April 26, 2023
The Fickle of Crowds
“But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret. So the Jews were seeking Him at the feast and were saying, ‘Where is He?’ There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, ‘He is a good man;’ others were saying, ‘No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.’ Yet no one was speaking openly of Him for fear of the Jews.” John 7:10-13 (NASB)
I remember responding to a riot one night on duty. I arrived one scene to a crowd of over 200. There were only five officers on scene. The upset crowd was mad about an arrest that day. As I arrived, I met with a former inmate, who was now a friend. I had known him for years. Calmly, I asked him what happened. He said the crowd was angry about the arrest. The crowd began throwing rocks at police cars. I stood ground and spoke calmly to determine if I could help. He and I spoke for a while. We eventually made peace that night. We even laughed about the “old days.” The crowd, was waiting for someone to start further violence. My friend addressed them, and he calmed them. If it weren’t for him, the whole situation would have exploded. The crowd waited on someone to take lead. Whatever he said is what they would do.
“But when His brothers had gone up to the feast, then He Himself also went up, not publicly, but as if, in secret.” “Secret” is the word, kruptos; meaning hidden or covered.[1] This word had some interesting connotations. “In Plato’s state (Leg., VI, 763b) the secret are secret police or rangers. Sparta is supposed to have given the secret the task of stabbing superfluous helots from behind. The word is also used for a kind of military training during which youths were put under privations and had to support themselves by hunting, thieving and robbery, Plat. Leg., I, 633b.”[2] We see the disguise Jesus used moving from Galilee to Jerusalem. He went undercover. No one would take notice of Him moving on empty roads. Jesus left after his brothers who had most likely arrived in Jerusalem. He knew the Father’s purpose was not what His brother’s wanted. It allowed Him to arrive unnoticed, but the Jews were looking for Him. When the Jews sought Jesus at the feast they said, “Where is He?” Answers came from the grumbling (symbolic of the Jews in the wilderness) crowds. “Some were saying, ‘He is a good man;’ others were saying, ‘No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.’” MacArthur says, “Actually, both views of Jesus were incorrect. He was not merely “a good man,” since good men do not claim to be God (5:18, 8:24, 28, 58, 10:33). Nor was “He” one who “leads the people astray,” because deceivers do not perform the supernatural and authenticating miracles that Jesus did (10:25, 37-38, 14:10-11, 3:2, 5:36).” Until the future actions by the Sanhedrin decision, the crowd would guard their words. This was the fickle nature of the crowd. They didn’t want to contradict the words of the religious leaders. Punishment of incorrect words could make a Jew face excommunication.
Today, are you one who takes the lead from the crowd? If so, do fear the crowd’s response if you don’t do as they do? My friend took a stand that night at the riot. I am glad he spoke to the crowd. It probably saved a lot of lives, and mine as well. Today, stand firm on your conviction!
[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).
[2] Albrecht Oepke and Rudolf Meyer, “Κρύπτω, Ἀποκρύπτω, Κρυπτός, Κρυφαῖος, Κρυφῇ, Κρύπτη, Ἀπόκρυφος,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 960.