Persuading The Multitude; Matthew 21:1-9, 27:15-25
A little boy was sick on Palm Sunday and stayed home from church with his mother. His father returned from church holding a palm branch. The little boy was curious and asked, “Why do you have that palm branch, dad?” “You see, when Jesus came into town, everyone waved Palm Branches to honor him, so we got Palm Branches today.” The little boy replied, “Aw Shucks! The one Sunday I miss is the Sunday that Jesus shows up!”
The 1st passage - Palm branches were a symbol of victory (Olympics). The winner of the race carried a palm branch as a flag. Jesus descends off the Mt. to Jerusalem as the victorious King in Israel. Hosanna means “Save.” They cried out “Save us, save us.”
The 2nd passage there is a change of heart. Jesus before Pilate & the crowd… Some believe these are two different crowds & that’s a possibility. However, the crowd followed Him into Jerusalem. Many were there that had heard Him teach, seen Him heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cause the lame to walk, and raise the dead and they followed Him wherever He went. They cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.”
I believe many in the 1st crowd were also present in the 2nd crowd. At any rate the key here is Matthew 27:20. They were persuaded. I wonder if we were there how we would have responded, reacted. Would we have been persuaded to cry out against Christ? Let’s concentrate on 5 areas in our own lives that will help keep us from being persuaded:
I. Be Alert to Peer Pressure
I believe that many of the people there praised because they were caught up in the excitement, everyone else was doing it. Many cried out crucify Him for the same reason. But they didn’t know why.
It is in our nature to go along with the crowd. We want to please others. Do what they do, dress the way they dress, listen to the music they listen to, go where they go. We don’t want to be different, because people who are different are teased, mocked, ridiculed, spit on & sometimes beaten and even killed.
We are constantly being pressured from all sides:
1. The youth are being pressured by their “friends” to dress a certain way, have sex, drink alcohol, and do drugs. Their being pressured by their school to believe that evolution is the truth and creation is a religious hoax. Their being pressured by society to believe sex before marriage is O.K. as long as they use protection, and abortion is a choice not murder.
2. Adults are being pressured to believe that work is more important than family, money is more important than morality, and popularity more important than character.
3. Christians are being pressured to conform to the world’s values instead of God’s.
Pressures are all around us and it’s very uncomfortable to stand apart from the crowd. We want to be liked, accepted, we often desire to try to please everybody. (Old man, young boy and Heine the mule). Moral of the story – Try to please everybody and you’ll loose your Heine… A heavy burden… My purpose in life is not to please everybody; my purpose is to please God.
The story of Noah, the minority, in the end the majority. Let’s take a stand, even if it means standing alone. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”
Peer pressure is all about conformity. The world we live in is calling us to be politically correct in everything we do, we’re being called to conform to this world, and it’s standards. The only way to overcome peer pressure is to be aware of it’s presence and live your life on God’s purpose.
II. Be Genuine in Praise
I think it’s interesting to note that the crowd praised Christ only when they thought He was going to release them from the control of the Roman government. That’s what they believed when He was riding into Jerusalem. They had heard the prophecies about the King. But when things didn’t turn out the way they planned they turned on Him. Was this genuine?
I believe that many people praise the Lord when life is good, when things are going their way, and when there are obvious blessings from the hand of the Lord. But when life is hard, when and their struggling to pay the bills and the debtors are calling they turn on God, they blame God, and they curse God.
That’s exactly what Job’s wife told him to do when everything was turning south in their life, Job 2:9, “His wife said to him, ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!’” Listen God is God in the good times and in the bad. He is still on His throne, He is still in control. And no matter what you go through in life He will use it for your ultimate good.
So if you’re going to praise God, praise Him in the good times and in the bad. 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
(Martin Kavick my bumper sticker…) Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever a man sows that will he also reap.”
Many turn to God in time of need and call upon God. There is no commitment, not genuine in their praise, they just want out of their trouble. What makes people think God will listen when He knows when the crises is over they will go back to their old ways and ignore Him.
Genuine praise is not lip service, but life service. Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
III. Be Faithful When Perplexed
I have no doubt that the crowed was confused. They were unsure of what was going on. This was Christ the King, He will rise up conquer Rome & the world and we will be saved. Now all of a sudden He is being judged, He had been beaten, spit upon, and ridiculed. Their hopes were shattered. And instead of defending Him, instead of standing up for Him, they turned on Him.
This is not what they expected the King to be. When God wasn’t exactly what they expected, they forsook Him. This is not the first time… (The Israelites in the wilderness). Let’s admit it sometimes God doesn’t seem to make sense. Isaiah 55:8-9, “‘My thoughts are completely different from yours,’ says the LORD. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’”
Job – Lost sons, daughters, servants, land, home, had boils. Friends told him it was his sin. His wife said, “Curse God and die.” But he remained faithful in the midst of his suffering, pain, and confusion. Listen, God doesn’t expect us to understand everything, but… to be faithful no matter what.
We may be tempted to ask why. Job did… Many others did, even Jesus did when He was on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” We may feel that God has forsaken us. But he hasn’t. He did not forsake Job, He didn’t forsake Jesus, and He will not forsake you. Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So be faithful in the midst of sorrow, pain, & confusion.
IV. Be Consistent in Practice
The crowd praised Him one week, and cried “Crucify Him” the next week. They were inconsistent, because they had no foundation.
1 Kings 18:21, “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.’ But the people said nothing.”
Many Christians are the same way; they fluctuate from week to week depending on their mood swings. 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” God gives us everything we need to
Ephesians 4:11-15, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”
If your inconsistent in the faith you will not grow in the “Grace and knowledge of Christ.”
Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Conclusion: Matt. 27:20 The crowd was persuaded. If you were there would you have been persuaded? I dare say that if you are not ALERT TO PEER PRESSURE, GENUINE IN PRAISE, FAITHFUL WHEN PERPLEXED, CONSISTENT IN PRACTICE then you would have stood with the crowd and cried out “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.” And the blood of Jesus would be on your hands. Are you firmly and consistently on God’s side? If not commit to Him now. Jesus said, “Forgive them….”
