October 8, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

The Unconverted Crowds

 

Introduction

a.     Last Sunday, we noted the disposition of crowds and even religious people to become consumers. The unconverted crowds that followed Jesus did so for the loaves and fishes. He admonished them to labor for the meat that perishes not. (John 6:26-27.) 

b.     The crowds are not seen in the gospels in a favorable light. They left Jesus when he told them that he was the bread of life that came down from heaven.  If any man eats of this bread, he shall never die. The crowds left him and followed him no more. Jesus even asked the twelve apostles if they would also go away.  Peter replied, “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:66-68.)

c.      The crowds clamored for this death, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him. (John 19:15.)

d.     Organized religions have made many mistakes over the years, but so also have people who have gathered to hear the Gospel. Religious people have even demanded that they be allowed to commit shameful sinful deeds and still be acknowledged as Christians and priests/preachers in the churches.

 

They Tried to Take the Kingdom by Force

 

In a somewhat bewildering statement, Jesus described the reaction of the crowds in his day.  He said, “Among those born of women, there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist. . . And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” (Matt. 11:11-12, KJV & ESV.)  The RSV reads, “The kingdom of heaven suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force.”

 

Some have said that Jesus meant nothing more than this: “Since John and Jesus started preaching, throngs of people have gathered to hear them.  They came seeking salvation like men of violence who took ancient cities.”  This puts a good interpretation on these words.  But in the context, Jesus gave his description of that generation.  They were not sincerely or earnestly seeking salvation.  He said that they were like children sitting in the market place. We have played the flute to you, but you did not dance.  We sang the funeral dirge, but you did not lament.  They said that John had a devil because he was not social; he lived an ascetic life in the Jordan wilderness.  Then Jesus came and he was social, eating meals with friends and sinners.  The crowds said that Jesus was a winebibber and gluttonous.  (Vs. 16-19.)   Jesus replied that wisdom is demanded of its children.  The crowds were inconsistent; there was no way to please them.

 

I know that this is the right view of these words in Matthew 11:11-12, because of this context and what was said later.  John said that the crowds came and intended to use force to make Jesus their king. (John 6:15.)  So, the crowds wanted to use force against Jesus in order to take over his kingdom.

 

The Crowds Were Restless

 

The unconverted multitudes in the gospels were restless and unstable. They were like a school of fish that go in one direction for a moment, then quickly change course and go away.  Sin has so affected man that he cannot find peace and contentment.  His heart is troubled and easily disturbed.  Man is looking for something, but he does not know what it is.  Jesus announced that he was the water of life and the bread of life.  If any man eats of this bread and drinks of this water, he shall never hunger or thirst again.  (John 4 & 6.)  What the Lord offers satisfies man’s needs.

 

To the restless and weary, Jesus said, “Come unto me all ye that are labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matt. 11:28-30.)

 

Those converted to Jesus Christ find that rest and peace, but the unconverted crowds seem never to be able to find it. This restlessness causes many problems in churches. On western cattle drives, the cowboys knew the value of keeping the cattle contented. As long as they had plenty of grass to eat and water to drink, they were peaceful. But there was danger if they got restless and hungry. In that state, it was easy for them to become excited and stampede.

 

Even with God providing for all their needs in the wilderness journey, the Israelites (crowds) got restless. “Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing. Their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.”  (Nehemiah 9:21.)  God fed them with manna from heaven and quail when they complained about the manna. Water flowed from a rock to quench their thirst. Churches are too often like the Israelites in the wilderness. There is restlessness even among those who are Christians.

 

The Crowds Did Not Believe

 

The reason the crowds left Jesus was because of unbelief.  Peter said, “We believe and are sure that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God.”  (John 6:69.)  The infant nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years unnecessarily.  They could have made it to the promise land in a few weeks.  The NT writer summed it up: “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”  (Heb. 3:19.)  The older generation who came out of Egypt wandered and died in the wilderness because of unbelief.  Only Joshua and Caleb among them entered the Promise Land.  They were among the twelve spies who went into Canaan to plan their invasion.  The other ten gave a fearful and faithless report.

The religious crowd in Jesus’ day, the religious leaders among the Pharisees, scribes and chief priests, were filled with unbelief.  The crowds have a hard time with a genuine and deep faith in God.  They do not believe his Word; they will quickly supplant it with their own desires and conjectures.  It is astonishing how many today do not believe the Scriptures.  Jesus told the Sadducees, “You do err not knowing the Scriptures, or the power of God.”  (Matt. 22:29.)

 

The Crowds Are Weak

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran preacher in Germany under Hitler.  He was arrested and imprisoned because he opposed the policies of the Third Reich.  While in prison, he learned a lot about unconverted people that he did not know.  In one letter from the Tegel prison, he wrote that he noticed a particular failure of mankind.  He said that it was not just wickedness that preachers so often point out, but it was also weakness.  Some of the prisoners were so frightened when the bombs fell near the prisons that they trembled and wept.  Bonhoeffer noted that men are not just wicked, but that we are also weak. He wrote:

 

It is weakness rather than wickedness that perverts a man and drags him down. We should never allow ourselves to be consumed by the present moment, but should foster that calmness that comes from great thoughts and measure everything by them.  The fact that most people cannot do this is what makes it so difficult to bear with them. . . .Isn’t people’s weakness a greater danger than evil? Christ not only makes people good, but he makes them strong, too. The sins of weakness are really the human sins, whereas the willful sins are diabolical. I must think about this again.  (Letters and Papers from Prison, 384.)

 

I think Bonhoeffer was right.  The Bible teaches that we should “be strong and behave like men.” (1 Cor. 16:13.)  “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.”  (Eph. 6:10.)  “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”  (2 Tim. 1:7.)  “Be faithful unto death (in the face of death) and I will give you a crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10.)  John specifically named the fearful among other things like unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire.  (Rev. 21:8.)

 

Here are some examples of courage by some and weakness from the crowds: 1) Young David fought Goliath by faith in God, but the whole Israelite army was filled with fear.  2) The throngs at the foot of Mount Sinai were fearful of the glory and presence of God.  Why did they not stay and hear the voice of God?  They pleaded with Moses to speak to God.  3) Church buildings were filled to the brim during the Great Depression.  Church attendance jumped right after 9/11/01.  In just a few weeks, the numbers went back to their usual levels.  If we had a major attack on a large US city killing millions, our population would panic.  Churches and other places of worship would be overrun, even on Sunday and Wednesday nights.  4) Why have the multitudes lived under the domination of Stalin, Hitler, Castro, Chavez and Saddam Hussein?  The reason is fear.  The masses of citizens could easily overthrow such puny dictators.  5) Peter denied knowing Jesus Christ because he was afraid.  The other apostles fled when Jesus was arrested.  Only some women remained and courageously stood by the cross.  6) Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus by night?  (John 3:2, 7:50, 19:39.)  All three times that Nicodemus is mentioned, he is identified as the one who came to Jesus by night.  I suspect it was due to weakness and fear.  7) The crowds would not openly speak about Jesus “for fear of the Jews.”  (John 7:13.)

 

Paul encouraged the Philippians to not be terrified by persecutors.  He wrote, “And in nothing terrified by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.”  (Phil. 1:28-29.)  Our fear is evidence of our lack of trust in God.  Jesus was not afraid of the crowds and their threats, though He knew that they would crucify him.