Talk about a Crowd

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

TALK ABOUT A CROWD

Mark 6:30-31

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." 

NIV

We are back to the point where Jesus had sent them out without any provisions to towns nearby to preach the good news, drive out demons, anoint people with oil and heal them. Now they have returned and have been telling Jesus all about their adventures. But this time of sharing was quite confusing because of all the people coming and going. Not sure what that what that was all about except that Jesus always caused a crowd. But maybe part of this crowd was because of the twelve and what they had done in all those nearby towns. Maybe a bunch of people were following them, people who needed healing or just watchers, those looking for miracles. Whenever the power of God is at work crowds will appear. Whenever there are people who God uses to display his power people will gather around them either seeking what they have to just to be near them in hopes of being healed. We could just about bet that the churches of today which are struggling just to keep their doors open are not seeing the power of God at work in their midst. That may be a bit judgmental, but it might just be the truth. If the power of God is at work in a group of believers, there would be a pretty good chance a crowd would gather. People would be coming and going, there would be a great deal of activity around those who are being used by the power of God. Men can busy themselves with a whole lot of human activity trying to be the light of the world. Men can come up with a wide range of programs and outreach “Ministries” in an attempt to gather a crowd, but it is the power of God which will do the trick. If we what crowds to gather around our buildings, crowding in filling up all the spaces, so we do not even have a chance to eat, to catch our breath, the have a chance for a little rest, then we must get to a point where we give up our human efforts and seek the power of God to be at work in us. We might not be going town to town, we might not be driving out demons, that might be a little weird, but we might see people be healed from all sorts of illnesses and that alone would draw a crowd when that news got out. Of course we could preach the good news in our neighborhoods. We could tell our next door neighbor about Jesus. If the power of God was at work in us we might even start anointing those neighbors who are sick with heal and heal them. Now, talk about a crowd.