The Crowd

Right now, I’m immersing myself in the gospel of Mark. It’s full of Jesus’ parables and miracles. As I read, I can’t help but think about the crowds that came to see and hear Jesus. I question what those in the crowd came for. Did they come to listen because they were desperate to be in His presence, or because they wanted healing for themselves or another, or because they wanted to see what all the commotion was about? I’m sure there were lots of different reasons. Even the Pharisees and scribes came to listen so they could find fault in His words to use against Him!

In Mark 2:1–5, when Jesus was speaking to the crowd from within a house, four men carrying a paralytic found a way around the crowd to get to Him. They didn’t let the crowd in front of them stop them, because they were determined to help their friend, who couldn’t get to Jesus on his own. Focused on Jesus, they figured out how to get around the crowd to the roof of the house. They made an opening and lowered their friend down to Him. They had the boldness to do whatever it took. The kind of boldness that came from believing that getting to Jesus mattered more than anything in their way.

It’s easy to admire their boldness from a distance, but it makes me think about my own. I’d like to think I’d do anything for my friends, but would I embarrass myself? Would I make a spectacle just to push my way to the front of the line? Would I actually tear into somebody’s roof?! Their passion challenges me.

Because most of us aren’t this bold in our faith. We can barely give Jesus a few minutes of prayer or open our Bible to reflect on His words. We don’t act like the crowds who sacrificed meals or traveled miles just to hear Him. Instead, we often treat His words like something that can wait. Rather than having dusty feet from trying to get to Him, we have dusty Bibles sitting on our bedside tables, picked up only when we feel like it.

And here’s the truth that hit me: we don’t pursue Jesus with the same urgency or boldness every day. We get comfortable in routines and let life’s busyness dull our desire to follow Him wholeheartedly. Even harder is that we spend more time watching the crowd than pursuing Jesus ourselves. We soak up the crowd’s words instead of His Word. We don’t truly listen for ourselves - we let others do the listening for us.

That stings, because it’s me sometimes. I can get so distracted by what others say or do, or even just by going through the motions, that I lose sight of simply being in His presence. I let the voices around me (pastors, podcasts, social media, friends) shape what I hear more than Jesus Himself. And yet, the crowds in Jesus’ time were desperate. They came hungry, eager, even willing to push through obstacles, because they didn’t want to miss Him.

I want to be like that. To be in awe every day, feeling the same wonder and urgency the crowds must have felt, never taking Him for granted, and never just blending in with the crowd. I want to walk close by His side, full of passion and overflowing with faith.

Mark tells us that when Jesus saw the men’s faith, He responded. Their bold faith moved Him to perform a miracle and heal the paralytic. It makes me wonder... what might change in my perspective, my attitude, my life, if I pressed through like that every day? If I showed up eager to listen, to praise, to be humbled, and even to be surprised by Him? If their boldness could move Jesus, what might happen if I approached Him with the same determination every day?

Lord, don’t let me settle for standing in the crowd. Give me boldness. The kind of boldness that pushes past fear, distraction, and hesitation to reach You, no matter what it takes. Give me the kind of faith that chooses to have dusty feet over a dusty heart. The kind that is desperate to be in Your Presence, to see and hear You over the crowd.

xo