That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Matthew 13:1-2
What Jesus said was compelling, so compelling that, even when He upbraided others, large crowds followed Him. They craved His words; they wanted His miracles. Many wanted healing; many others wanted something they couldn’t even explain. Like people today, I imagine most of the people who followed Jesus wanted His authenticity. For centuries they’d heard the same talk from the Pharisees and religious leaders. Here was something that was more than just that. Here was a man who was saying meaningful things that pointed directly to Adonai and with authority, depth, but still tenderness.
Those are the same reasons people still today seek Jesus. We seek someone authentic, someone who will level with us and tell us the truth but do so in a mostly gentle way. To be honest, if you read the Gospels over and over, you begin to see Jesus as a hard truth teller. A lot of times, what He said and how He said it weren’t meek and mild; sometimes, it didn’t even seem loving, at least to some people (i.e. those who opposed Him). But that only adds to His character. Only a soft person would speak less than the truth to people who oppose Him.
Jesus wasn’t soft. His words were carefully chosen but always on target, offering people a hopeful way to the Father while speaking honesty they didn’t always want to hear. Again, that only adds to His character, to His authenticity. People seek that now in employment, in government, and especially in faith. The more you look, the more you must find Jesus is the only authenticity there really is.
Back in Bible times, I imagine that was what the large crowds who gathered around Jesus sought: authenticity, the truth, loving authority. After the chapter 12 episodes where Jesus was harassed, then gradually threatened, by the Pharisees, chapter 13 starts by describing how large crowds sought Jesus even more after He confronted the Jewish leaders. The very same day after He confronted the Pharisees and called them a wicked generation, and the same day after He told His mother and brothers that all of us who believe in Him are also His mother and brothers and sisters, Jesus climbs into a boat, sails out from the shore, and begins to preach. He does this so His voice can naturally carry over the water so that many more can hear His authoritative, compelling words of tough love in the promise that many more will come back to the compelling, authentic true God.
For more read: Luke 5:3, Matthew 13:3
Lord Jesus, You are the ultimate authority. All things have been put under You, including my life. I love and trust You with it.
Practical Proverbs 