“On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd…” (Luke 5:17 – 5:19 ESV)
“Because of the crowd.” Isn’t that an interesting statement? The crowd wouldn’t, or couldn’t, get out of the way for someone to get to Jesus.
Think about the crowds you’ve heard of or been in. Crowds aren’t just some faceless blob of people blocking a doorway, screaming chants of protest. They are more than a maniacal group of caffeine drugged Black Friday shoppers running through a store at 4 a.m.
Crowds are real individuals, with hopes and dreams similar to yours. They have fears and struggles, and make good and bad decisions as they journey through life.
And sometimes they get in the way.
Although I applaud the friends of the paralytic, I can’t help but wonder something. Who was helping the crowd? See, the paralytic wasn’t the only one having difficulty reaching Jesus that day. The crowd was in the same situation! Why? They kept getting in each other’s way! Maybe they were all desperate. Perhaps they just wanted to see a miracle. Not sure…
But I do know this: someone needs to help the individuals who make up “the crowd.” Someone needs to help THEM finally make their way to Jesus. Just visiting His house every week isn’t the same thing. They need a close encounter of the best kind!
You and I are the “someone” they need.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38 ESV)
Jan Grace 