JESUS was wary of crowds, though
he often ministered among the crowds. Is there something He knew
that we should also know?
We live in what has been called the "age of individualism,"
the "me-first" age. This is expressed in countless ways
in popular culture and lifestyles. The way one dresses, talks
and lives is supposed to show one's own freedom to be oneself.
Those who offer various kinds of services also promise to cater
to individual needs and tastes. We have therefore personal trainers,
personalised banking and products.
On first glance, our age of individualism seems like a perfect
environment for us to be followers of Christ, as we can be free
from the stifling conventions or the enthusiastic frenzy of the
crowds as we each pursue our individually designed paths.
But is this really the case? On
closer examination, we will discover that those who break free
from the conventions of traditions to pursue their own individual
initiatives often become part of another new crowd. Have you noticed
how expressions of new fashions or lifestyles reflect the old
herd instincts that are deeply lodged in our human minds? What
are meant to be spontaneous expressions of individual freedom
and taste are often the result of wanting to be like everyone
else - wanting to be "hip" or with the "in-crowd".
Sometimes the most self-professed individualists are the ones
most stuck in herd behaviour. Many postmodern individualists are
in fact members of new postmodern herds. And in our globalised
world, these herds are often global in nature and extent. There
are very few true individuals. Almost everyone is a member of
a herd - whether it is a traditional one or a postmodern one.
Convention rules our lives, no matter what we call it.
But what has this got to do with discipleship? It says something
about how we ought to relate to God and follow Christ. The 19th
century Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, lived at a time
when the Lutheran Church was organisationally strong. Almost all
Danish citizens were members of the state church. Yet Kierkegaard
was disturbed by what he saw. Christianity had degenerated into
a nominal state religion practised by cultural Christians.
Kierkegaard lamented that there were "battalions upon battalions
of unbelieving believers" in the church. People were following
the crowd rather than personally following Christ. They were comfortable,
conventional, cultural Christians rather than true cross-carrying
followers of Jesus Christ.
Jesus found a similar situation during His ministry on earth.
There were thousands of Jewish visitors to the temple in Jerusalem.
But their religion was a nominal one - there were very few true
worshippers of God. The religion practised by many of the leaders
and influential people was a highly formalised and hypocritical
one that had nothing to do with a personal knowledge of and relationship
with the living God. The faith that was revealed through the prophets
and priests had been distorted into a merely social religion.
Jesus appeared at the scene to shatter the pretensions and the
bankruptcy of the religion that was popularly practised. He issued
a counter-cultural call to be truly reconciled to God and to one
another.
In His ministry, Jesus was tempted both in the solitude of the
desert (Mt. 4:1-11), and in the crushing proximity of the crowd.
(In this respect, it is interesting that in the film "The
Passion of Christ", the devil is portrayed as lurking within
the crowd, stirring and manipulating it.) Jesus when facing the
crowd, often ministered to the needy individuals in the crowd
(Mt. 14:14). They flocked to hear Him. But they were also fickle
and worldly. They wanted a leader and saviour on their own terms.
They pressed Jesus to conform to the shapes of their worldly agendas,
tastes and schemes. But Jesus often withdrew from the crowd, rejecting
their agendas (Jn. 6:15).
Jesus was a true individual who refused to join the ungodly pursuits
of the herd, no matter how nicely clothed they were in pious garb.
As Kierkegaard would put it, "the crowd is untruth".
Jesus has invited us to follow Him - not the herd, nor our selfish
desires. Hence, Paul talks about crucifying the flesh and the
world within us (Gal. 5:24; 6:14). In other words, to be a true
individual is to be a follower of Christ. True freedom lies on
the path of authentic Christian discipleship.
BUT does this mean that we must break free from all conventions
and groups and walk our own rugged individual journeys? That cannot
be so, if we read our Bibles carefully. Yes, we are called to
a personal relationship with Jesus, and follow Him personally
(and not herds, whether they are traditional or postmodern). But
we are called to do this in community, in the Body of Christ.
We must avoid what Ralph Wood has called "the heresy of solitary
faith". We are not to become spiritual cowboys - each on
his own. We must be individuals but we must break free from the
Enlightenment prison of individualism.
We must therefore avoid the two prisons of the herd and of individualism.
One traps us in social conformity that results in religious nominalism.
The other traps us in selfish esoteric spirituality. To follow
Christ, the flesh and worldliness must both be renounced. Because
they often work hand in hand, we cannot afford to consciously
deal with one and leave the other alone. We are called not to
follow the crowd, or our own pursuits, but to follow Christ our
Lord.
We can do this only in true community. We each need to approach
God's throne of grace in repentance as we hear His invitation.
We must personally respond to God's call. Then as we approach
Him, we will discover other fellow-penitents who had responded
in similar manner. As we gather around the Feast Table of the
Lord, with joy we discover true community - neither a herd nor
a crowd of cowboys, but the family of God.
Are you a cowboy of part of a crowd? Both ways cannot help us
to know God. We must each find Christ our Saviour and Lord, and
in Him, our brothers and sisters. And as we follow our Lord, we
will find true company.
QUOTE:
A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
'We are called to a personal relationship with Jesus, and
follow Him personally (and not herds, whether they are traditional
or postmodern). But we are called to do this in community, in
the Body of Christ.'