Mindless Crowds
Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, ~ Matthew 26:67
Today’s reading provided a clear example of the evil in a world that rejects Christ. The horror we see in that event is similar to what happens to Jesus all the time. Many people still oppose Christ; they refuse to accept Him as their Lord, God, or King. They view Him as a threat to be removed or ignored. The crowd from that day had certain traits. Firstly, they were an unjust mob. They acted without cause, as Jesus had committed no crime. It was completely unfair to arrest and execute Him. Today, the world remains unjust, with many rejecting Jesus, wanting nothing to do with Him, and opposing His love and truth. This rejection is a serious injustice because He is the King of righteousness. To mistreat or deny Him is wrong. The people who turn away from Christ today are just like the noisy mob that approached the Mount of Olives.
The crowd is not only unfair, but also thoughtless. Like any crowd, they follow a few leaders. Most people blindly follow the actions of a few angry individuals. This is true today; many people across the country and around the globe turn away from Jesus Christ simply because that’s what the crowd thinks. They adopt the negative feelings of those around them and fail to consider Jesus for themselves. The sinful world that denies Him now is often just as thoughtless as the crowd that reacted to Judas’ betrayal.
Exodus 30:11-31:18
Matthew 26:47-68
Psalm 32:1-11
Proverbs 8:27-32
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New Testament: Matthew 26:47-68
Summary:
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council
Overview: Matthew 14-28 – Click Here
Listen to John MacArthur on today’s scripture below:
- Matthew 26:47–50
- Matthew 26:47–50a
- Matthew 26:50b–56
And as we looked at that scene last time, I suggested to you that it is a very good illustration of the wickedness of the Christ-rejecting world; that what was done there that gives us so much horror is not unlike what is done at all times to Jesus Christ. For there is still a world of people who attack Christ, as it were, a world of people who reject Him, who will not have Him as their Lord, will not have Him as their God, will not have Him as their King, see Him as a threat, someone to be done away with, put aside, eliminated. And I suggested that the characteristics of that crowd that day were these. First of all, it was an unjust mob. In other words, they were carrying out something for which there was no deserving. In other words, Jesus had done no crime. It was utterly unjust to take Him prisoner and execute Him. But the world is equally unjust today, and the mob that rejects Jesus Christ, and the people who want no part in Him, and those who are against Him, and those who refuse His love and His truth, are just as unjust. For if the truth were known, He is the King of righteousness, and to mistreat Him, or reject Him, is utter injustice. And so the mob today is equally unjust, rejecting Jesus Christ, refusing Him, denying Him to be the Son of God and the Savior of the world, is an unrighteous, unjust, unfair, inequitable act. And the crowds of people today who refuse Christ are no different than the clamoring mob that came up the Mount of Olives.
The crowd is not only unjust, but last time we saw they are mindless. Typical of any kind of crowd, they are led by a few. The majority are mindlessly doing what a few angry people would have them do. And it is so today; there are people all across this land and all around the world who reject and refuse Jesus Christ simply because that is the mind of the mob. That is the mindless attitude of those that they are around, and they are swept up in the bitterness and hatred of others, and have made no personal evaluation of Jesus Christ. The wicked world that rejects Him today is just as mindless, in many cases, as that crowd was on that day. Read the entire sermon – Click Here
The Illegal, Unjust Trials of Jesus, Part 1
- Matthew 26:57, 59–61
The Restoration of a Sinning Saint
- Matthew 26:58, 69–75
The Illegal, Unjust Trials of Jesus, Part 2
- Matthew 26:62–68
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