Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Two Crowds, Two Responses, Two Results

Mark 1:14-15 – Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

THEME OF THE DAY: TWO CROWDS, TWO RESPONSES, TWO RESULTS.  Jesus walked on to the scene unassuming and without anything which would make Him stand out in a crowd.  Until He spoke.  His Words were short, direct, and came with confident authority.  Such words were never heard before either as a hearer or teacher. The crowd gathering to hear Him, though initially one, would quickly become two by their responses to Him.  Jesus didn’t just speak His message.  Nor did He dialogue in a small group.  He preached. He proclaimed. It was a monologue and it solicited a response by every single person under its sound.  And that has not changed to this very day.  Every single human being responds to the Words of Jesus.

As Christ opens His public ministry, He proclaims three things.  First, His arrival and message would be the pivotal point in all of history – “the time is fulfilled.”  The world would never be the same because of this Solitary Life now walking upon the earth.  Next, He proclaimed a message that came from outside this world; a Word from God Himself. This was no mere man. And finally, He demanded a response from every hearer. It was a response to change one’s thinking and life (repent) and to trust (believe) the good news (Gospel) found in His message.  And from His Words, the crowd would separate into two.

Crowd one would listen, then immediately dismiss this Man as some religious zealot consumed with a fanatical egotistical self-delusion. They would walk away. By doing so, they would be the ones living a delusion.  The answers to questions such as “Where did I come from?, Why do I exist?, Why do I have to die?, and What happens to me after death?” would remain unanswered, even ignored, with the eternal consequences of rejecting this Man and His message.  And that crowd continues today with those who dismiss Jesus Christ; His claims of Himself, and His message.  But another crowd also emerged as they listened to Jesus on that fateful day.

Crowd two would listen, but with a different response and result.  They would marvel, and though not fully understanding Who Jesus was and what He proclaimed, they were willing to submit to Him.  They would repent (change their thinking and living) and believe what He said of themselves, Him, and the good news of the Gospel He proclaimed.  By such simple exercise of faith in Him, they would enter into a life of purpose, peace, and most importantly eternal life – a restored relationship with God.  For this group, the encounter with Christ radically changed their lives.  They would not or could not return to their old lifestyle. Nor could they continue to live for themselves.  When they responded to Him in glad submission, Jesus became the new Lord of their lives.  He would be their Master.  He would chart the course of their lives from this day into eternity.  And this crowd continues even today.

The question for each of us to seriously consider is, “Which crowd are we in?”  It is a good assumption to believe those reading our nugget put themselves in crowd two as followers of Christ.  However, it is important in making that profession, we also evaluate the evidence validating that profession.  We find no example in the Bible or church history of those who truly encounter and believe on Christ who remain the same.  Just the opposite.  They are radically changed.  Desires change.  Conduct changes.  Attitudes change. Worldviews change, but most important, a love for God takes over in the life encountering Christ.  We find ourselves with hearts of affection toward Him and give evidence of such by obedience to His commands (John 14:21).  Take time and ponder this.  Look into our lives.  Be honest.  Be thorough.  Have we encountered Christ?  If so, has the radical nature of that encounter produced within us a growing desire and subsequent acts of obedience to the commands of scripture?  It must because this encounter is called “new birth” and where new birth has occurred, new living will follow.

PRAYER: “Father, let my life reflect what I say I believe about Your Son.”

QUOTE: “The Words of Jesus always force a response from every single person; to life or death.”