Jesus And The Crowd

Luke gives us this information about Zacchaeus. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. Luke 19: 3. A crowd of people gather to see, hear, touch, and get close to Jesus.  Whatever the reason or reasons, the fact is that there was a crowd and it was that crowd which caused Zacchaeus to have to find higher ground, to be able to see who Jesus was.

The very crowd that has been the high wall, the tall tower which has blocked Zacchaeus from being able to see Jesus, has become the stumbling block to Jesus also. Note, they blocked Zacchaeus, but he found higher ground. They will also block Jesus, but will He also find higher ground? Is this not fascinating, when you observe how Jesus finds lower ground.  Let’s go step by step here.  This is truly amazing and exciting. Let’s reason together. Will you agree that these same people who are blocking Zacchaeus, are also blocking Jesus?  Look at it this way.

On one hand, the people who comprise the crowd following Jesus, see Zacchaeus as too low a ‘sinner’ to be around Jesus. 

On the other hand, the same people see Jesus as too high a ‘saint’ to be around Zacchaeus.

There are four things about the people who make up this Crowd of Witnesses, on which we shall continue to meditate. We shall take these from this verse.   

 All the people saw this and began to mutter, He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner’. Luke 19: 7.

Seeing witnesses

All the people saw this. - These people saw exactly how Jesus called Zacchaeus down to Himself.  Think of it. They did not just only hear about it, they witnessed it first-hand.  Before their very eyes, all these people who came to see Jesus, saw Him alright, saw Him call a tax-collector, a chief collector at that, who was not even a part of the crowd.  At that point, I was reminded of this advertisement for the national Lottery which says, “If you haven’t got a ticket, you haven’t got a chance.”  But this was certainly not true for Zacchaeus.  He did not have a place in the crowd.  He did not have, as it were, a ticket in that crowd, neither by any kind of status, or significance.  Zacchaeus had, ‘no ticket’.  Yet, he was the one who received the prize, the grand gift – New Life.  

Muttering witnesses

All the people saw this and began to mutter.  The witnesses are now muttering. Something has gone wrong. Normally, when you see a life, being changed, when you see good being done, you give thanks to God. You are free with your praises, congratulations and such, but not these witnesses. They saw what Jesus had done and began to mutter. Their muttering tongues have nothing good to say. Don’t forget, they were an excited crowd.  Have you ever seen a quiet crowd, as they see the one they have been waiting for, coming?  I tell you that that crowd was shouting, greeting, waving and welcoming Jesus, with all sorts of greetings of welcome.

This all changed to mutterings, with one action of Jesus, as He called that ‘sinner’ to Him.  I was reminded of a young, First Former at school, who told me that the reason he did not ‘hang out’ with another student, was because he was told to be very careful of the friends he chose. He chose not to have that other boy as his friend, because he was not like him. The same is true for the crowd.  They did not expect Jesus to ‘hang out’ with a ‘sinner’, because He was not like those kinds of people. Zacchaeus was indeed different, but it was for such for whom Jesus came, to give New Life.

The unworthy life is still sought after, noticed, called out and included by Jesus. Is your life not prepared for Jesus in several ways? Jesus will Cleanse you now.