Over the last few Sundays, I have been preaching from Luke 9. There was a lot going on in the ministry of Jesus and I’m enjoying each of the pericopes (extracts from the text – don’t you feel smarter?) that we’ve been studying, and I’ve noticed something to which I haven’t paid much attention before. There are a lot of layers going on when it comes to the people in these accounts.

I’m going to attempt to describe these layers in terms of last week’s Alva Goldbugs playoff game. First, you have the players and coaches. They have been spending a HUGE amount of time preparing for the contest. They have secrets that no one else can know. In fact, some of the players don’t know (or need to know) the secrets to which the other players have access. Jesus had a group of 12 men (there’s a flag on the play) who were given a place right next to the coach. They were privy to all sorts of information that others could not (did not yet need to) know.

Then there were the fans in the stands, some of them family members, some long-time supporters of the team. They were excited enough about the affair to saddle up and travel to the stadium. Win, lose or draw, it’s encouraging to have fans that will follow. On one occasion, in the middle of Luke 9, Jesus fed 5,000 men with just five loaves of bread and two fish. The crowd was excited and followed Him faithfully – at least while He was winning.

Others had only a passing interest in the game. Like me, they wanted to be connected to the excitement, but didn’t take the time to make an evening of it in Enid. The on-air broadcast did a great job of bringing the contest into our cars and living rooms. We were warm and comfortable while we listened to the action unfold. Jesus had followers like that, as well. Not everyone who loved Jesus followed Him around the countryside, but If they had the chance, they might come out for the preaching and dinner-on-the-grounds.

And then there were those who ignored the occasion completely. Jesus has/had more than His share of those. Perhaps you see other layers that I’ve missed. Take a minute and read Luke 9 and educate me! See you Sunday.