Many Thousands: Luke 12:1
“1) Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Luke 12:1
We now discover the true reason the Pharisees were becoming increasingly hostile toward Jesus; they were jealous. Many thousands were flocking after Him.
It didn’t matter where He went, people followed Him in great numbers. He was like a mobile Passover celebration. Nothing like this had ever happened before.
In this verse, Luke defines this phenomenon in terms of thousands. Let those numbers sink in. They are significant to the story.
This led to Him feeding both the 5,000 and the 4,000. In both cases, they counted the number of men and not women and children.
Some estimate total numbers close to 15,000. People were literally stepping on one another to get close enough to see, hear and hopefully touch Jesus.
They were attracted by His miracles and His messages. The consistent testimony was that His gospel was both seen and heard. He was motivated by genuine love and compassion for people. He cared!
By contrast, the Pharisees were self centered, powerless, conceited and reeked of hypocrisy. People avoided them.
This verse sets the tone for the events that led up to the crucifixion. Jealousy is like poison to the human heart. It can be deadly when directed toward others.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“1) Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Luke 12:1
We now discover the true reason the Pharisees were becoming increasingly hostile toward Jesus; they were jealous. Many thousands were flocking after Him.
It didn’t matter where He went, people followed Him in great numbers. He was like a mobile Passover celebration. Nothing like this had ever happened before.
In this verse, Luke defines this phenomenon in terms of thousands. Let those numbers sink in. They are significant to the story.
This led to Him feeding both the 5,000 and the 4,000. In both cases, they counted the number of men and not women and children.
Some estimate total numbers close to 15,000. People were literally stepping on one another to get close enough to see, hear and hopefully touch Jesus.
They were attracted by His miracles and His messages. The consistent testimony was that His gospel was both seen and heard. He was motivated by genuine love and compassion for people. He cared!
By contrast, the Pharisees were self centered, powerless, conceited and reeked of hypocrisy. People avoided them.
This verse sets the tone for the events that led up to the crucifixion. Jealousy is like poison to the human heart. It can be deadly when directed toward others.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
