Holy Week (C)

Faces in the Crowd

On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” John 12:12 - 13.

The day before Palm Sunday a large crowd had gathered to see Jesus in Bethany (John 12:9), and now on Palm Sunday another large crowd comes out from Jerusalem to escort Jesus into the city. This practice of what we might call “rolling out the red carpet” was significant in the ancient world, for it not only was a demonstration of welcome, it was also given to military leaders returning from a victory. Many arches in the Roman world were built to commemorate triumphal leaders, and the victory parades were called “triumphs”. To be given a “triumph” was a great honor. What were these people thinking as they welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem? As Jesus looked into the faces of the crowd what did He see?

In our passage above we’re told that the crowd “had come to the feast”. This was the feast of Passover, the great commemoration of God, through Moses, leading His people out of Egyptian slavery, through the Red Sea, and eventually into the Promised Land. The people in the crowd had come to Jerusalem to celebrate deliverance from an oppressor; while at the same time they were living under what many considered Roman oppression - might not Jesus be another Moses, about to lead Israel out of slavery?

First century Palestine was a place of political and military ferment, the Jews had a history of rebellion against outside governments. There were groups of Jews advocating the overthrow of Roman rule and periodic armed insurgency occured throughout the time of Christ, culminating in a full-blown war in which Jerusalem was destroyed (A.D. 70). The thought that Jesus might be on the verge of leading a rebellion might have been in the minds of some in the crowd.

How easy it is to create Jesus in our own image. If we need a political or military leader let’s draft Jesus.

Of course Jesus knew all about crowds. In John Chapter Two is an account of Jesus at the first Passover of His recorded ministry, consider what John writes:

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

What did Jesus know was in man? Our fickleness? Our selfishness? Our faithlessness?

In John Chapter Six, after Jesus fed the multitude we read:

Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Jesus, once again, was not entrusting Himself to man.

What did Jesus see in the faces in the crowd? If I had been there, what would He have seen in my face? In your face?

A few days after Palm Sunday Jesus would face another crowd, but this time there would not be shouts of praise to God, this time there would be no welcoming throng with songs of joy, this time the crowd would be shouting “Away with this man!” As we read the following passage can you sense the increasing vehemence of the crowd, its insistence that Jesus must be crucified?

Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” [Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

But they cried out all together, saying, “Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will. Luke 23:13 - 25.

The crowd chose a murderer over Jesus, perhaps the murderer would set them free.

Of course, Jesus came for Barrabbas just as He came for you and me; He died for Barrabbas just as He died for you and me. The Worthy for the unworthy is the story of the Gospel, and in that sense we are all in the place of Barabbas. How do we feel when we hear the crowds shouting to crucify Jesus but free us?

Even though the crowds spoke out of hatred, even though like dumb animals they had been incited to demand the death of One whom they had been praising just days prior to Good Friday...there is a sense in which they spoke truth - Jesus had to die, the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18). In a sense the crowd spoke just as the high priest spoke just days before Palm Sunday:

Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they planned together to kill Him. John 11:47 - 53.

If Jesus saw my face in the crowd on Palm Sunday, would He have also seen my face in the crowd on Good Friday, crying, “Crucify Him!”

If Jesus sees my face on Sunday morning as I gather with others to worship Him, does He see my face in the crowd of a world gone mad, rejecting His love and grace, Monday - Saturday? Am I His follower for a few hours on Sunday, and then do my words and actions and the ponderings of my heart shout, “Crucify Him!” the rest of the week?

Does my choice of entertainment shout “Crucify Him!”? The way I spend my time and money? The language I use? The decisions I make? The way I treat people?

When Jesus sees my face, when He sees your face, as I write this and as you read this...what does He see?