Doves On Distant Oaks

Following the Crowd

The events surrounding the Christian Holy Day of Palm Sunday leaves us with an example of how we are to react as followers of Christ. Most of the world knows what Palm Sunday signifies, regardless of faith. It’s the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to the adoration of the crowds. Though there is some debate whether this was on Sunday or Monday, the timing matters little to us today.

However, what always surprised me when reading about the events of Easter week, was how quickly the mood of the crowd apparently changed. In less than a week, Jesus went from receiving adoration to calls of "crucify him." How is that possible? While the Bible never explicitly gives an explanation, we can infer from several accounts that there were two distinct crowds.

Crowd #1

The apostle John, in his Gospel, writes about “the great crowd” that had followed Jesus to Bethany to see Him raise Lazarus from the dead. This event occurred just prior to His entering Jerusalem. A few verses later, John again uses the phrase “the great crowd,” but this time in reference to the crowd that welcomed Jesus into the city.

It doesn’t take a great theological leap to deduce that this was likely the same group of people—the followers of Jesus. They may not all have been followers in the sense that the disciples were, but included those that simply followed Jesus around because of the great miracles he had been performing, maybe to get healed themselves. They at least knew there was something special about Jesus.

Crowd #2

On the Mount of Olives, Matthew and Mark both write that Judas led an "armed crowd" composed of the chief priests, scribes, elders, and their guards to arrest Jesus. This is most likely the crowd that appeared in front of Pontius Pilate to call for the execution of Jesus. It was the chief priests and their officers who called for the execution, probably stirring up this crowd of their like-minded religious elite to repeat the demand and release Barnabas instead.

So, it seems that the crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem was not the same crowd that called for his execution. But what does that mean for us? To answer that question, we have to ask ourselves, what happened to that first crowd? Why did they not stick around to speak in defense of Jesus? The answer is simple—human nature.

Which Crowd Would You follow?

When trouble comes, most of us tend to duck for cover. Self-preservation is an entirely human reaction, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Most likely, the crowd that welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem simply dissipated at the first signs of trouble, just as the disciples did leading up to the crucifixion.

However, we should not condemn them harshly for acting human, especially considering that the bulk of them didn’t know what we know—that this was the son of God and would soon be resurrected. Even the apostles didn’t fully understand the latter eventuality at that point in time.

Still, there is a message here for us because we, in fact, DO know what Jesus is and what he accomplished on the cross. Which brings up the question: how would we react in similar circumstances? When the time comes, and it may be coming soon, to stand up for Jesus or run and hide, what will we do? We need to answer that question now, not when the time comes. It needs to be settled in our minds because it may come upon us suddenly.

We may be living during our own time’s Palm Sunday, where we can adore Jesus with impunity while awaiting his arrival. However, If things progress as them seem to be, will our faith dissipate like the crowd? Or will we respond like Cassie Bernall, the 18-year-old student at Columbine High School, who was asked by the shooter if she believed in God while he pointed a gun at her? Her answer was "yes."

What will your answer be?

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

– Romans 8:34-35, 37

Keywords: Christ, Cross, Crowds

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