The Crowd
The crowd
Jesus always had people around Him. I know of three times when Jesus was alone.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there.”
“When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land.”
“Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.”
When He was alone He was Praying.
But the crowd was always around. The crowd made Him and His disciples so busy they could not eat at times.
“Then He went home, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat.”
At times the crowd was so much that they had to get alone in the middle of the lake to rest.
“So they went away in the boat by themselves to a remote place, but many saw them leaving and recognized them. People ran there by land from all the towns and arrived ahead of them.”
And when Jesus and His disciples stepped ashore there they were again, bigger.
How did Jesus manage the crowd? He fed them!
He healed them! He taught them! He was present among them! But when it was time to get away he made sure he did!
How do we handle the crowd around us? Are we the kind person in the crowd or are we the rude person in the crowd? Will we stop and help if someone in the crowd needs it? Do we draw a crowd to us or do we draw a crowd for Jesus?
The more people you are trying to influence the less influence you will have. Jesus had the crowd, but he also had the 70, the 12, and the 3. Jesus made sure to give special attention to the 3 and the 12 that he did not give to the 70 or the crowd.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Are called to be a witness first to our Jerusalem, which is our immediate circle of people, our three: family, coworkers, and friends. Next, we are to witness to our Judea, our 12. These are those with whom we are acquainted: friends of friends or friends of family. Third, we are to witness to our Samaria, our 70. These are strangers we pass on the street, in Walmart, or in the local gathering hole. And last, the ends of the earth, that is our crowd, some mass of people gathered in one spot to hear you teach, or the various readers of a simple blog out there in cyberspace. We may never know their names but we can meet up in heaven when we get to see our impact on the world.
Don’t shy away from the crowd but use it as an opportunity to reach a few for Jesus!
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