A large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. (from John 5:24)
We know God so loved the world; no doubt He loved this crowd; no doubt He loved the nation of Israel. Yet the New Testament reveals His penchant for demonstrating it one life at a time.
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
Our passage reveals God, in Christ, walking among the many, traveling in the company of a few, yet eventually dealing with just one.
For many are called but few are chosen. (Matthew 22:14)
Many were following Jesus for the sake of their nation. A major prophet was in their midst. They hoped He had come to restore their nation to God. Their nationalistic zeal was being stirred. The unclean Romans would be evicted; Jews would rule their own affairs. Then there were the curious—nothing this interesting had ever been heard of. They weren’t about to miss the show. I suspect these motives accounted for the many.
A few on the other hand were practically stalking Jesus. These people were motivated by debilitating physical conditions. The woman in our story had exhausted her resources in pursuit of healing yet she was getting worse: “What happens when I die? What will become of my dependents?” She was desperate. She simply needed Jesus. It didn’t matter to her if He was a great prophet or the Messiah. She just wanted to be whole.
The tiny seed of an idea had been planted when she had “heard about Him.” The soil condition in her heart allowed that seed to geminate and take root. It’s expression, as it blossomed, was: “If I just touch His garments, I shall get well.” Had this woman been chosen, receiving the gift of faith and consequently her healing? Or, was there something she contributed that distinguished her from the many, making her the latest from the crowd to join the few?
Jesus points to her faith. Faith is the smallest of seeds. The Sower sows it liberally that many will see its fruit, yet few respond. In the subtlest of thoughts and whispers, it can be overlooked. Some salvage that live-or-die moment when their hearts say “yes” to the seed. Our story provides a front row seat where we get to see what happens when a person’s “yes” separates them from the many and they become whole.
Lord, may our hunger for You grow. Grant us acute awareness of our need. May it merge with our “Yes.” May faith arise. May You be glorified and honored. Amen.
Thanks, Rob, for another good post. It got me thinking about my neighbor Jeff. He’s not a Christian and has done a lot of crazy stuff. If someone were to ask me, “Mark, why did you come to Christ and Jeff has not. Is it because you are smarter than Jeff?” I would have to say “no way am I smarter than Jeff”. If they asked “is it because you are more of a moral guy than Jeff?” I would have to say “no, because before Christ came into my life, I did a lot of crazy stuff.”
If they asked “what was it then?”, I would have to look to the Scriptures, namely John 6:44-65. Jesus said “No one ( a universal negative) can ( a word for having the ability to do something) come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” The Greek word translated “draw” (helkuo) is also used in Acts 16:19 where Paul is dragged before the authorities. He was not “wooed” he was dragged. The word is also used in Acts 21:30 where Paul was seized and dragged out of the temple. We know he was not “wooed” out of the temple. James 2:6 would be another example.
So what point am I laboring? It’s still a mystery, no matter how you slice it, but the bottom line is that God vigorously intervened in my life & did a work in my sorry heart, saving me. He could do the same thing for Jeff. That’s why I’m playing golf with him & going out to eat with him, trying to build a relationship. God doesn’t just ordain the ends, He also ordains the means to that end. I am still responsible to share the gospel, even though I have no way of knowing where it will go from there. But, I can be optimistic, knowing that God saves people that a lot of folks have given up on. I think you and I are prime examples.