Far from the Madding Crowd by Rev. Ruth Faith Santana-Grace

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”   (Luke 5:1-4)

This familiar story in the Gospel of Luke is rich with imagery that touches on the call of the disciples as Jesus performs a miracle resulting in abundance of fish.  This unexpected abundance after a long day of exhaustion and disappointment compels the fishermen Simon, James and John to leave everything behind and follow Jesus.  It’s a reminder of how Jesus meets us in the normal movements of our lives.

But in this season of constant virtual motion – zoom meeting to zoom meeting finding us available at all hours of the day – I was struck by another focal point of the story.  Jesus intentionally steps away from the crowd.  Jesus gets into one of the two boats, distances himself to teach; and then distances himself again to an even further place from which he performs the gift and miracle of abundance.

This movement of Jesus led me to recall the title of the 19th century novel Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy that focuses on the struggles of humanity in the midst of constant change.  This notion of “the crowd was pressing in on Jesus…” brought to mind the many experiences in which we can feel overwhelmed by the concerns and demands of people or circumstances.  It can indeed feel like a madding crowd (not to be confused with a maddening or angry crowd), if you will – perhaps a people who in their eagerness or need are a bit frenzied with or by human activity.

In today’s world the crowd pressing upon us can represent so much more than a physical gathering of people. The crowds that press in on us can be the challenges of illness or broken relationships.  The crowds that press in on us can be the anxieties and fear we carry due to increased violence in the streets of our cities.  The crowds that press in can be the exhaustion prompted by the pandemic where there is no longer a distinction between working at home and working at the office, where the balance of raising families or isolation has become overwhelming.  The crowds that press in can be the quiet fear carried within as racism and anti-Semitism have found a renewed standing in our culture.  The crowds that press in can be the reality of poverty and injustice that seem to prevail. The crowds that press in can be the concern for our churches and the questions we have about the state of our future as we navigate the dance between our virtual and incarnational realities. The crowds that press in on us are real – taking on the form of many people, places, and things.

But Jesus reminds us to pause.  Jesus reminds us of the importance of stepping away in order to step forward.  Perhaps it is simply for a few hours, perhaps for a few days.  He pulls away from the crowd pressing in.  Throughout his ministry Jesus reminds us that in order to offer and share the gift of self, one must sometimes remove oneself from the place that is demanding our energy.

I appreciate that stepping back does not mean giving up or turning away.  It means simply stepping away so that our spirits can find the space with God for renewal, a renewal that allows us to step back into the crowd with a sense of possibilities and even a spirit of abundance – one that produces fruit for ministry and mission in the world.

In this season of rapid change and uncertainty may we be mindful of the importance of stepping away, of pushing away from the shores with the pressing crowd – away from that madding sensation that can feel both frenzied and overwhelming.  May we allow ourselves that precious space for restoration – so that we might faithfully re-engage in ways that can provide abundance to those who seek to be nourished, healed or sustained.