry has been primarily restricted to up to this point. But it doesn’t stay that way for long. In verse 8 we find that word about what Jesus has been doing has spread and that people are coming from all over to see Him. 

The names of some of these places that they come from are interesting. Tyre for example is far north of Galilee. While Idumea is far south. And both of them, along with several other areas listed, are inhabited primarily by non-Jews. What this tells us is that Jesus’ influence is growing. He is now drawing people from a large geographic area. [John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Mk 3:8.]

And so what we see here is that in spite of the fact that Jesus’ enemies were plotting to kill Him, His influence grows and God’s kingdom advances! This is strong reminder that we should not live in fear of the world or of those who oppose the expansion of God’s influence over it. People with a secular mindset may call you nasty names. They may say awful things about Christians and Christianity. They may even makes threats against you, but they cannot stop the growth of God’s kingdom! God is in control, and you are in His hand. They cannot harm you without His permission; so never, never, never fear them.