Following the Crowd – April 10, 2022, Palm Sunday
Zechariah 9:9-10, Luke 19:28-48
April 10, 2022
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve heard a lot about “herd immunity.” And herd immunity is “that state that occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely.” As a result, the whole community becomes protected – not just those who are immune.
That’s herd immunity. But I’m asking us to think about something else today. I’m asking us to think about “herd mentality.” And herd mentality, which is also called “mob mentality,” or “pack mentality,” is a term which “describes how humans adopt behaviors, buy merchandise, and follow trends based on their circle of influence.” Think about that. it is how people “adopt behaviors based on their circle of influence.”
Another source says this. “Herd mentality describes how people can be influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, often on a largely emotional, rather than rational, basis.” That adds another dimension, doesn’t it? Herd mentality explains how one’s point of view can be altered by those around them. It explains how people can end up “following the crowd.” And that’s my sermon title for today.
In talking about this kind of thing, some like to invoke the often-used example of lemmings. Do you know what lemmings are? Lemmings are little rodents, similar to hamsters, who are said to run off cliffs together, in large numbers, for no apparent reason. Well, I was glad to learn this week that that’s a misconception. Lemmings do not commit mass suicide. And I feel so much better about them now! I hope you do, too! But we still use lemmings to describe the idea “herd mentality,” of people “following the crowd.”
Sheep have also gotten a bad rap in this way. People have used sheep to describe those who follow others blindly. And I think that’s very interesting considering how Jesus described his followers as sheep. “My sheep hear my voice.” he said. And I think that’s a different way of seeing sheep! Jesus he was probably following the thought of Psalm 100.
Know that the Lord is God!
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
I think that’s a much more positive way of seeing sheep! That’s us as being God’s people! But today we’re talking about “herd mentality.” We’re talking about “Following the crowd.” And I think there’s no doubt that a lot of people go along in their lives following what other people do. I used to call it “jumping on the bandwagon.” Have you heard that expression? People go along with everybody else! They follow the crowd.
When we were young, (and maybe even now, when we’re not-so-young!) we wanted to be accepted by our peers. We wanted to “be like” all the other people. We wanted to look like they looked and to do what they did. And when our parents saw us “following the crowd” like that, they said to us, “If all your friends jumped of a bridge (you know the rest!) would you jump off the bridge, too?” I think everybody’s parents said that, didn’t they?
The reason I bring this up today is that I’ve always wondered about this story of The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem – that which we know as Palm Sunday. We know that the people of Israel longed for deliverance. They longed for freedom from the Romans. And we know that this event was similar to one that took place a century before, when Judas Maccabaeus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. He had just led the successful revolt against the Seleucid Empire. And the people hailed him with palms and “Hosannas.”
By the way, the Seleucid Empire was part of the empire of Alexander the Great, which was divided up after his death. And I learned this week that Judas Maccabaeus had a nickname. He was called “the hammer.” – like Dave “the hammer” Schultz! Remember him, from the Stanley Cup Flyers?
So, Judas “the hammer” Maccabaeus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. He was hailed a conquering hero. And he then restored worship in the Temple, which was forbidden under the Seleucid emperor Antiochus IV Epiphanes. And during that restoration of the Temple, the miracle of lights took place, which became the festival we now know as(?) Hanukkah. Do you see how it all fits together? There will be a quiz on all of this next week!
So, the people were thinking and hoping that was all happening again with Jesus on Palm Sunday. They thought it was going to a revolution like Judas. They even called Jesus “king” in Luke’s account. We can only imagine what the Romans were thinking about that! They were always there, watching! And that made the religious leaders very “nervous!” Here, in Luke’s account, they tell Jesus to silence the people, not just because of their objections to what they were saying, but also because of what the Romans might think – and what the Romans might do to them!
But I’ve always wondered about this scene. Did the people get “caught up in the moment” that day? Was there some “herd mentality” going on here? According to the definition, were some of the people there being “influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors on a largely emotional, rather than rational, basis?” Were they following the crowd?
One of the reasons I ask that, is that, only five days later, the crowds were shouting “crucify him.” I’ve always wondered, were they the same people? Was there some herd mentality going on then, too? In that case maybe “mob mentality” would be the better description! And what about the people who opposed those who were shouting “crucify him?” What happened to them? Or did they all get caught up in it?
Certainly, Jesus was not doing the “conquering” kinds of things the crowd so wanted when he came into Jerusalem. In fact, the story of Palm Sunday is forever tied to the story of “The Cleansing of the Temple.” Instead of leading the crowds towards the Roman palace, and taking the actual crown as a king, Jesus turned toward the Temple and confronted the corruption and oppression there. Like the God of the Old Testament, Jesus’ harshest criticism was leveled against those who used their positions of spiritual authority for personal gain! (And what does that say about some of the “TV evangelists” of our day?)
Jesus did confront the authorities that week, but it wasn’t the Roman authority and rule that he confronted! In fact, when I read the story of Holy Week, they seem to come into the story just at the end, don’t they? They were almost pawns of the main opponents of Jesus, who were the priests and Pharisees. They were his real adversaries! And by Thursday, they whipped up enough of the people’s feelings of disappointment, that they were influenced, by those emotions, to adopt those behaviors. And they “followed the crowd” again, this time shouting “crucify him!”
Our parents were right. “Following the crowd” can take us down roads that maybe we shouldn’t go down. At the very least, we should be wary of who we are following, and why! And especially we should be wary of following the world’s thinking about Jesus! Because right now, if you think about it, the world seems to be in a Good Friday mode. That is, the world has turned against Jesus, and there seem to be more negative voices speaking out about him than positive. And if we’re not careful, we could find ourselves following the crowd – you know, lest they think ill of us! And if we’re not careful, we might even find ourselves like Peter, denying, even before the least threatening voices – the servant girl in the garden – that we even know who Jesus is!
The crowds on Palm Sunday have always been interesting to me. I believe there was definitely some “herd mentality” going on with them. And yet I love the way Jesus acknowledges the voice of the crowd, even if they were just being “caught up in the moment!” Here in Luke’s account, he responds to the Pharisees’ rebuke, “Teacher, silence your disciples!” He says, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out!”
So sure, some of them may have been just “following the crowd” that day. They may have been caught up in the moment. And yet it became this great event we still celebrate today! And part of “herd mentality” is that it helps the herd. There is strength in numbers. The reason we gather with other people of faith is that it strengthens our faith. And that’s a good thing! But as we think about our faith, as we celebrate this event today, as we look forward to Easter, I think it’s wise to think about our commitment. And perhaps we should ask ourselves the simplest question. “Do we just follow the crowd, or do we follow Jesus?”
As Paul would say, we “run with perseverance the race set before us, looking [not at the crowd we’re following, but] looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.
Prayer
Eternal God, we acknowledge Jesus as king, though like the people of old, we aren’t always sure what that means. Help us to know that we are indeed part of his kingdom, and that his kingdom is in our midst. Help us to know, this Holy Week, what he has done for us, and what his redemption means in our lives. For we pray in his name, Amen.