What We’ve Always Thought

Estimated reading time: 10 minute(s)

At times, I am still surprised these days at the little things I notice that might not be what I always thought they were. You would think I would stop being surprised when so much of what I thought was essential has become something I don’t even think about anymore. But there are still moments.

Like yesterday morning, reading the Bible with my boys. We’re in Matthew now. Just started not too long ago. This particular day we were reading the end of chapter four, and the beginning of chapter five. Yep! The Beatitudes. The Sermon on The Mount. A collection of very cool teaching from Jesus that has spawned countless sermons since he first spoke the words.

As we were reading in context, I noticed that Jesus may have acted differently than I have always thought he did.

News about him spread all over Syria, and people with every kind of sickness or disease were brought to him. Some of them had a lot of demons in them, others were thought to be crazy, and still others could not walk. But Jesus healed them all. Large crowds followed Jesus from Galilee and the region around the ten cities known as Decapolis. They also came from Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan River.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the side of a mountain and sat down. Jesus’ disciples gathered around him, and he taught them: (Matthew 4:24-5:2)

We had been reading in chapter four about how Jesus was traveling all over the region, probably the size of one of our counties, telling people about the Kingdom of God. And more than that, he was healing people of any disease they could present him with. As the section above says, news was certainly spreading about this amazing carpenter from Nazareth.

But when I think of the Sermon on The Mount, first of all… I capitalize it. Then, I picture Jesus in his white robe and blue sash, arms raised, voice booming, as he addressed the great throngs that he had assembled by performing these miracles. Wasn’t that the point? Didn’t he do all of that so he could have an audience, so that people would know he was from God? That’s what I have been taught. But I think I’m seeing a slightly different Jesus these days.

Jesus never wanted to be the center of attention. He did not elevate himself above others, whether physically or hierachically. He was a teacher, so you could argue that in some way he did, but look at those verses above. He had a large crowd following him, and he could have taught these truths to so many people in one place, at one time. But he didn’t. Instead, in every translation I read (save the Easy-To-Read translation) it says that when Jesus saw the large crowd, he went up on the mountain with his disciples. Away from the crowd.

Jesus didn’t hate crowds. He loved people. But Jesus didn’t have this drive that seems to pervade current thinking throughout the church that we must “maximize” our time and energy by addressing the most people at one time as we can. To do less would be an inefficient use of our resources. It strikes me as odd that Jesus did not feel that way.

It was just a small thing, but for me was a neat look at who Jesus was. Who Father is. He wants a relationship with us. It’s why we exist. To live alongside him as his children, his friends. Read Romans chapter five again, if you have not recently. It’s a great reminder of what Jesus was doing on the cross, and the life we can know and live because of that.

I imagine more things that I have always thought will continue to fade into the past. And even “new” things that I think now will be revealed as “not quite right”. If my life were based on the facts that I know, or the knowledge I have amassed, then I would be very glum indeed. But my life is in Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and my Life.

Seems to me that’s the way it oughta be.