Why did the same crowd that welcomed Jesus crucfy Him a few days later?

[CatholicZ09]

This question always bugs me every Holy Week. Why does the crowd that welcomes Jesus with palms and loud hosannas cry out for his death a few days later? What happened?

 

[steve53]

Because it wasn’t the same crowd? Different places- Bethany versus Jerusalem.

 

[Elizium23]

It represents a truth of our faith. That the same people singing loudly in church on Sundays turn into sinners on Monday and deny Christ in their lives despite being fed by Word and sacrament. That we all are in need of the sacrament of Penance to reconcile us with God and His Church.

 

[Mintaka]

Realistically, it’s likely that there was some overlap between the two crowds, but certainly not total overlap. The Apostles and disciples weren’t calling for Barabbas. The Virgin Mary surely wasn’t.

However, some people who had thought Jesus might be the Messiah may have come out to greet him, and then changed their mind about him by Good Friday. Also, some people may just have been the kind of people who hang around crowds looking for excitement or hoping for riots to break out. Some probably didn’t have any opinion about Jesus, but were just curious to see some famous rabbi and miracleworker celebrity.

But many of the people in the crowd at Pilate’s place seem to have been supporters of the High Priest (ie, probably a high proportion of Sadducees fearing Passover riots) or genuine supporters of Barabbas. Many were probably Pharisees and Scribes outraged by Jesus’ calling himself God. Some of these people may have been in the crowd greeting Jesus, but probably not most of them.

(Whoever they were, they clearly had time on their hands and had somebody else getting stuff ready for Passover.)

But yes, by describing the crowds in generic terms, the Gospel writers allow us to see human fickleness repeat itself, just like Israel could respond to God faithfully at one point in the Old Testament and unfaithfully at another.

 

[nordskoven]

Daniel predicted the day, the very day, of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem as parsed via the Jewish calendar. The Romanized Jews weren’t using this calendar, and Jesus laments, “Oh! If only you’d known the time of your visitation.” The political parties tearing at the unity Christ wished to establish were also lamented by Him. Christ says He wished to gather His brethren even as a mother hen gathers her chicks. And mother hens are fierce! Told to silence His followers by the “Barrabas” bad guys, Jesus said even the stones would cry out to Heaven if man did not. Even Josephus, a Messianic Jew, i.e., convert to Christianity, later warned the politicos who were counseling fighting the Romans that could only result in suicide; possibly as knowing the various false messiahs leading rebellions had no hope of winning because Messiah had already come. “Hosannah, Son of David!”

May the Holy Spirit grant us unity and offer our prayers to Heaven that we might attain God’s Kingdom and bring His righteousness to Earth; all for our Father’s honor and glory; with Christ’s salvation received in humblest thanks and highest praise. Amen

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Because it wasn’t the same crowd? Different places- Bethany versus Jerusalem.

The Palm Sunday crowd came from Jerusalem:

12* The next day a great crowd who had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13* So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

John 12:12-13

The Good Friday crowd were setup by the Chief Priest’s community organizers.

11* But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead.

Mark 15:11

 

[Bob_Crowley]

I’m not aware that Josephus, the Jewish historian, ever became a Christian. He was pro-Roman (if only for reasons of convenience - to stay alive that is) and his warning to the Jews had some sychophantism in it - the Romans are too strong, and if you keep going they’ll destroy you.

As for the change in the crowd - no doubt there was an overlap, but the chance are some of them were in the crowd which called for Christ’s crucifixion.

One of our problems as comfortable Westerners is that we have no experience of living under an occupying power. Suppose Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese woman who represents her countrymen’s fight for freedom, were to be welcomed today as the next ruler, but in a weeks time were to refuse to defend herself in a trial before the military junta.

How do you think her supporters would react? I think they’d turn against her. To make it a bit clearer, suppose Burma was Moslem rather than Buddhist, and they also charged her with blasphemy against Islam?

The other aspect is that the devil and his demons would have had a most pronounced presence at that particular time. Here they had God the Son facing a very gruesome death, but they have to work through people.

Likewise I’ve long felt that there would have been an enormous spirit of fear gnawing at the disciples on the night Christ was arrested, hence they all ran away, and Peter denied Him three times. Which was why Christ exhorted them to pray, but they were all so tired they didn’t.

The powers of darkness would have been there in strength, something which Mel Gibson brought out in his film, “The Passion”, where the devil circulated through the crowd as Christ was being scourged.

