Monday Encouragement

And all the multitude were trying to touch Him . . . . And turning His gaze on His disciples. . . .” (Luke 6:19-20, NASB).

My Beloved Family in the Lord Jesus,

Over one-hundred and thirty times in the four Gospels, reference is made to the multitudes that followed Jesus. It goes without saying that there were many attractive things about this most unusual Galilean teacher.

The Gospels make it clear that the crowds were very much drawn to His teaching, especially the authority with which He spoke (Matthew 7:28-29). Then, of course, there were the miracles He performed, which not only attracted the masses but left them speechless in wonder and amazement (Luke 19:37). It is also apparent that many sought out the Lord because they wanted to witness first hand His many theological duels with the Scribes and Pharisees. After all, few things are as exciting as a good showdown in the middle of the town!

In Luke 6 we find another occasion when the crowds swarmed around Jesus, many of them even attempting to physically “ touch Him” (v. 19). The reason for this frenzy is made clear by Luke in the same verse; “ power was coming from Him and healing them all.” That will draw a crowd for sure, every time!

But what stokes our curiosity, and will be the source for our encouragement on this new Monday, is what Jesus does next. Luke tells us that He turned away from the multitudes and set His “ gaze” upon “ His disciples” (v. 20).

I would be the first to admit that upon initial observation this might seem like a trivial detail. However, there is something very big and equally encouraging here that we must be careful not to miss.

In the Gospels, there is frequently a distinction made between the crowds and the disciples. As we trace the story of our Lord’s earthly ministry, the multitudes came and went. Their opinions of Jesus oscillated radically from one pole to the other. One moment they love Him, and the next they are crying out for His execution (John 12:12; John 19:12-15). At times, they were magnetically drawn to His teachings only to be repulsed just minutes later. In such episodes as these (particularly as seen in John 6) their disapproval of what He had said was emphatically registered when they abandoned Him as quickly as they had once excitedly assembled around Him (6:66).

Even with Jesus, crowds come and go.

They are fickle. They are easily distracted by something newer and better. They cannot be trusted. They slavishly follow the trends and the fads, and they manifest only a shallow commitment to anyone or anything.

In many respects, crowds are inherently selfish. The collective attitude seems to be, ‘What have you done for me lately.’ And, as Stephen experienced, crowds can quickly become murderous mobs (Acts, 7:54). Such inherent defects in human assemblies only makes the wonder of our Lord’s grace that much bigger (see Matthew 14:14).

It’s really no surprise, then, that in Luke 6 Jesus turned away from the multitude and looked squarely into the eyes of those who were truly “ His disciples.” Eleven of the twelve were authentically redeemed. They followed Jesus because there was no other place to go and no one else to follow. After all, it was only the Incarnate Son of God who had the “ words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

It was these that Jesus gazed upon!

While our Lord did perceive the crowds, and He did love them and sought to reveal the truth to them, it was “ His disciples” that He set His eyes upon! They were, to be sure, part of that large crowd. But they were not lost in the masses. Jesus looked out and found them with His eyes!

Earlier, the disciple named Nathaniel had experienced this very thing:

Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel”(John 1:48-49).

My dear Brothers and Sisters, be encouraged by this! The gracious gaze of the Savior is always upon you! He always sees you. He always finds you in the crowds. You are never outside of or beyond His vision and His loving care!

Though he ‘sees’ the eight billion people who are currently alive on this earth, His eyes are affixed on you, the very one He has loved from eternity and for whom His precious blood was shed! He knows His sheep, every last one of them, by name and by sight. Even when, for whatever reason, you are momentarily distracted from Him, or you are caught in the trap of a besetting sin, or you feel as if you have been buried under a pile of troubles and afflictions, His gaze upon you never falters!

He is always turning to you!

Find your encouragement here in this amazing truth!

What a Savior! What a Shepherd! What a Lord and King! What vision He has!

May you live today, and the remainder of this week, in the peace and joy His gaze brings!

I love you all so very much!

Mike