Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this evening comes from our Gospel lesson (Matthew 27: 15-25). ����������������

One thing a person quickly learns about large groups of people is that, collectively, in the heat of the moment, they have little common sense. Large groups are often fickle and quick to change direction. Just look at any sports event � the crowd may cheer or jeer the home team at any moment. The larger the crowd, the less control. About 10 years ago, a group of British soccer fans trying to get onto the field crushed some of their own against a fence, killing many of them. Mob psychology is scary � a cheering crowd can turn into an ugly, vicious mob in seconds. ����������������

Nowhere is the quick change of a mob's attitude better seen than in Jesus' passion. The crowds that cheered Jesus on Palm Sunday called for his death on Friday. Their cheers became jeers; their shouts of "Hosanna" became words of death. Tonight we listen to the shouting mob � and hear ourselves as well. ����������������

During Passover Jerusalem's population mushroomed, going from approximately the same size as Junction City, about 20,000, to close to 200,000 inhabitants for the week. People camped in the streets, outside the city walls, anywhere they could find a spot. During the week, the city could become a powder keg just waiting for a match to light the fuse. The Romans stationed extra troops in and around the city to keep any violence or outbreaks under immediate control. No wonder the priests and Pharisees feared to arrest Jesus during the feast, lest the people riot. This situation was truly explosive. ����������������

The 1st time the crowds shouted was on Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode in on a colt. The crowds saw Jesus coming, and the words of Zechariah rang in their ears: "See, your king comes to you� riding on a donkey" (Zech. 9:9; Mt 21: 5). Suddenly, they began taking off their coats and laying them on the ground. Others ran and got palm branches and placed them on the groun before Jesus as he rode over them. Someone started shouting, then another, and soon those in the crowd were all calling out "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!" (Mt 21:9). ����������������

The priests were mortified. They knew what these actions and cries meant. The coats and palm branches meant that the people were laying their lives and their country at Jesus' feet. They wanted him to be their king and rule over them as King David had. The cry "Hosanna" meant "Save us now!" It was an exclamation of praise and a cry for rescue. Rescue from whom? The priests could only think about the Romans, whose armies were encamped all around. The priests feared for their lives and their livelihood. Pushing their way through the crowd, they came to Jesus. "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!" But Jesus replied "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." (Luke 19: 39-40). Jesus had no intention of quieting the mob; indeed, he rejoiced in their cries and rejoiced with them that the hour of salvation was at hand. ����������������

But the idea of salvation, of rescue that the crowds were thinking, and the rescue in Jesus' mind were very different. The priests were right. The people were looking for an earthly king, earthly rescuer. They wanted Jesus to get rid of his teacher's robes and don a general's armor. They wanted a King David, and thought that was who Jesus would be. ����������������

Jesus though had another idea of rescue and kingship, one that would take him far from the cheering crowds and shouting mobs. For Jesus, salvation meant that he would walk alone to the tree of Calvary. ����������������

Late Thursday night the priests and teachers of the law managed to do what no one thought could ever be done � arrest Jesus when no one was near. Thanks to the inside information of Judas, they were able to place Jesus under arrest with no crowd nearby. A quick trial and Jesus was sent off to Pilate for condemnation and death. Pilate had always been willing to executed troublemakers before. Except Pilate, for some reason, decided to try Jesus on his own. Instead of just taking their word that Jesus was guilty, he wanted to find out for himself. So, taking Jesus inside his palace, he left the priests outside. Now they were worried. Within a few minutes even Pilate would figure out that Jesus was not the revolutionary they had tried to paint him as. Pilate would set him free unless there was a strong reason to convince him otherwise. ����������������

Pilate was a politician. Politicians listen to crowds. No true politician will act against the will of the people. It's political suicide. The politician's creed is "There go my people; I must follow them, for I am their leader." If Pilate could be convinced that enough people wanted Jesus dead, then he would cave in and put Jesus to death. ����������������

So the priests provided a 2nd crowd that Holy Week. Pilate came out with Jesus in tow only to find a huge mob of angry faces shouting for Jesus' blood. During the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, Americans were treated to pictures of huge crowds screaming "Death to America." Media crews have reported however, that those crowds were often silent until they saw the red lights of the television cameras come on. Then right on cue, they would begin to scream and shout. The Good Friday mob was much the same � a select group of people chosen to do one thing, call on cue for Jesus' crucifixion. ����������������

