Crowd Mentality
A crowd is a hard thing to manage.
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, ’see, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen! - Matt. 11:7-15
Once people get riled up, it is hard to constrain them.
We have seen this a lot in the past and we are seeing it today.
Crowds have a mind of their own. They can get out of control very fast.
Jesus knew how t deal with crowds. He spoke to them, taught them, and even fed them to keep them from becoming a problem.
When the crowd got too large to manage, he had them sit in groups of fifty and a hundred. He understood that people, all of us, can be swayed and moved by the crowd. We can find ourselves in the middle of a group that has a different agenda than we thought when we joined.
And that can be a problem.
By asking the crowd what they went to see when they ventured out to find John, Jesus is telling them and us, to be vigilant, to be aware of what we are doing.
Don't just follow the crowd, but go with a plan, a mission, a purpose.
It is good to stand up for what you believe, and to want to be heard, but know before you go.
Make sure the crowd you are joining is what you think it is.
More to come...