Send a text

A crowd can make good people do ugly things, and sometimes the scariest part is how normal it feels while it’s happening. We start with a haunting detail from Mark’s Gospel: while Jesus is being crucified, random passersby still stop to hurl insults. Why would someone who has nothing to gain join in? What kind of social force turns bystanders into participants, and turns cruelty into a group activity?

We connect that question to a simple story from childhood where a group of friends panics, then saves itself by blaming one outsider. That instinct to preserve unity by choosing a target is exactly what French philosopher Rene Girard explored through mimetic contagion and the scapegoat mechanism. When tension rises, emotions spread, and a community unconsciously offloads its conflict onto one person, the group feels united again, but the “peace” comes at the victim’s expense. It’s an unsettling framework for understanding mob behavior, public outrage cycles, and why cancel culture can feel satisfying even when it’s unjust.

Then we return to the cross and see something shocking: Jesus refuses to retaliate. Instead of returning violence with violence, he absorbs it and speaks forgiveness, exposing scapegoating for what it is. We end with a practical invitation for Lent and beyond: resist the pull of the crowd, stop hunting for scapegoats, admit our own need for mercy, and follow a way that actually heals. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review, and tell us where you see scapegoating showing up today.

Join us! Facebook | Instagram | www.clcelkriver.org

Send a text

Mockery feels small until it hits the core of who you are. On a snowy morning, we keep walking the Lenten journey to the cross and sit with one of the hardest scenes to read: Jesus being laughed at, dressed up, spat on, and publicly shamed. Sonia Knutson starts with a story many of us recognize, the sting of being judged for something as simple as a pair of shoes, and then invites us to notice what shame tries to do to our identity.

From there we zoom in on the Gospel of Mark and why it dwells on the brutality. Soldiers drape Jesus in purple, press on a crown of thorns, and perform a sarcastic “Hail” that was meant to degrade Him. Passersby, religious leaders, and even those crucified beside Him pile on. We wrestle with the question Mark forces onto the page: does this make Jesus look weak, or does it reveal a God who chooses vulnerability and love over self-protection?

The turning point is irony. The mock coronation becomes a real coronation, and the King they ridicule is the King who rises. We also bring it home: the bandwagons we jump on, the ways we conform for approval, and the danger of “fake faith” that goes through motions while daily life says none of it is true. If you want a deeper, more honest Christian faith this Lent, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with the line that challenged you most.

Join us! Facebook | Instagram | www.clcelkriver.org

Send a text

The crowd can be loud, confident, and completely wrong. We’re in the Lenten stretch, and I want to talk about a trap that shows up everywhere from pop culture to politics to Holy Week: the madness of crowds and the craving to be approved by them. I start with a Rick and Morty moment that cuts straight through performative outrage: “Your boos mean nothing to me. I’ve seen what makes you cheer.” It’s funny, but it also stings, because it exposes how often we let applause and criticism steer our choices.

From there we dig into Tulip Mania, the 1630s economic bubble where a flower bulb could trade for the price of a house. It sounds absurd, but that’s the point: when herd mentality takes over, irrational behavior feels normal. We connect that to a modern flashpoint with Team USA hockey and how quickly the public can crown heroes and then reverse course. To put science behind the instinct to conform, we talk through the Asch conformity experiment and why so many people will say the wrong thing out loud just to avoid standing out.

Then we turn to the Passion story and Jesus before Pilate. Pilate knows Jesus is innocent, his wife warns him, and yet he caves to the mob, offering Barabbas and washing his hands while the crowd demands crucifixion. The question we keep circling is simple and hard: what do you do when the crowd cheers for the wrong thing, or boos the right thing? If you want a grounded, faith-filled way to think about approval, courage, and truth during Lent, press play. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review, then tell us: where do you feel the strongest pressure to conform?

Join us! Facebook | Instagram | www.clcelkriver.org