Cry out they did. The moment Pilate came outside, the crowd shouted for Jesus' blood. "Kill him. Crucify him! Nail him to the cross! Get on with it already!" Pilate couldn't believe his ears. Crucify him? Why? On what charge? But the only reply he got was "CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!" ����������������

Pilate didn't necessarily like Jesus, but he didn't want to crucify him either. He tried to set him free. ��

First he offered to let one prisoner go: Jesus who was innocent; or Barabbas, a notorious thief and murderer. Surely the crowd would choose Jesus. But someone shouted out "Barabbas!" and suddenly the crowd began chanting "Barabbas! Barabbas! We want Barabbas" If Jesus wasn't willing to be an earthly king like David, well at least maybe they could get a leading low-life like Barabbas to kill off a few Romans. But Pilate asked "What about Jesus?" Again the cry went up: "CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!" ����������������

Pilate decided to have Jesus beaten, hoping that would satisfy the crowd's thirst for blood. Afterwards, the soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus' back and gave him a crown of thorn branches. Surely seeing this man beaten and humiliated would soften the crowd. Surely seeing a fellow Jew disgraced by Romans would silence their cries. But the sight of Jesus bloodied only enraged the crowd more. His beating and humiliation merely whetted their appetite for his death. "CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!" "CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!" ����������������

Pilate tried to reason with them again, but the mob stopped listening. They were ripping their clothes and throwing dirt in the air. They were crying and shouting, condemning Jesus to death. "CRUCIFY! CRUCIFY!" Pilate gave in to their wishes and had Jesus put to death. ����������������

When we hear the cries of those two crowds � one shouting words of praise; the other, cries of death � we applaud the first and condemn the other. But we are part of both crowds. We shout words of praise to our Lord, yet we also condemn him to death. We call "Hosanna!" and "CRUCIFY!" We are part of that ugly Good Friday mob. A big stink has been made recently about who killed Jesus. Mel Gibson has been attacked because some think his Passion movie portrays that the Jews are to blame. But in every interview he has done, he has said "It was my sins that killed Jesus." Gibson even made the dramatic point by filming his own hands driving the nails through the (mechanical) hands of Jesus in the movie. Each time we disobey God, each time we rebel against His Word, we shout again that Jesus deserves to die. For Jesus would not have died except for our sin. He would not have given his life on the cross, but that we disobey God again and again. ��

Every curse word, every lie, everything we do wrong shouts with the crowd that Jesus deserves to die. For Jesus gave up his life in our place. He died so that we might be forgiven. ����������������

We are also a part of the Palm Sunday crowd. When we see our sin, we are overwhelmed with the knowledge of our guilt. We try to run away from the guilt, but there is nothing we can do. We see our Lord, hanging there on the cross. We know that he is there because of us, dying for our sins, and we cry out "Hosanna! Save us now! Save us Lord! Take our sins away and grant us new life with you. Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us!" ����������������

God hears our shouts, our cries for mercy. Romans 8 "We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Jesus said that when he was raised up, he would call all people to himself. He calls us to the cross. There we find forgiveness and in his death for us we find new life. And we shout "Hosanna. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" Blessed is he who comes to forgive our rebellion, our mob tendencies. Blessed is he who gives us new life through Baptism in His name. Blessed is He who says "Go in peace, your sins are forgiven!" Blessed is Jesus Christ, crucified for us. ��

No wonder we can sing in the hymn "Here might I stay and sing; No story so divine, Never was love, dear King, Never was grief like thine. This is my friend, In whose sweet praise; I all my days could gladly spend!" ����������������

Listen to the shout of the crowd! We shout aloud with them. With our sins we shout "Crucify!", but in repentance we shout "Hosanna!" All praise to God our Father, who sent forth his Son, who now receives the praises of countless angels and of the innumerable saints of heaven.

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)

(Note: This sermon and sermon series comes from Rev. James Butler and published in Concordia Pulpit Resources, February, 2004. Modified slightly)