The Expectant Crowd
- Frederick Butler
- May 30, 2025
- 3 min read
Luke 6:17-19
17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
In this passage, Jesus with His disciples stood in the plain and a great multitude of people came to both hear Him and to be healed. The multitude consisted of those that needed healing from diseases as well as those that were vexed with unclean spirits. Verse 19 says that Jesus healed them all!
The straight forward message in this story is simply that Jesus is able to heal all diseases and deliver all those that are vexed with unclean spirits. He has all power!
The lesson is a bit more complex so we have to take a deeper look. If we look at Verse 19 we see that it has a couple of familiar happenings which should put us in mind of another story in the Bible. First, the scripture says that the whole multitude sought to touch Him and then that virtue went out of Him. This should put us in mind of the woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48). Perhaps she heard how Jesus healed everyone when they touched Him. This could have been what encouraged her.
Both stories tell of a crowd that was around Jesus but the difference is in the crowd. In this story, we have a crowd full of people who had needs and were expecting to receive something from Jesus. The crowd in the story of the woman with the issue of blood was full of curious spectators following Jesus to Jairus' house to watch Him heal his daughter. This story had an expectant crowd and the other story had a curious crowd. So, the lesson for us to be part of the expectant crowd because the expectant crowd has their needs met. The expectant crowd receives the Word from the Lord. The expectant crowd dwells in the presence of God. In contrast, the curious crowd watches someone else get their needs met. They watch from the outside rather than being in the presence of God.
The curious crowd may get a story to tell because they saw God do something great but the expectant crowd is the story!
I want to encourage everyone reading this to become a part of the expectant crowd. You may ask, how do we get in the expectant crowd? In Luke 9:20 Jesus asks His disciples who they say that He is. This is a basic question that all people of God must answer. Your answer to this question will determine your belief in God. Your belief in God will determine your expectation of God. Your expectation of God will determine your faith in God. You become part of the expectant crowd by believing that God is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. Let's be part of the expectant crowd.
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