What happened in one week that turned the crowds against Jesus?

[otherone]

Hello DU and thank you for clicking on my OP.

I went to church on Palm Sunday and we played out the Crucifixion.

One minute cute kids are walking down the isle waving palms.

We welcome Christ. Hosanna!

The next thing I thing I know we are betraying Jesus

"Crucify him!" we all say together in church. The church is full. The cry is as loud as any response given by the parish all year. It is chilling.

We chose to release a bad guy (thief and murderer) instead of Jesus.

"Crucify him!" we all say our line together again. It is loud. It makes me cringe.

Then it is done.

What happened in that week to turn the crowds against Jesus? It is one thing to go from popular to unpopular. But to go from Prophet status to criminal so quickly is quite a transition. What was it that turned the crowds against Jesus in that week after Palm Sunday?

I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

[TommyCelt]

1. Our priest addressed this...

He said that crowd is us. And I agree...it is always chilling, every year, to cry out "Crucify him!"

We are fickle, we are fallen, and we want what we want when we want it. And many, many times, we simply follow the crowd

"Jesus the Prophet! Hosanna in the Highest!!!"

"Wait...he did WHAT in the Temple??? Beat peddlers and money changers with whips??? Overturned tables and let animals loose??? He's going to do WHAT in 3 days to the Temple?? BLASPHEMER!!!"

I always thought it was the "Cleansing of the Temple" that set the ball in motion. We read it in Scripture and see it portrayed in art and various media and think, "YEAH!!! GO JC!!! YOU SHOW'EM!!!".

But put yourself in the scene...picture yourself as a vendor, selling doves and lambs for sacrifice. You're just going about your daily work, wondering when the biggest rush will be during the day, thinking about staying later because...hey, it Passover. Maybe daydreaming about your kids playing this morning. Suddenly this MAN (didn't you see him a couple of days ago...people waving branches? Whatever...) upending YOUR CART with all of YOUR daily earnings. YOUR DOVES!!! YOUR LAMBS!!! Then he starts screaming about dens and thieves, and...he's HITTING you with a whip!!!! Who the hell IS this guy???? What the hell are you going to do...that was your whole business!!!

I imagine a lot of vendors/money-changers and of course everyone in and around the Temple witnessed this and felt the same way. Jesus disrupted the start a HUGE holiday and at the time, a completely accepted practice (money changing and vending) outsider the Temple.

Coupled with the realization that He was in fact NOT there to usurp the power of Rome, to start a revolution...to give them what they wanted when they wanted it...the crowds in Jerusalem found is easier, more immediate to scream for the life of the revolutionary Barabbas than this guy who screwed up the holiday.

Fickle. Fallen. Us.

Just some musing...

[otherone]

2. Barabbas was described as a revolutionary in my parish on Sunday as well.

thanks for the musing.

[goldent]

3. I'm not much of a Bible person

but my impression has always been is that he was a threat to the Jewish establishment (High Priests etc) and they wanted to see him gone. They were constantly challenging him, but his great "palm Sunday" entrance might have pushed them over the top. And when people see the establishment go after someone, they might join in either to conform, or for a range of other reasons (envy, fear, etc) or they just get caught up in the moment. The same thing plays out today.

[rustbeltvoice]

5. yes

Let us look at the week:

Palm Sunday--triumphal entrance to Jerusalem

Tuesday (probably?)--disruption at the Temple

Spy Wednesday--Judas is paid to betray Jesus

Friday morning--trial and crucifixion

Resurrection Sunday

[otherone]

6. thanks for the reply..

peace and ow stress..

[rug]

4. What happens to us in that moment when we choose to do wrong?

We know it. We know what will happen. Yet we do it. Often in a manner of seconds.

The Passion is all about our sin. And we have to reenact it every year.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

7. Every year, when the congregation cries "Crucify him, crucify him"

I am struck by how I, personally, am responsible for the crucifixion.

I have always thought that the old Evangelical hymn, "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" would be appropriate.

[rug]

8. ". . . tremble, tremble, tremble . . ."

And it's not from fear, it's from realization. Like the man in Michelangelo's Last Judgment.