“And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him…” (Mark 5. 24)

How often do we come across a verse like this that refers to Jesus’s own situation of vulnerability? Do we stop and reflect on how in demand Jesus was? Did it cause him anxiety or fear or anger, or did he simply take it all in his stride? The phrase “pressed in on him” is quite specific: it does suggest crowding, overcrowding, thronging, suffocating. Jesus was in high demand and it must have been exhausting. Do you ever feel overwhelmed and exhausted? He knows what it feels like.