Many times — more than we likely realize — we are influenced and hindered “because of the crowd.” There are two stories in sacred scripture that illustrate this reality.
The first comes from the gospel of Mark. Four men have a problem. Their friend is paralyzed and the word on the street is that healing is near. However, they are unable to get near Jesus, the healer, “because of the crowd.” The crush of people was too much so they decided to literally go through the roof to get to Jesus.
A second story comes from the gospel of Luke and it entails a character by the name of Zacchaeus. I can still recall singing a song in grade school about Zacchaeus … “Now the people, they were tall, but Zacchaeus, he was small, but the Lord loved Zacchaeus better than them all!” Anyway, this short man was forced to climb a Sycamore tree to see Jesus “because of the crowd.”
This phrase serves as a reminder that the “crowd” can prevent us from getting close to God in a variety of ways — in our life and in our business.
When I reflect on these stories, the effort and diligence put forth by the four friends and Zacchaeus stands out. They were willing to do whatever it took to go against the flow — i.e, the crowd. They fixed their eyes on Jesus and trusted Him above all else — especially not the crowd.
There are numerous applications of this wisdom that comes to mind for me — both business and personal. The key is having awareness — the eyes to see “the crowd.” Consider for a moment what you are being called to do or be yet “because of the crowd” you are holding back? Maybe it is time to climb a tree or go through a roof or …
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