The Disturbing Reason Jesus was Really Crucified
Pilate argued with them (the crowd and religious leaders), because he wanted to release Jesus. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
For the third time, he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”
But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.
~Luke 23:20-24 (NLT)
As I’m reading through the last hours of Jesus’ life this week before Easter, I was struck and disturbed at how this mob could have the power to determine a verdict to crucify Jesus…even when the governor of the land disagreed and there was no evidence that Jesus had done anything criminal!
Even when it made no sense…the loud voice of the mob still prevailed.
I think we could point to dozens of mob voices in our culture right now that are prevailing and effectively determining verdicts, both culturally and legally, that still crucify Jesus and lead generations of his people in wrong directions.
But how do they get away with it?
As I dug deeper, here are some reasons I see that might explain how a few loud voices are able to win a mob and prevail over truth:
It usually begins with a few individuals who have unhealthy grievances: In Jesus’ day, the mob in Jerusalem got stirred up by a few religious leaders who were deeply offended that Jesus called them out on their hypocrisy. Instead of humbling themselves and asking God if there was truth to this charge or allowing his correction to help them return to a right relationship with God and others, they took offense and sought revenge. Many mob movements of today have started the same way…with a few individuals who were hurt or offended by truth and didn’t deal with it in a healthy way. Instead of humbly self-examining and searching for truth, they chose pride and made it their life’s mission to take down the people or beliefs that offended them.
They use manipulation to promote self-interest and achieve political influence: The religious leaders in Jerusalem hated that Jesus was gaining a following and they were losing theirs. They understood that the Roman governor didn’t want a revolt, so they knew if they could manipulate and rally the masses to believe Jesus had violated the law somehow and deceived them, the masses would want justice and the governor was likely to cave to appease them. Today, we have media sources that know how to slant news to manipulate the masses and politicians who cater to public opinion over doing what’s right to earn votes and ensure job security. Whenever any leader’s self-interest overrides their commitment to truth, justice is always perverted.
They seek platforms that have large audiences of impressionable people: How is it possible that the same mob that was worshipping and welcoming Jesus as He rode into Jerusalem in kingly fashion was, just one week later, convinced that Jesus should be crucified? When people are not solidly rooted in truth from personally reading God’s word and knowing God’s heart, any loud voice - especially one that seems religious or appeals to religious values - can be impressionable and convincing. Today, the travesty of social media is that its audience is largely young, impressionable people, and it grants a platform of far too much influence to those who may have loud voices but no credentials or accountability to truth or accuracy. As a former journalist, I remember the multiple layers of edits and checks that used to be required for any story that was published. Now, anything can be published instantly on a global scale no matter how false, outlandish or harmful. Even when a voice may be entirely wrong, if their presentation is passionate and polished or if they include some element of truth, impressionable people can easily buy into it.
They misunderstand God and promote values that are generally seen as good but are not actually biblical: The mob in Jesus’ day loved the idea and talk of a new King coming to save them and usher in a new life. But their understanding of what that meant was way off. They were hoping for a revolutionary King who would defeat by force all their enemies and make life good and comfortable again. But when Jesus didn’t fulfill their expectations and they realized the kind of life he was inviting them into meant serving, sacrificing, suffering and even dying for those they saw as enemies, they rejected Him. Today, many agendas and ideologies that are loudly promoted, even by churchgoers and some religious leaders, are actually contradictory to what the Bible teaches us. But they are strongly held and defended as true and right by large numbers of people because they fulfill our personal expectations or desires for what we mistakenly understand as the good life.
The more I reflect on this, the more I think we could all be asking ourselves, Is there a loud, mob voice that is prevailing over truth in my life? How can I avoid getting sucked into a mob movement that might even seem good and right but is actually positioning me as an opponent of Jesus? For instance, am I buying into what the masses say is permissible regarding sexuality or any kind of sex outside of marriage? Am I entertaining loud voices that encourage me to not honor my parents or other leaders? Do I allow personalities or voices from any kind of media to work me up into a frenzy so that I respond in ungodly ways over injustices that may or may not be accurately portrayed? Or am I simply believing a loud but false voice in my own head that has kept me from experiencing a genuine, intimate relationship with Jesus?
Lord, as we consider the difficult and sacrificial path to the cross that you chose, help us be people who also position our hearts to say, “Yet not my will, but yours be done” and who accept and even thank you for the life you give us even when it isn’t what we expected or hoped for. Help us become so rooted and grounded in your Holy Word and your love that we are not swayed from the truth, even by popular or convincing voices. Encourage us to turn off and turn away from the constant feed of manipulative voices and images that come at us over all types of media. Instead, let us listen for your quiet voice of truth and be filled with your Spirit and power instead of engaging in sinful arguments that don’t glorify you and leave us feeling powerless. Finally, give us the courage to stop entertaining false voices in our own heads that keep us from experiencing the freedom and joy you walked up the hill of suffering to give us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
[A core element of our work at Single Parent Missions is to reach out to single parents who are suffering, often because life decisions were made based on the loud voices of the prevailing culture, and bring them into a life-giving relationship with Jesus and his Church. We create spaces where single parents can hear truth, receive good guidance, and experience trustworthy community to walk with them and help them navigate their difficult journey. If you know any single parents who could benefit from this, please contact us at singleparentmissions@gmail.com]