Jesus and the masses

It started with a random reading of the gospel of Luke. I picked it up in the prayer room maybe a week ago with the intention of reading it straight through, just for fun. But then details like this started catching my eye...

“So it was, that when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him…” Luke 8

“And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying…” Luke 9

“And the whole city was gathered together at the door…Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they had found Him, they said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’” Mark 1

Looking at these verses through my natural grid (as an introvert who thrives on solitude), I was like…whoa…And suddenly I am really intrigued with Jesus’ relationship with the masses, with His responses and interaction with them. Needless to say, I’m still not through Luke yet =D. Here are a few more for good measure:

“From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He
entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden, for a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him…” Mark 7

“When the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them….Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them…” Luke 4

And check this one out--

“Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city of Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.” Luke 9

He then went on to feed them all. Craziness.

I’ve been chewing on these for a little while now, and I am amazed at how ridiculously well Jesus responded. I mean really-- how would you like to have your quiet time interrupted nearly every time you try to pray?! And not just by one person, but by hundreds or thousands. And not for ten minutes or an hour, but for hours and hours and hours. And to make it worse, they aren’t coming to give you something or to benefit you in any way. They all either want to touch you or for you to touch them. No matter where you go, there are always crowds of people following you around. How is one supposed to handle that?

Jesus walked it out so well that now I’m walking around under perpetual conviction, and stuck wondering…How in the world do you get there? How long does it take for one to have that kind of groundedness in eternal things?

You extroverts out there might not know what I’m talking about, but as one who can hardly handle a five-minute, 1-person intrusion on my alone time, as one who is, in light of all the changes on the base, daily suppressing urges to run away to some itty bitty HOP, this concept is borderline revolutionary. As Corey Russell would say, it’s “in your business.” =D

More thoughts on this later....