OVERCOMING THE CROWD

Aug 18
3 min read

The Crowd.

Most times, it’s not that you don’t want to go for it; it’s the voices around you. The crowd. The crowd has a way of bringing you down and pulling you back. But your issue shouldn’t be the crowd, because the crowd will always be around. In the Bible, many people who received their healing overcame the crowd. They overcame what the crowd would think, what the crowd thought, and what the crowd would do. Even as outcasts, they realised that the power that went forth from Jesus had to locate their situations, and that focus is what powered them through these scary moments of their lives.

The Crowd.

Let’s look at Zacchaeus, a tax collector! Definitely not the people’s favourite. But when he heard that Jesus was coming, he ran through the crowd in order to get through and position himself for Jesus to see him. He was hated by many, and anything could have happened to him. But he didn’t allow the crowd to stop him from getting to Jesus (Luke 19:1-10).

What about blind Bartimaeus? He screamed, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The crowd told him to be quiet. What if he had listened to them? What would have become of his healing? He went against the crowd to get the attention of Jesus (Mark 10:46-52).

Don’t forget about the woman with the issue of blood. Under Jewish law, she was considered unclean and was not supposed to be in the crowd. But she didn’t let the crowd stop her. She knew what she needed, and she went for it. She pushed through the crowd because she knew that if she could just touch the garment of Jesus, she would be healed (Luke 8:43-48).

What about the men who lowered the paralysed man through the roof because of the crowd? (Luke 5:17–26). They couldn’t get through the crowd, so they found another way. They refused to allow the crowd to become an obstacle between their friend's healing.

Or what about the Roman centurion who came to Jesus and asked Him to heal his servant? He could have thought, “What will people think? How will this look?” But he overcame the thoughts of the crowd. His position, his status and what people might have thought did not stop him from seeking Jesus (Luke 7:1-10).

And then there is Jesus! Our Jesus never allowed the thoughts of the crowd to stop Him. He ate with tax collectors and sinners, people whom society would normally ignore. The Pharisees talked. People talked. People judged Him. But that did not take Jesus off His course.

So, what is it that you want to do, but the fear of the crowd is stopping you from doing?

Yes, there will always be someone who tried it and failed. There will always be someone who did something and it went wrong. There will always be someone who tells you that you can’t do it. But when you focus on the stories of the crowd, they will never motivate you. They will bring fear, and that fear can stop you. People will always tell you to shut up. People will always discourage you. People will always try to block you. But your aim is not to allow them to hold you back. There will always be a crowd, so don’t focus on the crowd. Focus on Jesus. Focus on the Author and Finisher of your faith. Focus on greater things. Don’t limit yourself because of what the crowd is saying. Don’t limit yourself because there are many people trying to achieve the same thing you are trying to achieve. The crowd doesn’t determine your destiny. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Remain focused. Keep moving forward. And the Lord will bring you your victory, your healing, your reward and your answers. May God bless you always.