In our world today, we see the power of the crowd. We watch the nightly news in horror at the rioting, looting, destruction, and killing in many major cities. It is no different today than what we see in John 7:19-21. Jesus says to the crowd, "Why do you seek to kill me?" The crowd answered, "You have a demon! Who seeks to kill you?" This is not the first or last time that the Jews accused Jesus of having a demon. This is the same crowd that witnessed the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda. It's mind-boggling that these Jews who witnessed such a miracle of healing would so quickly turn so hostile toward Jesus. Look at Jesus' response in verse 16, “My teaching is not mine, but He who sent me." He goes on to remind them in verse 18, "He who speaks for himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."

Jesus' answers always reflect and point back to his Heavenly Father. Notice how biblical truth always angers a crowd. What's at the core of this? If a society then and now has no moral compass, no absolute truth based on God's Word, the result is chaos, mayhem, and destruction. The depravity of mankind is alive and well as it always has been, only now we see it picking up speed at an incredible rate.

There always seems to be grumbling present in hostile crowds. The word grumble means to murmur or complain. Some synonyms for grumble are; find fault, gripe, kick, moan, and protest. Does this sound a little familiar in today's society? Or to go a little deeper, could we have this characteristic? Grumbling usually starts with a few, but then gains momentum until a whole crowd is worked up, and then it becomes a runaway locomotive. Isn't it interesting that in a crowd, there might be a few individuals who speaks truth? Look at verse 12, "some were saying, ‘He is a good man’; others were saying, ‘No, on the contrary, He leads people astray.’” Sadly once that powerful train of grumbling leaves the station, it only picks up steam and becomes a powerful force pulling many along with it, and a small voice of truth may be drowned out. God's truth has never been popular, it enraged some, but it continues to stand up against all other "truths" in the world.

As persecution of Christians increases and biblical truth is being ridiculed and suppressed, we need to hold tight to our Lord and Savior's teachings. After visiting a country that is doing all it can to wipe out Christianity, we watched believers remain strong and steadfast. There was no grumbling amongst them. We came away encouraged and emboldened to be a voice of truth-Gods truth. I heard someone recently say about these Christians that there is a settled peace about them. How do we experience this settled peace, and how do we protect ourselves against the power of an angry crowd? Our world is becoming increasingly hostile to God. What do we do? We take our cues from Jesus' response in chapter 7 of John.

1. Jesus always refers to his Father's teachings—so should we. There is supernatural power in the Word of God. This should define our hearts and minds, which shapes our thinking, choices, and beliefs. The is the bedrock on which we stand: immovable and unshakable.

2.  We need to do His will. We are to seek His strength, wisdom, and perseverance to remain strong and useful for the kingdom of God. It will be challenging, to say the least. We can't hide behind our complacencies, traditions, giftedness, and comforts. It is going to get harder to be a Christian. Stepping out of your comfort zone to honor God will not please a crowd of grumblers, it will enrage them.

3. Seek God's glory, not your own. Jesus was only seeking the glory of the one who sent Him. "He is truth and there is no unrighteousness in Him." Having the mindset that all we do is for His glory no matter what it costs, will allow us to be useful for His kingdom.

4. Jesus was bold in response to the crowd. He used truth and teachings they already knew about the Sabbath to expose their hypocrisy! Practice being bold, share the gospel, be ready to make a defense for what you believe. Speak the truth in love.

5. Guard yourself against the power of a godless crowd. Beware of grumblers. Both will bring you down. Instead, do this, "fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). This, above all else, will give us a settled peace in the face of persecution.

Remember, angry crowds are powerless in the face of God’s grace.