“Luke explains that the crowd was nearly crushing Jesus. It’s so bad it’s getting hard to breathe. The crowds of Mar are always so interesting. Because, on the one hand, they welcome Jesus, but on the other hand, they’re so selfish and short-sighted that they are actually doing Him bodily harm. And how could they have so little compassion? Here’s this father, he says, “My daughter is at death’s door.” Jesus says, “Let’s go save her.” And no one clears a path. No one tries to help. And they don’t even seem to actually want anything along the way. They’re just in the way.
But notice, it says they were “following.” That’s a charged word in the Gospels. Looking at this scene, is this crowd listening to Jesus? Are they obedient toward Jesus? Do they recognize Jesus for Who He is? The facts of the case bear out the answer is no. They can see Him. There He is, within arm’s length. And yet for all but one there is no interaction – no experience of power or transformation or relationship. Heaven help us when our “following” becomes lifeless like that. That we can be in His presence, hear Him speak, be among other disciples, yet go away unchanged, unaffected, only thinking about ourselves rather than the desperate needs all around us.”
