Crucify Him!
Read Mark 15:1-15
“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
“Crucify him!” they shouted. –Mark 15:9-13
Something happens to us when we join a crowd. We instinctively surrender some part of our identity to that crowd, which can lead to both positive and disastrous results. Psychologists call this “herd mentality” (or sometimes use the term “mob mentality”).
Herd mentality can be attributed to multiple factors:
There is a loss of individual identity. For example, think of how it feels to be part of a concert or a sporting event and be caught up in the cheering crowd!
This loss of individual identity can lead to heightened emotion. Again, this can be a double-edged sword. Crowds can contribute to a sense of euphoria and joy, or a sense of anger and outrage.
Individual decision-making declines. We tend to follow the patterns of the group, which also means decision-making gets concentrated in a small handful of leaders who exercise outsized influence on the crowd.
Our moral compass can be affected. We adopt the behaviors of the crowd, even if they go beyond our normal boundaries. We also tend to feel less responsible for our actions within a crowd. Responsibility is diffused to everyone, which can make us freer to act (and react).
We can see this “herd mentality” on display on both sides of Jesus’ week in Jerusalem. When he entered Jerusalem, people cut down palms and laid their robes along the street. They sang songs of praise and welcome. They were caught up in joy and euphoria, hailing their long-awaited Messiah.
But within five days, the flip side of the mob mentality took hold. People grew increasingly agitated when Jesus failed to meet their expectations. They allowed the religious leaders to sway their decision-making. They ended up cheering for Barabas’s release (at least he had stood up to the Romans!). When Pilate asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus, they shouted back as one: “Crucify him!”
If the people in that crowd had been separated from one another and been asked individually to make a choice between Barabbas or Jesus (or if they had been given individual input into Jesus’ punishment), they likely would have made a different choice. But that day, the herd ruled their emotions and their choices. They focused all their anger and outrage on Jesus.
While we live in a very different world, “herd mentality” is still a part of our reality today. Consider the many protests that have turned violent—from the storming of the Capitol to the vandalism that often accompanied the Black Lives Matter protests. Sadly, our tendency is to blame these outcomes on the character traits of the “other.” It’s the “left” or the “right” that resorts to violence; it’s the “immigrants” or the “rednecks” that are to blame. We would be wise to remember that herd mentality can affect us all. As much as we may enjoy being caught up in the joy of a crowd, we must also beware when we are swept up in its anger.
“Be not conformed to the world,” Paul wrote to the Romans, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rom 12:2) Let us remember who we are, to whom we belong, and be careful not to get caught up in the currents that give us license to hate in whatever way we please.
When I fall too easily into the habit of “group-think,” remind me that You have given me a mind to examine the world around me. Help me not to fall mindlessly in line with others, but to be faithful to the identity You have given me. Amen.
***During this Holy Week, I will suggest a song of reflection each day, as a way of staying centered on the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. To start the week off, I recommend listening to Jimmy Neeham’s “Clear the Stage”