The People in "The Crowd"

I recently had a devotion for a group of ladies with quite a set of problems. The things I shared with them helped them to realize who the people were that flocked to Jesus. Afterward, I thought that sometimes we, as Christians need to remember who the people were that Jesus ministered to. Here is an abbreviated version of that (though I apologize because it’s still lengthy):

Text is from Matt. 4:24 - And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. (KJV)

The underlined words are ones that I researched in the Greek and English for a better understanding of who these people were:

Sick - According to the Greek dictionary, it means to be miserable, ill, or even be spoken ill of. Miriam-Webster says that it is a word that includes the meaning poverty ridden, unhappy, emotionally distressed, and use of abusive language. So the homeless, the physically sick, those slandered, or verbally or physically abused flocked to Him.

Divers diseases – First of all, I like diverse – because the old saying, “when it rains it pours” is so true when we face trouble or hard times. Disease is a word with origins coming from the era when the KJV was translated, and it means a condition that impairs normal functioning or a harmful development, including socially. I see people with chronic pain, depression, anything that keeps us down. Taking it one step further, how difficult must it have been for these people who were immobilized to get to this new preacher?

Torments - I found it interesting that one of the definitions had to do with testing the purity of gold or silver. But God’s refining of us is another subject by itself. The rack is typically looked at as an instrument of torture, and was often used to extract the truth from people (OUCH!) The word also referred to extreme pain of disease. What I found most interesting about this was that the only other places the word is used in the New Testament is when referring to hell. I sometimes get frustrated with people who think hell is on earth here, having read the Bible’s description of that place. But after reading this, I realized for some people the pain and torments of every day life are that severe. These tormented went to Jesus.

Possessed with devils – This sure didn’t seem like it needed much explanation at first, but when I thought about the word possessed, I remembered it means ownership. To have an outside force controlling one has to be unbelievable. Some people think that addictions are demon possessions. I don’t know that I agree that there is an alcohol devil running around; there’s something to be said about natural sin. I do know that when something else controls our actions and desires, and starts to run our lives, it’s not pleasant. It’s hard to break free on our own. They didn’t have a twelve-step program to run to back then. So I envision people with unpleasant addictions as well as true demons seeking Jesus.

Lunatic comes from moon-struck. People thought insanity was affected by the moon’s cycle, so the origin of the word. Most translations refer to epilepsy, but I understand the Greeks didn’t know about epileptic seizures, so it’s not likely that epilepsy was the meaning. But insanity, that’s another story. Today we have so many specific words for the insane, and label the disease much more specifically. But think about those who suffer or are on medication to help them cope. The bi-polar people, the ADHD, those with anxiety or panic attacks, the schizophrenic - they could have all been in that crowd flocking to Jesus.

Palsy is the last of the descriptions of the crowds that came. It is a paralytic state. Someone with stroke paralysis would also fall under this category. Even those less disabled or with tremors would qualify as having palsy. I envision the paraplegic, quadriplegic, stroke victims, those with Cerebral Palsy, and more, finding a way to get to this healer.

They came by the droves to this Jesus. I don’t believe it was because He was the new fad that everyone had to see at this point. I think these were people so desperate that the tried and true didn’t work any more. Desperation drives us to do extreme things. Sometimes that thing is even seeking out God.

I especially love the end of the verse…And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

”…he healed them.” God is the same yesterday, today and forever. The same Jesus who healed people while on earth, can heal us today. Who are the people we as Christians minister to? Those who are in our same social class? Those that we have things in common with? Maybe only fellow Christians? What about the people that Jesus ministered to? It's made me look at my life a little closer.

I ended the devotion with Michael Smith's "Healing Rain." Here are the words. Here's the video.