Crowds

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

 - From Matthew 9

A crowd may seem to be organized. It moves in one direction. It sweeps down a lane, and leaves a mark of some sort upon every inch of land it covers.

Crowds, or mobs, are comprised of people coming together because of a single impulse. An event. A spark. An unexpected turn of events that frightens or angers people. The murder of George Floyd did that in the US, in 2020. Samuel Adams was skilled in getting things to happen, to make a mob form, and then move. When mobs move, things can get random. From a distance, the mob looks organized, like a shoal of piranhas cleaning the flesh off its prey. But up close, it is violent, terrifying.

Mobs, or crowds, begin to bend according to the random (or planned) acts of a few. Once the numbers are in place . . . hundreds, thousands of people at a fever pitch, all it takes is one or two solitary people, to come in, break some windows, remove or destroy property. The mob turns towards this alluring prize. We can take, without consequence! Soon, multitudes of people that normally would respect the property of others, swarm in and clean the shelves of goods lying unprotected.

Mobs progress towards their maximum capability to destroy, if that has been the direction sparked along the way. It is hard to keep a mob peaceful. It is not in human nature to keep things orderly, when so many independently-minded people come together.

I grew up fearing gangs. I have written about this many times before. In my neighborhood, the group of friends would get together, and often, if one wasn't present, they would talk behind his or her back. "Mobthink" might take over, and they begin heaping complaints and criticisms of the absent friend. They would decide to "gang up" on him or her. This meant that the friend would be ignored, avoided, taunted, teased . . . and maybe worse. I have been ganged up on, and I have participated in it. We were just kids . . . but adults are notorious for never outgrowing every bad tendency of youth!

Mobs affect me at a cellular level. I seem hardwired not to trust them, not to see much good in them.

But Jesus . . . .

Our Lord only saw frustrated and desperate people when he saw crowds (He called them "crowds"). He knew that hurt people hurt people. And there is strength in numbers. Get enough people together, with a gripe against some person with resources or power, and soon they can create their own rules, and enforce them on their bullies, bosses, teachers, parents, local law enforcement, government. Jesus didn't worry about that.

He only saw people that were hurting, and that had nowhere else to turn, but to the crowd. They'd rather not rely on a random crowd of desperate people; but they had no recourse. Jesus went among them. He loved them, befriended them, listened to them, and took care of their real needs.

We rarely know what really troubles people. They will come up with an altruistic goal, something heroic, to drive them, when in reality, if they only had some good friends, loving parents, food on the table, healthcare, a job they love. . . or funds for an oppressively high student loan bill - - - they would much rather not get mixed up in the tension and possible danger of a mob.

Crowds form when people have nowhere else to go. And Christ finds people in the crowd.