When the Crowd Gets Loud

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Luke 14:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said...

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In our world, attention is currency. The more people who watch, like, or repost what you say, the more valuable you appear. Influence isn't just earned anymore, it’s curated. You can build a platform without ever leaving your bedroom. You can gather a crowd without ever saying something meaningful. All that matters is the optics.

That’s why followers matter. They shape perception. They open doors. They validate opinions. And for some, they even define identity.

And because they’re so valuable, we go to great lengths to keep them. We play it safe. We avoid saying the wrong thing. We downplay our convictions. We bend to public opinion. Because if there’s one thing worse than being ignored, it’s being unfollowed.

But Jesus never worried about that. In fact, he often seemed to do the opposite. While we try to gather a crowd and keep it happy, Jesus regularly thinned the crowd by telling them what they didn’t want to hear. Not because he was harsh—but because he was honest. And that’s exactly what he does in Luke 14.

“Large crowds were traveling with Jesus…” In our culture, that would’ve been a moment to celebrate. You can almost picture the hype team: “Momentum is building! Don’t mess it up—just keep the people happy!”

But Jesus turns around and essentially says, “Are you sure you want to follow me? Let’s talk about what that actually means.”

He doesn’t cater to the crowd; he confronts it. Because Jesus isn’t interested in casual fans. He’s looking for committed followers.

We live in a culture where the crowd has a loud voice. The pressure to stay liked and accepted is real. And if we’re not careful, we’ll start shaping our faith around what the crowd finds comfortable—editing truth, hiding convictions, and softening anything that might cause tension.

But Jesus didn’t do that. He didn’t ride the wave of popularity. He didn’t edit the hard parts out. He loved people too much to lie to them. He wasn’t trying to go viral—he was trying to call people into a deeper, truer, more costly kind of life.

It’s the difference between hype and holiness.

Crowds like hype—easy inspiration, fast answers, and feel-good vibes. But holiness? That’s slower. Quieter. Often unpopular. It looks more like repentance than applause. More like sacrifice than spectacle.

To follow Jesus is to walk away from the crowd when necessary. It’s like stepping off a busy highway filled with people marching in the same direction, and choosing a narrow path that not everyone wants to take. It’s quieter. Lonelier. But it’s where life is found.

Imagine standing at the fork in the road. One side is wide and packed with people—it looks exciting and promising. The other is narrow and barely visible, like a trail through the woods. That’s the choice Jesus sets in front of us. He never forces us, but he always makes the stakes clear. Following him means leaving some things behind. Sometimes, that means leaving behind the approval of the crowd.

This plays out in everyday decisions. A friend makes a crude joke, and you feel the tension: laugh along or stay silent? A colleague asks about your weekend—do you mention church, or keep it vague? Your schedule fills up—do you carve out time for prayer, or just hope for a better week next week?

They’re small moments, but they reveal big priorities.

The truth is, we often want Jesus and the crowd. We want the comfort of his presence without the cost of obedience. We want to be liked by everyone and fully devoted to him—but that’s not how discipleship works. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.” That doesn’t leave room for keeping one foot in both camps.

It’s like a soldier trying to fight for two armies. Or a bride trying to marry two grooms. Divided devotion isn’t devotion at all.

There’s nothing wrong with being liked, admired, or followed. But when any of those things start competing with your loyalty to Jesus, it’s time to choose. When the crowd gets loud, his voice has to be louder.

And here’s the surprising part: when you start living that way, you actually become more grounded, not less. You care less about opinions that used to control you. You start speaking with clarity and confidence. You stop being tossed around by what’s trending and start walking in truth.

You don’t have to become weird or aggressive to be faithful. But you do have to be willing to be different. Jesus never called us to be popular. He called us to be set apart.

And even if the crowd walks away, you won’t be alone. Because the One who called you is still walking with you. Still leading. Still worth following.

Apply

Who’s the “crowd” in your life right now? Whose approval do you find yourself craving? This week, identify one way you’ve been compromising truth to stay liked, and take a small step in the opposite direction—toward obedience, even if it’s unpopular.

Pray

Jesus, I want to follow you—not just when it’s easy, but when it’s costly. Help me recognize the areas where I’m more concerned with being liked than being faithful. Give me the courage to follow you, even when the crowd walks away. Your voice is the only one that truly matters. In Jesus’ name. Amen.