Following The Crowd

Following the crowd can be dangerous.

Almighty God, on this day your Son Jesus Christ entered the holy city of Jerusalem and was proclaimed King by those who spread their garments and leafy branches along his way. Let those branches be for us sign of his victory, and grant that we who bear them in his name may ever hail him as our Lord, and follow him in the way that leads to eternal life. In his name we pray. Amen.

Following the crowd can be dangerous. Following the crowd can often be reactionary and based on emotions in the moment. This is Palm Sunday and the crowd that greeted Jesus got what they asked for. They probably didn't know it. They probably thought they were asking for something other than what they got but they shouted Hosanna! As Jesus came into Jerusalem on the donkey. Hosanna means, “Save us now, we pray.” And that is just what Jesus came to Jerusalem to do. He would offer salvation not only to those around him but the offer would be for all people of all times. But as is usually the case the crowd doesn't usually know what is best for themselves.

This has happened before in scripture. In the first book of Samuel the people of Israel ask that their nation have a king like other nations. Samuel the judge takes this request to God in prayer. and God tells Samuel that the people have not rejected him but indeed they have rejected God. But God gave the people another chance to change their minds. He sent Samuel back to warn them of what life would be like with a king.

The Judge Samuel warns the people in 1 Samuel 8:10-18

• "He will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots
• he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties
• and some to plow his ground
• to reap his harvest
• to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
• He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
• He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.
• He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers.
• He will take the best of your cattle and donkeys and put them to his work.
• He will take one tenth of your flocks and you shall be his slaves.

And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day."

Despite these warnings the crowd still demanded a king. And they got one.

Centuries later after may kings and many foreign invaders, Jesus came into Jerusalem that day on a donkey. This is the way a king would enter a city. A king at war enters on a horse and a king at peace enters on a donkey. Jesus knew this. Jesus knew the expectation and the desire of the crowd. The people of his day were looking to be saved by a messiah who would come with sword and crush the occupiers in their country. They had great hope and expectation and they shouted Hosanna! Save us! Destroy the occupiers! But Jesus doesn't follow the crowd. He didn't destroy he Romans. He didn't fall in line with the religious authorities of the day. Jesus followed God's way. Jesus plan is God's plan.

Currently, in our culture there is a vocal crowd that started as occupy Wall St. now there are occupy movements all around the world. This crowd says that capitalism is bad and that it should be replaced by another economic system. There are indeed injustices in the world and I always stand on the side of justice. We ought, however, to be careful about what we ask for. Like the Israelite request for a powerful king, just like other nations have. When you give someone power, they don't often like to give it back.

Putting our faith in government is a risky venture.

The message that we as followers of the way should be living and delivering is that apart from Jesus we can do nothing! We should live out the life that Jesus has saved us for: Living boldly as we let God re-purpose all of our hopes and dreams and passions so that our actions, all of them work to make our lives look more like the Kingdom of God.

God did not call us to be his people so that we could live the same lives that we lived before we believed. God calls us to be Holy. God calls us to grow in his love.

Yes he accepts us just as we are: bruised and broken but God does not expect us to stay that way. We aren't like the ones standing on the side of the road when Jesus passed by. We are the ones following along with him. Going where he goes. Doing what he does. We ought to confront anything and anybody that gets in the way of our relationship with God. We ought to stand up and fight evil in what ever form it presents itself if it means that a brother or sister and better know the love of God.  And indeed we should fight every form of injustice. 

We are not called to be passive witnesses. We are not in our lawn chairs along the parade rout of faith we are marching on the Holy city to set things right.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day to make a statement about who he was. But that was not the only statement he made that week. That first holy week.

Very soon, perhaps the next day Jesus came into the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and drove out the animals that were being sold. Remember that?

On Thursday of that week (the following is a scriptural adaptation from the United Methodist Book of Worship) “Jesus...went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples. So Judas, procuring a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that was to befall him, came forward and said to them, “whom do you seek?”

thy answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus said to them, “I am he.”

Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.

When he said to them, “I am he,”they drew back and fell to the ground.

Again he asked them, “whom do you seek?” and they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he; so, if you seek me, let these men go.”

Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it an struck the high priest's slave and cut off his right ear.

Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?”

so the bad of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Judean authorities seized Jesus and bound him> First they led him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the religious authorities that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jewish people came together; I have said nothing secretly. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said.”

When he said this, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, who do you strike me?” Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “are not you also one of his disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”

One of the servants of he high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it;

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to Pilate's headquarters. It was early. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover. So Pilate wen out to them and said, 'What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not an evil doer, we would not have handed him over.” Pilate said to them, “take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

The religious authorities said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.”

Pilate asked Jesus, “are you the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “do you say this of your own accord, or did other say it to you about me?”

Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew?”

Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?”

Jesus answered, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the religious authorities; but my kingship is not form the world.”

Pilate said to him, “so your are a king?”

For this reason I was born, and for this I have come into the world,to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.”

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After Pilate had said this, he went to the religious authorities again, and told them, “I find no crime in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?” they cried out again, “not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. And the soldiers braided a crown of thorns , and put it on his head, and addressed him in a purple robe; they came up to him, say9ing, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.

Pilate went out again, and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that I find no0 crime in him.” so Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”

When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out,”crucify him, crucify him!”

Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime I him.”

The religious authorities answered him, “We have the Law and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid; he entered the headquarters again and said to Jesus, “where are you from?”

but Jesus gave no answer. Pilate therefore said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and the power to crucify you?”

Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin.”

But that Thursday before all this happened he had one last thing he wanted to share with his disciples. They had a meal together. And during that meal he took some bread and broke it and said this is my body...