Every year, we notice the shift in the crowd's tone between Palm Sunday and Good Friday. One moment, they're shouting "Hosanna!" That's a word of praise and of seeking protection. In a matter of days, the crowds shout, "Crucify him!" The people dropped their palm branches only to raise their fists in condemnation.
I assume not everyone in the Good Friday crowd was there on Sunday. Not everyone knew who Jesus really was. They hadn't heard him preach peace. They never saw him feed hungry people or ever witnesses him heal the sick. What they saw was what the government and religious leaders wanted them to see. A bloodied man, labeled a criminal and a problem needing to be addressed.
When Pilate stood and said to the crowd, "Behold the man!" they saw someone caught in the machinery of conspiracy and injustice. This man was beaten by a system built on violence, dominance and terror. And what society has ever not decided someone was guilty before pursuing their innocence? I wonder how many in the Good Friday crowd thought, "If they arrested him, he must've done something." How many joined in shouting out because that felt safer than speaking up?
Good Friday is a chance for us to reflect on what our response would've been that day. Where would you have stood? What would you have said? Pay attention to how you react today to similar situations. Notice how quick you are to judge someone else. Think about how hard you hold onto grudges and how unwilling you are to be wrong.
We'll never see Jesus on the cross again. But we will behold the example his Spirit has inspired in other people today. To be sure, there are still crowds who would shout against Jesus. And they'll surely shout against those who commit to his cruciform life. God give us vision enough to see when the way of the cross is before us and help us to stand with the cross, not against it.Stay blessed...john | 
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