Comfortable in the crowds, but so often focused on just one person

By Dean Collins

How many people does it take to make a crowd? It depends. A crowd is not simply a large number of people. Crowds are also determined by space. I remember getting on a bus in India where there were so many people packed in the bus I had physical contact on every side. It was hard to breathe. And like many of you, I have been in crowded stadiums for ball games and concerts. I’ve walked the green hills of Augusta with crowds and gathered around the 18th green where I watched the final putt. There were so many people you could not see the actual putt, but wow, what a roar when the putt rolled in the hole.

Crowds gather to see, to hear, to experience something or some person that has been elevated to some status of curiosity. FOMO, fear of missing out, seems to drive many these days.

Mark’s Gospel and the crowds around Jesus

As I am reading through Mark’s Gospel, I am noticing how many times Jesus drew a crowd. I haven’t counted, but many of the first few chapters show that a crowd surrounded Jesus to the point that he and others could hardly move. Keep in mind that the first century had no social media, no phones, no radio or television, and no newspapers. News traveled person to person. And like today, if a group started to gather, others would come to see what and who was drawing a crowd.

Some people in a crowd come because they want to be identified with the crowd or event. Some in the crowd are curious. Some in the crowd are likely bored and looking for something to do or for some meaning. Some in crowds have no connection to the person or event but were invited or dragged into the crowd. The personalities, needs, and motives of crowds are varied.

Pressing crowds, individual connections

What struck me was the ability to connect with an individual person and their need, even in the midst of a crowd. Mark describes individual encounters even when the crowds block the view. In Mark 2 for instance, Jesus is crowded in a room, and four men bring their friend to Jesus. The only way they could find access was to tear a hole in the roof of a home and lower their friend from above. Jesus forgave the man’s sins and restored his mobility by healing his arms and legs. Some in the crowd accused Jesus of blasphemy, others were amazed at seeing a miracle, and some gave glory to God. And everyone there told their friends what had happened.

Synagogue attendance was up when Jesus was in town. No one wanted to miss out on a miracle or the tension in the air as the scribes and Pharisees interacted with Jesus. Power struggles will also draw a crowd.

Sometimes the crowds were too much even for Jesus. He needed to be alone and away from the crowds and even away from his disciples in order to connect with his Father. Those times of communion with the father brought peace, wholeness, and strength for Jesus to complete his mission and purpose.

Leaving the crowds, time alone with Jesus

We often rush from crowd to crowd, event to event, never pausing to be alone with our Heavenly Father. But if we want fully to understand ourselves, discover our purpose, and recover our identity, we must pull away from the crowd and spend time alone with Jesus.

Jesus can find us even in the crowds and the busyness. I suspect Jesus endured crowds, not because of any joy in the numbers, but rather because every person mattered to him. It was true in the Gospel records and it is true today.

Jesus can break through crowded rooms and crowded thoughts. He can see our needs even when we can’t see ourselves clearly. His voice might come to you while you are in a crowd, but when we hear his voice speak, we must leave the crowds and go to him. Sometimes God will use a friend or stranger to help us take a step, but eventually, we must come to Jesus alone and face-to-face.

Next time you find yourself in a crowd at a ball game or concert, I want to challenge you as I challenge myself. Look past or through the crowd and find someone you can lift up to Jesus in prayer. And after we’ve spent time in a crowd, let’s make sure we find a quiet place where we can sit with Jesus and talk to him about all those people around us and how he might use us to share his love more and more.

Your time with God’s Word
Mark‬ ‭2:1-10, 12‬; 3:1-11; ‭ESV‬‬

Photos by Andrej Nihil at Unsplash

To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.