The “They” in the Way

Luke 19:3, 4

And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was of little stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him; for he was to pass that way.

Mark 2:4

And when they could not come night unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

Mark 5:27, 28

When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may but touch his clothes, I shall be whole.

“They” is a pronoun we hear a lot to refer to a group of people in general. A lot of times the general “they” is responsible for all sorts of negative action preventing a person from what they would otherwise do. In the three texts above, the “they” is referred to as the “press” or crowd stood between the person or group and their intended goal, which was in all three cases to see Jesus.

Each person or group in these three situations encountered the crowd and had to make a decision about whether they would abandon their pursuit or find a way to get to Jesus in spite of the hindrances in their paths. Let’s take a look at each story:

Zacchaeus

Zacchaeus was a public official. The scripture says that he was very rich. He was also short in stature. Upon hearing the commotion about Jesus passing by, Zacchaeus had a curiosity and a desire to see Jesus, but because he was so short and the crowd was so large, it was impossible for him to see over the crowd of people. When faced with this obstacle, Zacchaeus could either abandon his curiosity and go about his business– after all it was just a passing thought, or he could find a way to still see Jesus despite the crowd.

In order to continue his pursuit, it was going to require more effort than just a passing attempt. If Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, it was going to require some sacrifice on his part. It would test him to prove just how badly he wanted to see him. Zacchaeus would have to commit. So as the story goes, Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a tree on the route that they were to walk by. It wasn’t so important to him to be seen by Jesus, but merely to be able to see him as he walked by.

What was the sacrifice in Zacchaeus’ actions? Zacchaeus was a rich man of notoriety, well-known in the community. He was someone of status. For him to take off running ahead of the crowd and then climb up a tree required him to lay aside all of his social status and pride concerning how he was viewed by other people. He had to become as a child, as only a child would be out climbing trees and such. But for Zacchaeus it didn’t seem to matter; all he wanted in that moment was to see Jesus.

As it turns out it wasn’t a passing fancy or curiosity, but God himself had orchestrated these circumstances to lead to Zacchaeus having an encounter with this Jesus who he sought to see. The crowd was an obstacle, but God was the orchestrator of the obstacle. It was all a part of God’s set up to bring Zacchaeus to a life-changing moment that day. So we discover it was never about “they” or “them” it was God who used them to cause a decision to be made and a pursuit to begin.

Four Men

Next is the story of four men carrying a paralytic to Jesus. They heard Jesus was preaching in a home and these four men somehow got together to carry the paralyzed man to see Jesus. the Bible doesn’t say that they were friends or family to each other or the sick man, just that they somehow got together and determined to carry him to Jesus. He had a lot more at stake than Zacchaeus as he had hopes of being healed. It wasn’t just a passing thought for him, he hoped that this venture would result in a whole new life. For whatever reason, four men were willing to carry this sick man all the way to where Jesus was so that he could be healed. Perhaps they, too, wanted to witness this miracle.

But it just so happened that when they arrived, the house was already so packed that they could not fit through the door with the man on his bed. Once again, it was time for a decision. They had come all this way for one purpose, should they give up and go back home? Should they just leave the man there and hope that maybe he could catch Jesus on the way out? Or do they stick together and figure it out?

The crowd challenged their unity and ability to work together, to keep believing and speaking the same thing, and to keep trying until they saw the result they were seeking. The opposite of these would be to fall apart, to start bickering and arguing, and to criticize instead of cooperating. Ultimately, their efforts and commitment paid off. The Bible says Jesus saw their faith! He didn’t just see their actions and hard work to get the man in front of Jesus, but he saw the faith behind the action. So the obstacle presented by the crowd was a tool of God to cause this group to elevate their faith to the level that it was seen by Jesus in their extraordinary action. No doubt Jesus could see them outside of the house while he was in the house. He saw their frustration and struggle trying to get to him. He didn’t make it easier or provide any sign for encouragement, but he required them to work and bring their faith up to meet him where he was. He knew what was in each of them and that they had each been given a measure of faith. This was an opportunity for them to work and demonstrate their faith and see what God would do in response. He did not disappoint. They all witnessed a miracle of the man being healed and walking away in his own power.

The Woman with the Issue

This woman had been sick for 12 years and was at the end of her resources. Going to see Jesus was her last resort. It would seem that she had a hard enough way to go just mustering the strength to even go out to meet Jesus, but she too, was met by the crowd in the way. The crowd tried to prevent her weak and frail body from pressing through to Jesus, but the dire circumstance she was in must have strengthened her resolve. It was a significant challenge as she didn’t belong amongst other people with her issue, she was weak and did not have a whole lot of strength to begin with, and she risked being humiliated, judged and degraded… OR WORSE. But instead of focusing on who was in the way, she focused on why she was there. She made up her mind that Jesus had the answers she sought and she needed only to reach him. With what was probably her last ounce of strength, she reached out and barely touched the border of his clothes, and that’s all it took. She began to gain strength from that moment, and she knew in herself she was healed! Jesus confirmed it and told her that it was her faith that had made her whole.

The Lesson of These Three Encounters

It’s easy to focus on other people that we can see as a reason for our problems, delays, and frustrations, but God allows what he allows to bring out of us a new level of faith, ability, trust, function and freedom. It’s NEVER them, it’s always HIM!

Explore posts in the same categories: Inspirational Thoughts

Tags: Crowd, encouragement, Faith, Healing, Jesus, Obstacles, Purpose, Woman with the Issue of Blood, Zacchaeus

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