So there was massive disappointment at work, coupled with a charge of blasphemy in a theocratic society akin to a Moslem nation today, and the presence of the forces of evil in strength.

 

[patrick457]

This question always bugs me every Holy Week. Why does the crowd that welcomes Jesus with palms and loud hosannas cry out for his death a few days later? What happened?

From a historical POV, we can’t be totally sure whether it was the exact same crowd. For one, those who welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem were His disciples and general symphatizers - most likely Galilean pilgrims who came to the festival (since Jesus was apparently more famous in the Galilee than He was in Judaea).

And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

As for the ‘crowd’ in Good Friday, I don’t think we need to imagine that these were all very fickle folks that changed their mind about Jesus when He started to get the wrong end of the stick, though we cannot discount the possibility that there were such people present. In one idea, the crowd is likely to have been composed of street rabble specifically assembled by the Temple priests and leading citizens as a tactical move. Another possibility is the Temple priesthood and the aristocracy themselves: Jesus’ actions in the Temple would have caused havoc and dismay among the priests and their attendants, and it would not have been too difficult for the priests and aristocrats to assemble a sufficiently-numbered ‘crowd’ composed of their own numbers and lackeys under their pay.

It could also be that the ‘mob’ were disgruntled Jerusalemites whose livelihood depended on the Temple and who were especially subject to the influence of the priests as opposed to the (Galilean?) pilgrims visiting Jerusalem who welcomed Jesus, many of whom may still have been asleep in the early morning hours when Jesus was brought to Pilate. But whatever the actual sources were, the crowd that asked for Jesus’ death is highly likely to have been an arranged affair.

 

[patrick457]

The Palm Sunday crowd came from Jerusalem: John 12:12-13

I don’t see why we could exclude the possibility of ‘greeters’ being (for lack of a better word) planted within Jerusalem as part of the whole plan. I mean, it doesn’t seem to me that Jesus just somehow fulfilled the prophecy accidentally; at least, the whole ‘getting the donkey’ errand suggests that He was consciously planning to do something. Otherwise, He could have just walked to Jerusalem. IMHO the fact that Luke specifies those who greeted Jesus as “the whole multitude of His disciples” and the fact that Matthew notes “that the whole city was stirred up,” asking who this Guy is is telling.

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”

===

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

===

When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

===

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,

“Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign.

 

[stevekehl]

The arrest and trial of Jesus were cdonducted at night, when most people were asleep. The Jewish leadership needed Judas so they could arrest Jesus when He was isolated. The courtyard at Pilates court probably could hold a couple of hundred people, easy for the Pharisees to fill with supporters. And Jesus was hanging on the cross by 9 a.m. (the third hour). In an age before alarm clocks, daylight savings, microwave ovens, or any ovens, most of the city (most of the pilgrims at least) was probably just getting out of their homes and not looking to see who the Romans were executing that day. Remember, 3,000 people were added to the church less than 2 months after Jesus death, this at a time when a big city would be between 5,000 and 10,000. So Jesus arrest and trial were kept secret, after all the Jewish leaders had ample opportunity to arrest Jesus publicly, but feared the crowds.

Mark 11:18 And the scribes and the chief priests heard. And they sought how they might destroy Him. For they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His doctrine.

Luke 22:1 And the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, drew near. 2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. 3 And Satan entered into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the Twelve. 4 And going, he talked with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad and they agreed to give him silver. 6 And he fully consented, and he sought opportunity to betray Him to them, away from the crowd.

Have a Great Resurrection Sunday!!

 

[gregrege]

it is amazing!http://www.cleaningcassette.com

 

[patrick457]

The arrest and trial of Jesus were cdonducted at night, when most people were asleep. The Jewish leadership needed Judas so they could arrest Jesus when He was isolated. The courtyard at Pilates court probably could hold a couple of hundred people, easy for the Pharisees to fill with supporters. And Jesus was hanging on the cross by 9 a.m. (the third hour). In an age before alarm clocks, daylight savings, microwave ovens, or any ovens, most of the city (most of the pilgrims at least) was probably just getting out of their homes and not looking to see who the Romans were executing that day. Remember, 3,000 people were added to the church less than 2 months after Jesus death, this at a time when a big city would be between 5,000 and 10,000. So Jesus arrest and trial were kept secret, after all the Jewish leaders had ample opportunity to arrest Jesus publicly, but feared the crowds.

