A CONFUSED CROWD

Luke 9:18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

The first thing that comes to mind when one sees a crowd of protestor are ‘they are united in purpose’ because they seem to be moving and acting together. However, a little drilling down into the crowd will reveal that at its core, there are divisions, confusion and ignorance. Therefore, while the crowd from the outside moves as one, the internal story might be very different.

When Jesus asked about his identity based on what others were saying, I don’t think He was surprised by the variety of responses He received. The crowds had various ideas about him: some believed he was John the Baptist, others Elijah or one of the old prophets (Luke 9:19). Yet, who He really was, isn’t revealed as either of those mentioned.

Imagine everyone running along with a revelation that Jesus was ‘John the Baptist reincarnated’, at the expense of his revelation as Christ, the son of God? That would have been a big loss which robs an entire generation of the reason for his birth, passion and resurrection. But this is what happens when one follows the crowd “you might end up even farther away from what you ought to be going“.

Beloved, the crowd is colourful, but it is also full of confusing characters  and ideas. You may often have to seek for answers “apart from the crowd” – else your senses might be conditioned to perceive only what the masses recognise.

#sly