The Multitudes Were Christ Followers, Too

Joh 6:2 And a great multitude was following Him, because they were seeing the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.
Joh 6:3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

Luk 12:1 Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first

There have always been many followers of Christ. At times He was continually surrounded, pressed upon, crowded, to the point of having to get into a boat once and row out onto a lake. These were people eagerly desiring to receive something from Christ. They wanted to be near Jesus. They followed Him as far as they could, even beyond human wisdom, to the desolate places where there was no food.

But He always turned first to His disciples. They were the ones He spoke to. They were the ones He taught first. For some reason, He even, and this might be hard to understand, many might not agree with this, but He actually left the multitude, completely. He fed them, and then left them.

Joh 6:15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Joh 6:16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,
Joh 6:17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. And it had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

All this highlights the relationship the Lord Jesus had with the “multitudes”. There were many who followed. But, He didn’t give them everything they wanted. What they wanted, and what He wanted to give them were often two entirely different things. They wanted to be fed, healed, and impressed with signs and wonders. They did not have the capacity to hear and understand what He said. They could only take in things on a very earthly level.

His disciples were not much better, it is true. They had to be told the same lessons many times. But He was sharing with them things that the Holy Spirit would one day bring to their remembrance. In other words, He was planting seeds in them that would one day bring a harvest. Until the day of the Holy Spirit, there was no understanding of the things He told them.

So, who are we: multitudes or disciples? There is still a multitude of Christ Followers. I think I see the multitudes following Jesus (or their idea of someone called Jesus), but along with the multitude there are few disciples in the crowd. The people are stepping on each other. They are looking for food, but that is all. They don’t listen. They don’t want to hear. I see no capacity to hear the voice of the Lord.

Oh, there are some very educated people in the multitudes. I am impressed with the skills and knowledge. But the Spirit is lacking. There is no yielding. There is no submitting to the Word of the Lord. The Word is not known any more. Oh, the Bible is studied. The text is analyzed. But the Word is not known. It is hidden. It is a mystery. It is hard to understand anymore. It is not plain. It is filled with stories. Parts that once were used for proofs of the mind of Christ are now considered secrets, mysteries, and unattainable thoughts.

The disciples are turning into multitudes right in front of us. So, it is not such a difficult thing to call yourself a Christ Follower. There will always be many who follow Christ, but not all will be disciples.

CFs follow because they want something. That something is almost always at complete odds with the will of the Lord Jesus. They want to be fed, to be healed, or shown a sign. What's wrong with those things? Are they not in the will of God? Well, CFs need to tell the Jesus what to do. They want to control the work of the Lord. They want Jesus to become what they want Him to be. They will take Him by force, if need be, to make Him what they want. While the Lord walked this earth, they wanted Him to be king of a new land of Israel. Today, CFs want Him to be a king of their own private kingdom. It's the same today as it was 2000 years ago. Come be a king in our kingdom. But, be king the way we want you to be. You'll do that, right, Jesus?
CFs ultimately want the Lord Jesus to follow them.

Disciples follow because they are learners and students. They wait upon the Lord. They follow because they are called. They have heard the Lord say to them ,"Come, follow Me". Disciples are willing to let the Lord teach them, and deal with them, and discipline them. This is the way of the disciple. Disciples learn what the will of God is by walking with Him.

They follow, but they don't lead. They listen, but they don't speak. They obey, but they don't argue. They believe, but they don't doubt. They study, but they don't guess. They weep, but they don't laugh. They speak, but they don't yell. They fast, but they don't starve. They ask, but they don't demand. They seek, but they don't lose. They knock, but they don't pound. They sing, but they don't entertain. They pray, but they don't complain. They sit, but they don't struggle. They walk, but they don't run. They stand, but they don't fight. They trust, but they don't shrink back. They know, but they don't imagine. They yield, but they don't surrender. They praise, but they don't curse. They love, but they don't lust.

All disciples should be Christ Followers, but not all Christ Followers are disciples.