Alone in the crowd
Have you ever been singled out in front of a crowd? Years ago, I don’t even remember what kind of event it was, but I was in a crowd of about fifty people, and the person on stage took several minutes to ask about a dozen of us, one at a time, to introduce ourselves. “Tell us your name, where you are from, and your occupation,” were our instructions.
When she pointed at me, I said, “I am a Pastor and a Federal Prison Guard.” She burst out laughing. She apologized and said she never thought those two occupations could ever go together. It didn’t bother me in the slightest, but later, several people asked me about being laughed at in public. Others evidently thought I should have been either upset or embarrassed by the moment.
Other times in life, being singled out from the crowd can bring a sense of pride, like being given an award or other recognition. With that said, I cannot help but think of the arrest of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Christ for money and brought the guards to arrest Him. Matthew 26:47: “And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.”
This wasn’t two patrolmen walking up to your door. “A great multitude.” Judas brought a crowd with him. Imagine the scene: Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, and now they stand face to face. Here is Judas, with his sword-carrying crowd behind him.
A note on the Greek word for “staves”: it can mean either a plural for a wooden staff (such as a walking stick) or foot-staves, shackles for the feet. Since they were here to arrest Jesus and did not know whether Jesus’ followers would resist, the staves were most likely shackles. This group meant business.
At this point, Jesus says to Judas, “Friend, wherefore art thou come?” (Matthew 26:50). Note that Jesus is addressing Judas, not the crowd. Jesus did not ask, “What are you all doing here?” No. Despite the “great multitude,” he addressed Judas one-on-one.
Judas showing up with the enemies of Jesus was no surprise to Jesus. Just a few hours earlier, Jesus told Judas to do what he had to do, but quickly (John 13:27). Also, Jesus is God, and His death and resurrection were God’s plan for salvation from before creation. Yet, Jesus, standing toe to toe with Judas, asks him what he is doing there.
Although Jesus knows Judas’ eternal fate, He is still attempting to reach Judas’ heart.
Wherefore art thou come; what are you doing here; why are you doing this; do you realize what you are doing? However, as Jesus asks the question, He is trying to get Judas to look into his heart. Many guards and the Apostles are there, yet Jesus speaks to Judas, asking what is going on in his heart. Judas is being singled out from the crowd.
Some call it the heart, some call it the conscience, some say it is the gut, but have you ever been in a church service and felt like the preacher was talking only to you? If you have, your situation isn’t much different from Judas’. I’m not saying you are a traitor condemned for all eternity, but you are someone God is still attempting to reach your heart.
If you are a Christian, God may be trying to clean that heart some. He may be encouraging you to start something good, or call you into a ministry. Whatever it is, He is speaking to you. I’ve seen fingernails turn white as people grip the pew in front of them, refusing God’s call.
Sometimes people tell themselves, “I’ll handle this when I get home.”
Please understand this. When God speaks to someone, He wants a response then. When Moses stood before God at the burning bush, he couldn’t walk back down the hill and finish the conversation there. Neither do we have the privilege of going home and talking to God then.
Many people today will get convicted and tell themselves they will handle the situation when they get home. If God wanted you to do that, you wouldn’t be convicted there at church. Once you arrive home, that is when your heart will begin to get to you. That is when you would start to hear God telling you what He wants you to do. When God talks, He wants a response. If He wanted you to deal with it when you got home, He would start laying it on your heart when you get home.
To the Christian, I ask: what does God want you to do? Is there something He wants you to remove from your life? Is there something He wants you to start doing, or do more often? You know the answer. Have you talked to God about it? Have you yielded to His will, or are you avoiding it by not addressing it? You know, out of sight, out of mind. Since the Holy Spirit lives in your heart, you may push the issue to the rear, but the Holy Spirit will bring it back to the forefront; possibly as you read this paragraph.
To the non-Christian, has God ever convicted you about your eternal state? You are a sinner; we all are. The Scripture explains that only the blood of God’s only begotten Son can wash away your sin. We are not saved by any religious ritual or good works we have done. We are not saved by good in our lives outweighing the bad. We are not on the path of eternal life because we’ve avoided specific heinous sins. We are saved by trusting that the blood of Christ alone can take our sins away. When we truly do that, the Holy Spirit moves into our heart, and our lives change. We no longer want to commit those sins. Yes, we will struggle with some things, but that is where living by faith comes in: we trust God to work in us to clean up our actions and do His work.
Has God dealt with you about salvation? Deal with it now.
