Today, I preached a message titled “Called to Heal, Invited to Travel Light” based on Mark 6:1-13 at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in downtown Fort Worth.
Sermon
You can watch the sermon below or read the manuscript.
Excerpt
This week I interrupted my normal routine social media routine of posting pictures to ask a question: What do you think Jesus is best known for?[1]
I’ve received a wide range of replies. These included some religious responses: “Savior,” “forgiving our trespasses,” and “being God incarnate;” some easy to remember responses: “your ticket to heaven” and “the guy in the middle in all those Last Supper paintings;” and even some radical replies: “making good trouble” and “challenging normativity.”
I should also disclose that I received a Disciples-centric response: “Jesus is best known for inviting everyone to God’s table, no limits or restrictions.”[2]
I wonder, what you think Jesus is best known for. If someone walked up and asked you this question, how would you reply?
While my social media post failed to go viral, I’d like to consider one that did. A week ago today, the American President posted an AI-generated image depicting himself as a Jesus-like figure. More specifically, the President, dressed in a white robe, is placing his hand on the forehead of a man in a hospital gown for what appears to be a healing moment.[3]
Amidst considerable concern from wide ranging folks including pastors and politicians, the President chose to take the post down. He later explained that he thought the image was of him as a doctor.[4] While most outside observers saw a Jesus-like image, the President saw himself as more of a medical healer.
And this brings us to today’s Jesus’ priority: healing. While I cannot definitively say what Jesus is best known for, I can tell you that the Gospels present him as a healer.
In fact, according to Christopher Maricle, Jesus’ top priority was healing. Maricle counts three dozen unique healing events or stories that are told more than sixty times in the Gospels.[5] No other priority comes close.
Anyone who takes the time to meet Jesus in the Gospels encounters Jesus as one who was devoted to the work of healing and wholeness. Last Sunday . . .
[1] I posted this question on Facebook on April 15, 2026, and received more than 30 responses before writing this sermon.
[2] This reply was submitted by First Christian Church member Gary Dunn.
[3] Brad Brooks, Helen Coster and Joseph Ax. “Trump’s AI image of himself as Jesus-like figure follows feud with Pope Leo,” April 13, 2026, available from www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-posts-ai-image-himself-jesus-like-figure-drawing-outrage-2026-04-13/
[4] Natalie Allison. “Trump post appearing to depict him as Jesus removed amid backlash,” April 13, 2026, available from www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/13/trump-jesus-religious-conservatives/
[5] Christopher Maricle. The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits (Upper Room Books, 2007), p.18.