"When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him." My feelings about this verse are very ambiguous. On the one hand, I want to be fruitful, which means that I need to lead. If I lead, people should follow. On the other hand, I can imagine how preachers and televangelists and Christian leadership guru's could use this verse to possibly say the following: "If YOU want to be a great leader, you've got to have a relationship with God - people will follow you if you live on the mountain with God, seeking his face." The problem is that I think such rhetoric often undermines the essence of Jesus' ministry. Jesus absolutely did not present to us a means of self-promotion. As Shane Claiborne said in Jesus For President, "In the kingdom we descend into greatness." I am certain that the kingdom of Christ is diametrically opposed to me becoming "big" or "influential." But, again, on the other hand, I know that God desires to anoint his servants to become fishers of men, gathering people into his kingdom. I guess that's the distinction. If I hijack Matthew 8:1 for my own gain, I've missed it. So maybe Jesus didn't ascend the mountain to pray in order to WIN the crowds. Maybe he did it to get away from them! Jesus knew more than anyone how influence can corrupt. (It's no wonder that at the end of this account, in verses 20 and 34, Matthew once again accentuates Jesus' aloneness.)

Matthew 8:1