I took the Metro Rail Transit yesterday afternoon going to Every Nation Fort. One thing noticeable was the crowd is back now that the Holiday Season is over.
I normally take the middle part of the train coach of the MRT or the LRT going to Manila, but surprisingly, at 2:30 in the afternoon, the Southbound train (that is going to EDSA-Taft station) was packed with commuters like me.
Honestly, I hate crowded places–public transports like trains, buses or jeeps, but these things I mentioned will NEVER RUN OUT of people because they all are public transports.
As I reached Ayala station in Makati, a huge group of people filed out of the train, giving commuters like me some breathing room and finally, enjoy the train’s cool aircondition.
Jesus’ encounter with the crowd was normal for his everyday ministry life.
Matthew 4:23-24 gave us a picture of what a day was with Jesus.
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases.”
The crowd was there when he went up on a mountainside to preach. There were around five thousand men when Jesus broke the five loaves of bread and few small fish and had them multiplied miraculously.
It would have been easy for Jesus to just turn the crowd away in times he was physically exhausted after teaching for days, skipping meals or spending little time to rest and sleep.
It would have been easy as well for Jesus to reject the crowd because he could discern their dark, sinful past, their motives and intentions.
Yet, Jesus took the time to be with the crowd to teach them, to love them and heal them.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)
The crowds–you’ll see them everywhere–public places, shopping malls, government buildings, hospitals, universities and colleges–they are all there.
In God’s eyes, each individual that collectively form the large mass of people are valuable to God.
And what’s valuable to God should be valuable to us, too.
Let’s go and make disciples.