Mob Action

Mob Action

Women In The Crowd

Read: Matthew 27:20-26

The girl sat between her parents at the police station, staring at the floor. It all seemed unreal—she had never even hit anyone before. She went to the park only because her friends said they needed her. Then the other group showed up, and things got out of hand. The next thing she remembered was holding a baseball bat, with a girl lying at her feet.

The same people that adored Jesus when he made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem turned into a hateful mob only a few days later. Since Pilate believed Jesus to be an innocent man, he offered the crowd a choice between releasing Jesus and releasing Barabbas, a murderer. At the religious leaders’ urging, the crowd chose Barabbas. Each time Pilate asked a question, the crowd shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” The chanting whipped the crowd into such a frenzy that they screamed for the responsibility for Jesus’ death to fall on them and their children.

I can only imagine how sickened any women who participated in this scene felt the next day, wondering how they could have been so cruel and bloodthirsty. History reveals that people will do things as part of a crowd that they would never dream of doing individually, even to the point of attacking someone. When people get caught up in group emotions, they tend to follow along even when a rash action conflicts with their values.

We also face the danger of being led astray by our culture. Every day, we’re surrounded by the loud voices of the media urging us to behave in ways that go against God’s values. If we aren’t careful to listen to God’s voice, we may wake up one day and find that we have done something we never dreamed we were capable of doing.

[The Lord said,] “You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong.”

Exodus 23:2