In last week’s blog post, we talked about how the Pharisees targeted Jesus regarding various things He and His disciples were doing on the Sabbath, things they viewed as a violation of Jewish law. They did this repeatedly in an attempt to find a way to charge Jesus with a crime and to silence Him.
They weren’t successful…
In Luke 12:1, we read: “Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling on one another. He began to say to His disciples first, “Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
A couple of things to pull out of this passage:
- There were a lot of people coming to see Jesus. This speaks to people’s curiosity and/or desire to hear what He had to say.
- They were enthusiastic to hear this message. When I picture this idea of “trampling on one another,” I see a group of people who are pressing harder and harder into one another to get close enough to listen. It reminds me of images of people flooding into retails stores on Black Friday (before you could do it easily on Amazon from the comfort of your couch while you ate Thanksgiving leftovers) to get the best deals on things they thought would improve their lives or make them happier.
- With these two things happening, it seems to me one thing is clear: there were a lot of people and they were trying to get close enough to hear Jesus. This combination of desire and intent are the key elements of a captivated audience who are ready to hear your message.
And with all of this happening, what did Jesus do? He spoke the truth. A warning about their leaders. He did this knowing full well the hearts of the Pharisees and their desire to find a charge against Him (Luke 6:7-8). And yet, Jesus said the thing that needed to be said.
Consider also Peter and John in Acts 4. They were arrested for proclaiming Jesus (v. 1-4) and are brought before the Jewish leaders (v. 5-21). After hearing the boldness of their speech and with no legitimate charge to lay against them, they resorted to threatening them to remain silent. We’re talking about people with a lot of power. Power enough to have had Jesus crucified at the hands of the Romans. And yet, Peter and John not only spoke boldly, but they prayed for further courage and resolve to speak the truth:
“And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your servants may speak Your word with all boldness…When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.” (Acts 4:29, 31)
There are times where speaking the truth will be frightening. Satan is going to try to tell us that succumbing to that fear, taking the easy path, is the preferred option. May we instead find the courage to speak God’s truth and know that any earthly discomfort we may feel as a result will be far outweighed by His eternal reward for us.
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