I’ve often thought about the crowd calling for Jesus to be crucified. What were the stories behind these people turned so violent? I wonder… am I so different?
It’s easy with hindsight, to judge the fickle betrayal of the crowd towards Jesus, calling for his unjust death, just days after welcoming him with praise and adoration. I wonder what I would have yelled had I stood in that crowd? I want to think I would stand with Jesus... I want to believe that about myself. That anonymity of “mob mentality” is reminiscent of social media, manifested by false bravado through hidden anonymity rather than from a crowd. It’s easy to hide behind a keyboard, not facing the maligned in the comment threads — dehumanizing someone’s existence. It’s easy to only see what we can handle. When things get too personal (painful), we cancel each other out. We log off, shutdown, silence our phones. (Sometimes those are appropriate when boundaries are lacking). But do we silence our hearts too? But what of the attacked? People with real lives, lived out in real-time. Owning one’s part of the dialogue is not required on these digital platforms. Yet when I engage with others, it is required of me as a Jesus follower… because people matter to Jesus, they matter to me. Let me be clear… this I do through the power of Jesus’ Spirit in me. Jesus did not shut down the crowd. He did not turn back. He went all the way... all the way to the cross for you and for me. And he conquered death, rising to victory! THAT’S the power available to us! (Romans 8:11) So I ask myself: What kind of impact do my words make? What stories do my actions tell? Do I speak from the kind of sacrificial love and grace that Jesus showed the very ones who betrayed him? I pray Jesus’ amazing grace rules over my soul this Easter, I desperately need it. Blessings, - Esther
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