There are lots of fascinating stories, accounts, events and people in the bible. I remember as a new Christian, I was particularly drawn to the various accounts of ‘the crowd’ and their impact on people as recorded in the bible.
I will in this instance use ‘crowd’ as an acronym for “Care Rooted in Others’ Opinion Will Destroy” . If you interact with a hundred people, you automatically have a hundred opinions about you and how you ought to do things . The question now becomes, which of the opinions is actually you ? Most times , the answer is NON. While some of the opinions may have a resemblance of an attribute of yours, they in themselves are not the totality of you. The need for affirmation and approval are amongst the deadliest killers of destiny of all times. People are overly concerned and interested in what other people think about them and this has led to the pressure of performance and the putting up of appearances.
The first account of a crowd and its effect I would like to mention is the account of David after the defeat of Goliath.
In 1 Samuel chapter 18, the crowd (women) came out to celebrate David after his victory and they sang songs declaring Saul the slayer of thousands and David slayer of tens of thousands. This act produced two different results. For Saul, the king, it provoked him to jealousy and he never saw David the same way again while for David, it produced nothing whatsoever. David carried on with his life as if that incident never happened. Same situation, different results.

“Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning
from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced, and said: “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands.” Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward.”
1 Samuel 18: 6-9 NKJV

Jesus’s time and walk could not be fully documented without the mention of the crowd and the various roles they played in his life and ministry. The crowd were there to celebrate him and were quickly ready to
offer him up for crucifixion as well. From the time John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the lamb of God … crowds started following Him but Jesus did not allow himself to be distracted by them. He readily offered help when they needed it , like healing everyone, every single time they came to him. There was no record of him turning the crowd away when they were in need, yet there are records of him avoiding the crowd at certain times or slipping away to be by himself .Jesus was a people person yet did not allow people to influence or determine his walk. He said in John 5 : 19
“So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

Jesus’s influence came from the father.
In today’s world, the crowd haven’t disappeared, infact their presence is stronger than ever. They are almost faceless, behind gadgets and have voices as strong as you give them. What are people saying or what are people thinking about me? Have become the obsession of many today.
If your lifestyle and actions are for the purpose of pleasing others then be prepared for a tumble when there is no external recognition. Many are coming under from the weight and the pressure of external influences because enough attention is not paid to the internal formation and progression. The same people who celebrate you today may turn out to be the same people who will hang you out to dry if a situation arises so it is extremely important that your walk is never to please people but to please the one who has called you.