The Charisma of the Message

Consider the following verses:
Isaiah 53:2b "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him."
Mark 1:45 "As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in the lonely places. Yet the people still came to Him from everywhere."
Mark 2:2 "So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door when He preached the word to them."
Mark 2:13 "Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to Him."
Mark3:7 "Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed."
Mark 3:20 "Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples were not even able to eat."

The passages which speak of large crowds and multitudes following Jesus are too numerous to list. But, just read the book of Mark, and you will be amazed at how many followed Jesus.
What makes people want to follow another? Some believe it is charisma. One of the definitions of charisma is "a magnetism that draws people in". We all know people with charisma. My brother has it oozing out of every pore. He is a terrific salesman. In fact, he has been told he "could even sell ketchup popsicles to an eskimo in a wedding dress". He is that good! Everyone who meets him is smitten by his charm. He smiles and waitresses bring free pie. He speaks and men practically beg to partner with him in business endeavors. He has always been that way, even at a young age, talking my sister and I into doing his paper route and somehow owing him for the privilege! Everyone wants to be his friend and he is never alone. He has charisma!
The verse in Isaiah makes me think Messiah did not have this same kind of charisma. It says He had nothing that we should be attracted to. And yet, crowds followed Him everywhere. There was obviously some type of charisma, some kind of magnetism that drew crowds to Him. So what was it?
I believe one of the things that drew the crowds was the evident authority in His message. Over and over again, we are told "He spoke as one having authority". There was something different about His message. There was something different about His teaching. There was more substance, more value, more genuine-ness. It came from God. He had a message of authority. And thousands of people responded to the charisma or pull of that message.
He also had a message of healing. The verses above are just a few that show that His ability to heal was a drawing point for the crowds. The message that He could and would cast out demons, restore health, restore sight, restore life, spread quickly and He was mobbed by those needed His healing. That message of healing was a type of charisma, pulling the crowds to Him.
Many also came because He offered a message of hope. For four hundred years, God had been silent, not speaking to His people. And yet, they hoped, hoped for the promised Messiah, for the rescue He would bring. They were tired of being captives in their own land, an occupied people. They were tired of living by the rules and laws of countries other than their own. They were tired of trying to please another king. Jesus brought with Him the idea that life on earth is not all there is. He brought with Him the assurance that God still has a chosen people and they will one day be the heirs to a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom with only God as king. He offered the blood that would free them from sin and punishment, free them from sin's captivity. This message of hope was just what they needed and they followed in droves. They responded to the charisma of His message.
It seems that we too, should be converting the multitudes. We too, should have a message full of charisma. The Great Commission tells us that when we make disciples, when we baptize, when we teach---we are doing so in His name or by His authority. Our message is different from the self-serving message of the entertainment industry. We have a message of authority. It is God's message, His words we share. We also have a message of healing. Where sin and it's ravages are present, we bring the cleansing and healing blood of Jesus. We bring life where death once was. We bring light where the darkness of sin once kept us stumbling and falling. We bring healing waters and the bread of life. We bring a message of healing. That makes our message charismatic. And of course, we have the message of hope. The world no longer has to die in sin. They no longer have to face eternal punishment. They no longer have to worship the prince of darkness. We have Messiah, Redeemer, Sacrificial Lamb, the propitiation of sins. We have the assurance that this life is but a breath and after that ----eternity with God. That is indeed a message of hope.
This message is still what the multitudes need. And yet, most of us can go into the city without being mobbed. Few of us have ever been so surrounded by listeners that someone had to be lowered through the roof. And seldom do we get so busy with lost people that we have no time to eat. So perhaps this message is outdated. Perhaps it does not fit in our society today. FOX News has an advertisement that says "America has problems but America is not the problem"
Brothers and sisters, the message is not the problem. The problem is the messengers. We have to speak up, share the message. We must believe we have what the world needs. We must be willing to share it everyone and anyone. We don't have to have charisma to win the world. The message will do it for us.

Peace
Neva