Mark 11:18 And the scribes and the chief priests heard. And they sought how they might destroy Him. For they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His doctrine.

Luke 22:1 And the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, drew near. 2 And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. 3 And Satan entered into Judas, surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the Twelve. 4 And going, he talked with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad and they agreed to give him silver. 6 And he fully consented, and he sought opportunity to betray Him to them, away from the crowd.

Have a Great Resurrection Sunday!!

Good point, though a minor nitpick: “The courtyard at Pilates court probably could hold a couple of hundred people, easy for the Pharisees to fill with supporters.” Replace the word “Pharisees” with “the Temple priests and leading citizens.” During the sixty years when Judaea was a Roman province the high priests were regularly selected from the wealthy Sadducean families (many, if not most, of Sadducees were of the Jerusalem aristocracy). Some ordinary priests were Pharisees - who as a group were primarily composed of laymen - and some aristocratic priests were Sadducees, but for the most part priests and Levites, like much of the population, did not have a specific party affiliation and simply belonged to common Judaism.

 

[steve53]

The arrest and trial of Jesus were cdonducted at night, when most people were asleep. The Jewish leadership needed Judas so they could arrest Jesus when He was isolated. The courtyard at Pilates court probably could hold a couple of hundred people, easy for the Pharisees to fill with supporters. And Jesus was hanging on the cross by 9 a.m. (the third hour). In an age before alarm clocks, daylight savings, microwave ovens, or any ovens, most of the city (most of the pilgrims at least) was probably just getting out of their homes and not looking to see who the Romans were executing that day. Remember, 3,000 people were added to the church less than 2 months after Jesus death, this at a time when a big city would be between 5,000 and 10,000. So Jesus arrest and trial were kept secret, after all the Jewish leaders had ample opportunity to arrest Jesus publicly, but feared the crowds.

Have a Great Resurrection Sunday!!

Most experts believe that the population of Jerusalem was around fifty thousand, with four or five times that number jamming in for the Passover- though Josephus mentions 3 million at one point.
And, on the contrary, the day began very early in ancient times, most people up before the sun. Remember, there was no artificial light to speak of besides torches and whatnot, so there was little point to stay up into the wee hours of the night.
Pilate likely stayed in Herod’s Palace, which was a walled structure of 10-15 acres and west of the temple, and next to the residential neighborhoods of the priests and high-born. His public court was just outside the walls, while the Praetorium would, of course, been inside the walls, and on unholy (to the Jews) ground.
This would have been somewhat isolated, as the masses usually entered the temple from the southern entrances.
John states Jesus was crucified on the sixth hours, and he supposedly was an eyewitness.

 

[jcrichton]

Because it wasn’t the same crowd? Different places- Bethany versus Jerusalem.

…there’s no evidence that they were… though I do suspect that there would have been and overflow of many who firstly cheered would later jeer Jesus…

The fact remains constanct in the world: people both seek God and reject God at different intervals in their lives… even those who proclaim themselves to be stedfast Christians (evidenced by the chaotic state of Christendom)… I suspect it is the reason why Christ stated that “when the Son of man returns, will he find Faith on earth?” (paraphrased).

IE: I’ve know a few people who have claimed that when they attended such and such (Mass; Basilica; retreat; seminar; Bible study; etc) they were set on fire (Holy Spirit); some would even claim to have spoken in tongues, etc… but as Jesus parable of the seeds… their new found strength and spiritual growth lasted only hours or days… soon they would forget their vows and promises (this too happens, more and more frequently, in marriages)… I suspect that, as Jesus contemporaries, we follow St. Peter when he walked on water (we lose sight of Jesus and quickly turn from Him and even against Him).

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[BrJuniper]

This question always bugs me every Holy Week. Why does the crowd that welcomes Jesus with palms and loud hosannas cry out for his death a few days later? What happened?

Poetic License. Scripture is not a collection of facts as twentieth century Americans view facts.

 

[claymcdermott]

Jerusalem had a pop. of ~65,000 people, which more than tripled each Passover because of pilgrims, the merchants they attracted, and the soldiers with which Rome managed these crowds. Jesus had a few disciples go ahead of him before Sunday, and ready a crowd to meet him on Sunday, when probably few pilgrims had yet to arrive. Therefore, the Palm Sunday crowd was probably mostly permanent residents.

This organized crowd will be overwhelmed by the city’s more than tripling Passover population by Friday.

