Crowded Out

After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back home. A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word. They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. When they weren't able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, "Son, I forgive your sins."

Mark 2:1-5 (Message)

Crowded out. A guy who wanted with all his heart to get to Jesus, and whose friends wanted him to get to Jesus, couldn't get close.

Who were these people who weren't letting the paraplegic get anywhere close? Based on my reading of the gospels, it's clear that there were looky-loos. There were people who wanted status in the new kingdom. There were people who wanted to listen for themselves, and not miss a word. And there were people who wanted to discredit Jesus to the others who were there.

There are people today who are crowded out just as effectively as the paraplegic was crowded out. They have no problem with Jesus, and might like to know him if it weren't for the people crowded around Him. Those people crowded close around Jesus block out others, both the needy who know their need, and the needy who don't know it. Who are these people blocking the way?

Some of them are looky-loos, the ones who peer, and shove, and chatter, and are curious, and think they know what's going on, but manage to just get in the way. They're not bought in to the whole thing of believing in Jesus, but they aren't bought out of it either. They're filling up space, distracting each other, and crowding out the needy ones.

Some of them are looking for status. Their goal is to be able to say, "I sit at the right hand of the Messiah." They use church structure to gain importance for themselves, as did the teachers of the law who crowded near Jesus. They set up rules to denote who is in and who is out ... and of course, they're "in." The men are in, the women are out. The thin are in, the fat are out. The straight people are in, the gays are out. The teetotalers are in, the wine drinkers are out. The tithers are in, the nongivers are out. The polished ones are in, the frumpy ones are out. The literal Bible-readers are in, the ones who believe in inspiration of ideas are out. Or vice versa. Those who grasp at status are crowding out people who need to get close to Jesus.

Some want to listen for themselves, and not miss a word. This is a worthy objective, is it not?  But they are so focused on their own spiritual needs that they aren't looking around and inviting others to get close to Jesus, too. They are crowding out people who would get close if they were invited and a path was cleared.

And finally, there are people crowding in who want to discredit Jesus. Their questions are hard, their voices are loud, their vocabulary is impressive, and there's a sneer in their words. They intend to stay close enough to discourage the uneducated, provincial and foolish folk who believe rather than thinking critically, to put it simplistically. They are going to make sure that Jesus does not go unchallenged. And they are crowding out people who need to get close to Jesus.

The encouraging, hopeful part of this story? The paraplegic had some amazingly creative, dedicated friends. And they got him to Jesus.

That's all.