^“Large crowds followed him wherever he went—people from Galilee, the Ten Towns, Jerusalem, from all over Judea, and from east of the Jordan River.”

I was speaking at a meeting yesterday afternoon.  The night before I had looked over the stage, podium, audience seating, microphones, screens,  etc. and was ready to go this AM.  About 15 minutes before I was to go on I was informed that I would be speaking in another room and I’d be speaking over the lunch hour, while people were eating.  The change almost threw me for a loop as I know from experience how much harder it is to garner and keep the attention of a room of people who are eating, with many of them seated at round tables with their backs to me.  Had I known ahead of time, I met have prepared my presentation differently, but the curve ball was there and I could either step into it and swing for a hit or lean back and potentially whiff.  I made the best of it, amped up my highlights, gave it another gear of energy and it turned out great.  What this reminded me of was that when we need or want to get other people’s attention and be able to hold it, we have to be where they are and play to the situation at hand, regardless.  If we don’t then we have wasted the opportunity.

We have many accounts of the different places that Jesus caught the attention of those who He was teaching and converting.  He was always among the people and he showed up where they were and with his words people listened and then followed Him.  I have many times read His words and wondered how and where he put the emphasis and how he projected for large crowds to hear Him speak, sometimes as they ate.   What was it about Him that he could keep their attention?  Whatever it was like and however it happened, we know that He gave us the example that to get the attention of others and keep it, we have to be where they are, figuratively and literally.  Are we willing to go to where others are to share God’s message or to be available to others when they need to see the love of Christ being exemplified through us?

Matthew 4:25 (New Living Translation)