Hubby and I wound up near the back of the crowd. In a sea of 5,000 people we just didn’t have the strength to jostle in amongst the masses in order to get a spot closer to the front. So we wound up near the back.
Which was perfectly fine.
We were there … that was all that mattered. And we were grateful!
This was all so exciting! Even at the back enthusiasm was high.
A loudspeaker system was set up to communicate direction. Dallas Jenkins, the Director, took the microphone and shared a few words. We all cheered enthusiastically!
Then it was time for filming to begin.
Over the loudspeakers came the cues from the film team:
“Umbrellas down! Glasses off!”
“Rolling sound!”
“Action!”
We all sat perfectly still … not moving a muscle … hardly daring to breathe. We focused intently on the blurry distance where we couldn’t see a thing … since we had our glasses off. We were listening to Jesus teach.
We were “listening to Jesus teach” … but we couldn’t hear a thing. We couldn’t hear what Jesus was saying.
A cheer went up from the crowd in front of us! We hadn’t heard a thing which Jesus had said, but we weren’t to be left out, so we all immediately began cheering with great gusto!
Over the loudspeakers the film team called: “Cut!”
All around umbrellas went back up. Glasses went back on. Excited chatter resumed all around me.
But I sat pensive … realizing something which had never occurred to me before: I couldn’t hear Jesus. I was seated near the back of the crowd and therefore I could not hear what Jesus had said.
What if I had actually been there that day when Jesus actually fed the 5,000. What if I had been near the back of the crowd … I would not have been able to hear what Jesus had said.
The gravity of this thought struck me pretty hard. Jesus came from Heaven to earth … and He shared wonderful teaching with people. What if I had been there, but not able to hear what Jesus said. How would I know what God wanted?? How would I know the right way to live??
The reality is … I have Jesus’s words. I can hear what Jesus has to say any time, any day. I have the Bible.
Does this matter to me??
Am I grateful for this incredible gift??
And what about all the many people … even today … who do not have access to Jesus’s words. Does it matter to me?? Do I care?? Am I doing anything about it??
#thechosen
