I loved a certain professor’s lectures in college. The topic was Histology (microscopic anatomy), and although it may not sound sexy, he made the inner workings of a cell dance in my head. Enthralled, I arrived early and found a good seat. I asked questions and even met with him after class. A great teacher brings life to their students.

Jesus was such a teacher magnified. Notice how people swarmed to his lectures:

In the meantime, when so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples…

It’s easy from a distance to overlook the drawing power of Jesus. No social media announced his arrival, no media consultants chimed in, no PR firm represented Jesus, nor did newspapers send reporters. Even the government initially ignored Jesus. His reputation spread simply by word of mouth.

And how it spread. People rioted trying to get close to Jesus. I’ve attended a lot of lectures, and listened to countless sermons (even given several myself), but no one stomped on anyone else to get a seat. Maybe only to get out!

Jesus conveyed a powerful vision when he taught about the kingdom of God. Listeners couldn’t get enough. Even today nothing matches the message of Jesus. But the cacophony of our world buries its power. It does me well to pause and review his wisdom.

If tomorrow Jesus started touring, then after a few lectures people would run over each other to get in. I might squash a little old lady if that’s what it took. It sounds chaotic, but a lecture from Jesus is one we wouldn’t want to miss.

Luke 12:1 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Keren Fedida