Mathew 14:22 -23
22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
This scripture highlights an interesting contrast in how Jesus related with the disciples and the multitude.
What we notice in this scripture is that Jesus made the disciples get into a boat with Him, but the multitude/crowd he sent away.
When you read through the gospels, the one thing that will amaze you is how Jesus differentiated between disciples and the multitudes.
It is therefore of utmost importance for us to see the difference and take a lesson from this.
Let’s explore the differences in His interaction.
DISCIPLES WORK – Mathew 14:19-21
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21 Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Here in this scripture, Jesus commands the multitude to sit down whilst He gives the loaves and fishes to the disciples to give out. Disciples are the ones who come into the church building and clean without murmuring, they help out when there is a need, without murmuring. They remain when everyone else has left. They clean up after everyone else.
Disciples are pillars in the house of God, whilst multitudes are like caterpillars, they crawl in and crawl out. Pillars hold the building from falling. Caterpillars grow up to be butterflies and fly away at every sign of threat to their existence because they are so delicate.
JESUS SPOKE TO THE MULTITUDES IN PARABLES – Matthew 13:34
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,
The secrets of the kingdom were never revealed to the multitudes; Jesus spoke to them in parables. To the disciples parables were explained.
JESUS EXPLAINED KINGDOM PRINCIPLES TO HIS DISCIPLES – Matthew 13:36
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
The disciples came after Jesus because they wanted to know more. They ask questions and because they ask questions, Jesus was always ready to give them answers. Jesus expounds the parable to the disciples because they want to learn. Disciples are learners, they never grow tired of learning.
DISCIPLES DESIRE TO PRAY - Luke 11:1-13
1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
The disciples saw Jesus praying and went to him and asked Him to teach them how to pray. Disciples always learn from the master. Even though they were asking Jesus to teach them to pray like John the Baptist prayed but their desire was to learn how to pray having seen Jesus pray. They wanted to pray like Jesus.
DISCIPLES ARE ACCOUNTABLE – Mark 6:30-31
30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
We see from this scripture that the disciples came back with a report of their assignments and gave Jesus an update of all the things they had done including their teachings. As disciples we must learn to review our teachings and conducts.
DISCIPLES REST, BUT A WHILE - Mark 6:31
31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
After relaying all that they had done and accomplished to Jesus, He gave them permission to rest for a while. As disciples we must learn to retreat and come out refreshed.
The bible tells us that God rested on the third day and became refreshed.
Exodus 31:17
17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’”
MULTITUDES GO AFTER SIGNS; DISCIPLES SIT WITH JESUS. -John 6:2-3
2Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
Multitudes go after signs, but Jesus sits with His disciples, and He equips them for the work of the Kingdom. If we have time for Him, He will have time for us also, if we choose to come up higher. Notice that He went up the mountain with the disciples.
In book of revelation 4:1
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
After everything that He had shown to John the beloved, He asked him to come up higher. As disciples we must learn to soar with Jesus so we can learn more.
MULTITUDES ARE EASILY PERSUADED – Matthew 27:20- 21
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”
Multitudes can be fickle. These same people who were fed through five loaves and two fishes; they saw the miracles, these same people spread their clothes on the street and hailed Jesus as King. They saw Jesus heal the sick, they saw Him raise the dead. Yet were easily persuaded by the chief priests and elders to deny Him.
DISCIPLES STICK THROUGH THE THICK AND THIN – Acts 1:12-14
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
After the death of Jesus, the multitudes disappeared, only 120 of His disciples waited and waited for the promise of the father. It was only the disciples that received the outpouring of the promise of the father. It was only the disciples who went about proclaiming the gospel.
Ask yourself, are you a disciple or a multitude.
YOU CHOOSE!
