Most of you are aware that Margaret works in the toy and gift industry.  She was recently in a conversation with one of our daughters who was searching for Needoh products.  It is something that has been on the market for a long time however, someone made a TikTok video of it and now you cannot find it anywhere.  It is the newest fad among young kids and parents are frantically searching high and low to find one.  Unfortunately, because of its newly found popularity, for late-comers, finding one of them is currently an exercise in futility.

Back in the day, you might have gone searching for a cabbage patch doll and if you were too late to the party, it was an exercise in futility.  More recently, it was Talking Elmo.  Hopefully you did not miss out on that craze as well.  If you were one of the unfortunate ones who spent hours searching store after store, you might remember the futility you felt in that moment.  It is exasperating trying to find something that seems to be hidden from view or in short supply.  During COVID, you might remember that feeling when there was the run on toilet paper at COSTCO.

The gospels mention a crowd of people that built up and followed Jesus wherever he went in Galilee and Jerusalem.  We know that some of these people were seeking his help – some wanted to be healed, others were looking for more food, while a contingent sought a renewed sense of hope for deliverance.  We also know that the crowds were not part of Jesus’ inner circle which meant that they were more than likely a fickle crowd.  They liked Jesus for what he could do for them in the moment.  However, when the miracles ceased and Jesus’ attention shifted, the crowd split.

As Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday some of the crowds gathered and sang songs.  They threw their robes on the ground in front of him and waved palm branches.  Maybe they assumed that the blessed one was coming in the name of God and in doing so, would meet their expectations.  Some interpreters believe they will be the same crowds that will demand that Jesus be crucified; of that we cannot be 100% certain.  What the story does tell us is that there were crowds of people at these moments including the crucifixion.  Some of them joined in on the taunting of Jesus.  They remembered his predictions of his own death, but they also remembered that he said, “destroy this temple and I will raise it again on the third day.”  Evidently, they thought it nonsense and joined in with the chief priests, scribes, elders, and soldiers verbally abusing our dying Savior.  Another faction of the crowds plays a part in this story.  After the death of Jesus, this crowd leaves the scene of the crucifixion “beating their breasts.”  This is a sign of their agony and despair.  Their hopes and dreams just died with Jesus’ last breath.  Their deliverer did not deliver himself.  Their friend’s life had ended in tragedy and humiliation.  They might have felt like all the things that Jesus said and did were for nothing – his life and ministry were an exercise in futility.  Maybe their six-word memoir might read something like this, “Watched it all; beat our breasts.”

What the crowds did not realize was that the cross did not have the final word.  Jesus’ ministry to the hurting, outcast, possessed, and dead did not end with his last breath and the sealed tomb.  There would come a moment when his words of prediction would be reality – they would welcome the resurrection.

I invite you to take time and read each of the scriptures above followed by reflection on the questions below.  Consider the nature of the crowds and how you would have reacted to Jesus.  Lastly, I pray that God bless the reading of God’s Word and the meditations of your heart.

Questions to Consider this week:

• Monday:  What is your understanding of the crowds that followed Jesus?
• Tuesday:  In what way(s) could you see yourself as part of the crowds that followed him?
• Wednesday:  How has Jesus met your dreams, hopes, or expectations?
• Thursday:  How has following Jesus disappointed you?
• Friday:  How does the crucifixion of Jesus affect you emotionally and spiritually? 
• Saturday:  If you were at the foot of the cross and watched Jesus die, how do you imagine yourself reacting in that moment?

Actions for the Week:

• Head:  Contemplate following Jesus for three years, seeing his ministry, and then watching him die.
• Heart:  Reflect on a time when your hopes and dreams were crushed and shattered.
• Hand:  Say a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of Jesus and what his death really means to your life.