Crowd vs. Companions

“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.”  Luke 5:18-19 (NIV)

Discussion Seminar

Opening Questions: What word or phrase stood out most to you in this passage?

Core Question #1: What do you notice about the different people in this passage? What do we see them doing or saying, and what does it tell us about them?

Core Question #2: Based on this scripture and life experience, why do you think companions and crowds impact us differently? In other words, how can companions encourage us to live boldly while crowds cause us to hang back and blend in?

Core Question #3: What is your reaction to the following statement made by Eugene Peterson in his book Run With the Horses:

“Crowds lie…Since we all have everyday experience of the unreliability of crowds to discern and reflect the truth, it is puzzling that the appeal to numbers continues to carry so much weight with us. The selling of a million copies of a book is accepted as evidence that the book is excellent and important. The engagement of a majority of people in a certain moral behavior is set forth as evidence of its legitimacy. Approval by the masses is accreditation. But a rudimentary knowledge of history corroborated by a few moments of personal reflection will convince us that truth is not statistical and that crowds are more often foolish than wise.”

Concluding Question: How likely are you to stand against the crowd? What part do companions play in your ability to do so?