Great Multitudes Followed Him

Matthew 19:1-3

Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan. 2 And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. 3 The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

Jesus was known for His ministry in Galilee. Now He had gone to Judea to the area of Jerusalem, and His popularity had grown even in that area. The multitudes followed Him as they had continuously done. As always, there was a diverse group among the multitude. In almost any crowd there will be those who follow the latest interest. This describes the multitude who followed Jesus because He was doing novel things. They weren’t devoted to Him. They only wanted to see or hear something new. There was a second group among the multitude. That group is those whom Jesus healed. They typify the ones who used to be part of the larger multitude but have received Christ as their Savior and been healed spiritually. The last group that can be found in any multitude are those like the Pharisees who are near Christ only to challenge Him and to test Him.

Most people who claim to be Christians would identify themselves as one whom Jesus has healed. We acknowledge our sin and ask Jesus to forgive us, to restore us, and to make us whole. And He does because He is compassionate and gracious. But we are in danger of moving into one of the other groups in the multitude. It is not difficult to become cynical and question the Lord to test Him. You may even justify such questioning as wanting to verify what you believe is true. But you can become like the Pharisees who questioned Jesus with impure motives. They didn’t have a sincere question. They just wanted to find fault with His answer. Possibly the more dangerous and subtle change you can go through is when you become indifferent to following the Lord. You continue to go to church, use religious phrases, or do religious deeds, but you are just part of the crowd. You are just hoping to see or hear something sensational and new. But no matter what you see or hear, your life isn’t impacted or changed. You don’t stand out as a follower of Christ. You have simply become part of the multitude. Examine your life. How do you see yourself? Remember, great multitudes followed Jesus. So, are you simply among that great multitude of followers, or are you a great follower among that multitude?