Lessons

I'm reading through the Bible (supposedly in a year but it's already been a year and I'm only in Mark...) and there's a big thing that I've been noticing--everything he does is to teach a lesson. I know that seems like the most obvious statement ever... and it is. But not only does he preach messages to huge crowds, there's a lot of implications and actions and all that other stuff that he seems to plan to teach someone something.

Just like when he performs miracles and tells the people not to tell anyone. He doesn't want that attention. He healed a leper and told him to offer the proper sacrifice to God in order to show that he had been healed. He wanted the credit to go to God, not himself. If anyone but the real messiah performed miracles, they would want that credit to prove that he was who he said he was! Jesus was the messiah though--that's all he needed to convince others. Not his miracles or power or anything... he just was. And because of that, he wanted all the credit to go to his Father.

Another thing that baffles me is that Jesus prayed. He was God... and yet he still prayed. He even stressed the importance of prayer. I don't really pray that much at all. I know I should but I either forget or my mind wanders or something. But if JESUS prays.... what makes me think I'm ok not praying?

(Sorry if this is all jumbled... I'm not the best writer.)