Date: 14 Feb 2018 Comments: 0

Thoughts or today’s reading is a bit more detailed than yesterday but the focus is centralized. There are always news stories about a person or small group of people somewhere who get together around an idea, they then build excitement for that idea that rises to a fever pitch. It’s easy to see how a crowd, say, in Mardi Gras, can get caught up in the excitement and maybe do something they wouldn’t do, just like a crowd in the streets of an oppressed city can build their anger and overthrow police. In some cases, we can do good things as a people together but likewise we can do bad things as a people together. When you associate with (or are drawn into) a crowd, you may find that you do things you normally do or you may end up letting the emotions (especially anger) impact your thinking. That seems to be exactly what happened when Jesus was presented to Pilate. “Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!” And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!” (Matthew 27:24-25, NLT). So this crowd was so caught up with the events and goings on that they pushed to have Jesus crucified even though the leader saw no wrong in him. One must ask if the people were drawn up in the moment. The Proverbs even argues why this is a dangerous situation: “The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence. Short-tempered people do foolish things, and schemers are hated.” (Proverbs 14:16-17, NLT). So I urge you to look at the crowd you are in. Is it making you do what you shouldn’t do? Are you letting your decisions be compromised by those who you associate with? If your crowd is making you do wrong, you need to find a new crew.