Every Easter, the same story is told. Yet every year, despite myself, I see something new. Sometimes I'm pretty sure it slaps me across the face:
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
There's a reason those words stuck out to me, so let me rewind. I work with what I generally refer to as a "group of wily fifth graders" in an after school childcare center. Unless you work closely with ten year olds, there's no way to understand: 1) How funny they are, 2) How irrational they can be, 3) How much they lack the big picture of... mostly anything. A good portion of my education has been centered in child development, so I am aware that these traits are because that is where they are developmentally. But when I say these fifth graders are wily, I do mean wily. Definition: adjective. Shrewd; skilled at gaining the advantage.
Hold on for a second, because I'm going to throw another term at you: Groupthink.
"Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome."
We as humans are predisposed to act on this phenomenon. Middle schoolers are extremely prone. If one kid thinks popcorn is a stupid snack, the rest of them will agree almost immediatey. It boggles my mind - mainly because popcorn is just about the best snack ever - but also because of how insanely irrational it is to agree to something that quickly. But in their minds, standing up for what they actually believe threatens their position within the group.
And now we come to my point (thanks for hanging in there). Sometimes when I'm working with the kids, I feel a whole lot like Pilate must have felt at the time of Jesus' crucifixion. This is irrational! What is going on? How can they be agreeing to this... all of them? How did we get here?
At this point, the crowd was involved in the most misplaced, irrational groupthink scenario in history. "Let his blood be on us and all our children!" Just as the fifth graders don't know what they're talking about when they say popcorn is stupid, this crowd had no idea what they were saying about the blood of Jesus. None! It completely bewilders me just to think about it. But they weren't thinking big picture; they didn't have faith in the man they didn't understand.
Most of the time during the Easter season I fool myself into thinking that I wouldn't be with the crowd, begging the governor to release a murderer and hang Jesus. But who am I kidding? My very nature tempts me all the time to let other people make the decisions; I am just as guilty as they are.
But sin and guilt are not the end of the story. Jesus defied all odds, all human flaws and insecurities.
He came that we might have life and have it abundantly.
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| Source: RossRightAngle |
So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
There's a reason those words stuck out to me, so let me rewind. I work with what I generally refer to as a "group of wily fifth graders" in an after school childcare center. Unless you work closely with ten year olds, there's no way to understand: 1) How funny they are, 2) How irrational they can be, 3) How much they lack the big picture of... mostly anything. A good portion of my education has been centered in child development, so I am aware that these traits are because that is where they are developmentally. But when I say these fifth graders are wily, I do mean wily. Definition: adjective. Shrewd; skilled at gaining the advantage.
Hold on for a second, because I'm going to throw another term at you: Groupthink.
"Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome."
We as humans are predisposed to act on this phenomenon. Middle schoolers are extremely prone. If one kid thinks popcorn is a stupid snack, the rest of them will agree almost immediatey. It boggles my mind - mainly because popcorn is just about the best snack ever - but also because of how insanely irrational it is to agree to something that quickly. But in their minds, standing up for what they actually believe threatens their position within the group.
And now we come to my point (thanks for hanging in there). Sometimes when I'm working with the kids, I feel a whole lot like Pilate must have felt at the time of Jesus' crucifixion. This is irrational! What is going on? How can they be agreeing to this... all of them? How did we get here?
At this point, the crowd was involved in the most misplaced, irrational groupthink scenario in history. "Let his blood be on us and all our children!" Just as the fifth graders don't know what they're talking about when they say popcorn is stupid, this crowd had no idea what they were saying about the blood of Jesus. None! It completely bewilders me just to think about it. But they weren't thinking big picture; they didn't have faith in the man they didn't understand.
Most of the time during the Easter season I fool myself into thinking that I wouldn't be with the crowd, begging the governor to release a murderer and hang Jesus. But who am I kidding? My very nature tempts me all the time to let other people make the decisions; I am just as guilty as they are.
But sin and guilt are not the end of the story. Jesus defied all odds, all human flaws and insecurities.
He came that we might have life and have it abundantly.
Thanks for posting this. It is a good reminder to always make sure what I am thinking is in tune with what God wants. Plus your examples are hilarious. =)
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