Jump Start # 1451

Luke 12:1 “Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’”

What an interesting insight Luke gives us here about the enormous crowds that gathered to hear Jesus. The Lord was at the peak of His popularity. People came because He healed their sick. Jesus was a friend. It wouldn’t be too much longer that the Pharisees would turn the crowds and Jesus would die alone.

Some came because Jesus was something new. He was different than the rest of the dry and dull rabbis. Others came because on some occasions Jesus fed them. Some wanted to see a miracle. Some hoped that Jesus would heal them or a family member.

“So many thousands of people…that they were stepping on one another.” Can you imagine? Some probably wanted to get closer. Some wanted a better view. I expect stepping on someone would make them a bit testy and even angry. Most don’t like large crowds. A crowded movie theatre is often hard to find a seat. A crowded day at the amusement park means long lines. Crowded highways often means slow traffic and delays. Crowded airplanes means even the middle seat is taken. Most of us are not huge fans of crowds.

Sometimes crowds can leave the impression that something is right. A full parking lot at a church and someone will say, “They are doing something right.” No, not necessarily. It just means a large crowd is there. Don’t let the crowd fool you. Don’t let a crowd be the basis of what is right.

Remember Noah’s day—the crowd was outside the boat. It was those inside the boat that were right. Often God’s people were outnumbered against foreign armies. The size of the armies did not determine who was right.

Jesus warned that the road to destruction was wide and crowded. Many would be on that path of doom. The choice of right was narrow and few were on it. Our parents taught us this lesson when we were growing up. Don’t always do what the crowd was doing. Don’t follow the crowd. Doing what is right often makes you stand alone.

Rightness is determined by a standard, not the size of the crowd. Rightness is determined by God’s word and not by how I feel. Many can feel “right,” and still be wrong. Salvation is not based upon feelings but faith in Christ. God’s word is our standard. Check things by the Bible. Be Bible right. Do what the Bible says. Those catchy expressions remind us that I can’t be right with God and wrong with the Bible. To know God and to please God is to do the very things He says in His word.

I’ve often wondered from our verse today, how so many thousands could have heard Jesus. He did not have a PA system, wide screen video so those in the back could see Him. I don’t know how they heard. It is also interesting that so many thousands turned out and there wasn’t an ad on TV, flyers stuck in a mailbox, Facebook reminders or all the other slick things we do today to gather a crowd. It was word of mouth. One person told another. Jesus is coming. That news spread. Excitement swelled. And in our advanced world of technology today, that is still the best method of evangelism. One person simply telling another person. Face to face. Friend to friend. Come hear Jesus.

Not only did the crowd gather without any marketing tools, they gathered and sat outside. This wasn’t in a church building. No air conditioning. No padded pews. No ceiling fans running. No water fountains. Heat. Sun. Bugs. Hard ground. They came. They sat. They listened. They came for Jesus.

Most in that large crowd would not walk with Jesus very long. When they didn’t get what they wanted from Him, they went back to their ways. I wonder what it would have been like to sit in that crowd, looking around and seeing all those people. I wonder if I too, would have given up on Jesus as most of the others did. I wonder if I would have seen Jesus as a passing marvel or a means to get something personal. How few saw Him as God on earth. How few were willing to bend their hearts to Him.

It makes a person wonder why they follow Jesus? Is it because I meet nice people at church? Is it because it’s a nice religion? Is it because of what it does for me personally? Is it because He is the Lord and it is to Him that I owe everything? One wonders…

Roger