The new crowd may not know much about Jesus, but they do know: (A)that their religious authorities condemn him; (B) that the - very dangerous - Romans are torturing him; (C) that he is a blasphemer, who makes himself equal with God; and (D) that these things are not supposed to happen to the Messiah (who is not equal with God), whom they know he claims to be.

Not an attractive - or a safe - figure to support. Those who did support Jesus were probably intimidated, and those who did not know him, saw no reason to support him.

Then there’s Barabbas. If Jesus’ prosecutors convinced the crowd that the choice is between Jesus (a disappointingly non-revolutionary figure) and Barabbas (a revolutionary), the crowds - even some who might have liked Jesus a little - would have turned against him.

I think that all of the above are contributing factors to the turn in the crowd, and evince some clever politicking by the Jewish religious elite (evil, but clever).

 

[Fidelis]

Benedict XVI [in *Jesus of Nazareth] argues that it was not [the same crowd]:

All three Synoptic Gospels, as well as Saint John, make it very clear that the scene of Messianic homage to Jesus was played out on his entry into the city and that those taking part were not the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but the crowds who accompanied Jesus and entered the Holy City with him.

This point is made most clearly in Matthew’s account through the passage immediately following the Hosanna to Jesus, Son of David: “When he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying: Who is this? And the crowds said: This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee” (Mt 21:10–11). . . .

People had heard of the prophet from Nazareth, but he did not appear to have any importance for Jerusalem, and the people there did not know him.

The crowd that paid homage to Jesus at the gateway to the city was not the same crowd that later demanded his crucifixion.

Read more: ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-palm-passion-sunday/#ixzz2OUiB9Qcx

 

[just_came_back]

it represents a truth of our faith. That the same people singing loudly in church on sundays turn into sinners on monday and deny christ in their lives despite being fed by word and sacrament. That we all are in need of the sacrament of penance to reconcile us with god and his church.

this plus 1,000!

 

[JamesCaruso]

I would add to all the previous remarks that the larger number of those who followed Jesus would likely be people impressed with His miracles, especially the latest and most impressive one, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, and were not so much disciples, that is, followers whose faith had some depth, the circle of friends and believers closest to Jesus. Remember when Jesus called aside his closest disciples and instructed them in the meaning of His parables? Not many in the crowds that followed Jesus understood what was going on.

Jesus had all the celebrity of a rock star and people were clamoring to get a look at the miracle man, trading stories back and forth about what they or their friends had seen over the past several months. These crowds would easily be swept one way or the other depending on the latest rumors and reports. When the rumor mill was all about miracles and Jesus possibly being the Messiah they would easily join in with disciples in praising Him as he entered Jerusalem. But they would just as easily be swayed to call for his crucifixion when it seemed that the latest word (coming from the plants in the crowd) was that He was a fake and a blasphemer.

We know that many, maybe most, disciples fled when He was arrested, not wanting to be implicated for fear of punishment or worse. This would leave a large crowd of easily swayed spectacle seekers at the place where Jesus was brought out looking anything but a miracle worker, but rather an ordinary man with no power to resist the ridicule and harsh treatment by the soldiers of Pontius Pilate. He looked like a loser, not a man to be feared, not a man with great superhuman powers, there was no one there willing to stand up for him, or if there were, their numbers were small and their voices were muffled by the crowd, and so the crowd was easily convinced to believe the latest reports about Him-- “Blasphemer! Crucify Him!” .

 

[steve53]

Hagan in “Year of the Passover” brings in another dimension to the crucifixion with his theories.

He looks at the ancient sources- Tacitus, Josephus, etc- and concludes that A.D. 36 was the year of Jesus’ crucifixion. That was the same Passover that General Vitellius, the Syrian President, visited Jerusalem and was treated to a warm reception.

Hagan argues that his visit was only known a few days before his arrived, and that is why the Priests acted against Jesus so quickly. Even Jesus remarked that he had been preaching daily in the Temple, and why wasn’t he arrested then? But…the priests didn’t know that Vitellius was coming. Jesus was a troublemaker and Jerusalem had to be peaceful for Vitellius.

So Jesus was disposed of quickly and Hagan doubts there was much of a crowd at all at the trial. If any, they would have been anti-Jesus big time. Jesus’ supporters disappeared in fear. The only ones who dared show their faces were people like Nicodemus and Joseph, who were wealthy and powerful in their own right and could stand up to Caiaphas.