Jesus’ trial

Today is Palm Sunday and the Gospel recounts the trial of Jesus. You can pick up elements of our flawed humanity and governance systems in the account as I was reminded by the homilist. Here are some of the issues I find pertinent:

Fake news – The Pharisees were more interested in preserving their own authority and made use of fake news to cough up charges against Jesus. None of the charges were real ones and it is ironic that the crowds that were just cheering Jesus on a few days ago when he entered Jerusalem were now the same ones chanting for him to be crucified.

Manipulation of information and the media is not a new thing.

Power struggles and politics – As old as humanity itself, the ruling class wanted to maintain their legitimacy and power over the inhabitants and allowed Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb, thus turning a blind eye to true justice.

The Pharisees were afraid that this “miracle worker” who had just days before, raised Lazarus from the dead – lose their authority over the temple and its teachings. Not forgetting that the temple was a huge revenue generator from all the tithes and taxes imposed on the people.

Pilate was also afraid of losing his rule over the city if he didn’t do a good job governing the people and they revolted. Hence, he went along with their request to crucify Jesus. There was no personal benefit for him to see justice done, and it would probably have caused him more trouble.

The fact that Jesus was arrested in the night two days before the city celebrations was also calculated so that there would be no riot or disturbance from the crowds.

The question to us believers in this day and age is : Do we simply go along with the crowds in our lives and merrily cast away the Jesus’ in our lives to be crucified?

Or do we actually stand up and speak out for the wrongs that we face in society in our lives?

Do the vocal minority always get to manipulate the situation and its outcomes simply because they have the agenda and power to do so?

Let us reflect upon our lives and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to stand up and be counted in the important issues of our lives. To correct the injustices and promote a peaceful and harmonious society for all.