05/07/2018
Jesus laid down his life for all of us collectively, but to a much finer point, he died for each of us individually. It is easy to disavow personal ownership in the ramifications of something when you are part of a crowd, but it becomes very clearly an individual matter when we form a personal attachment, or take a leadership role. Jesus died to save each of us individually, and we are each responsible for our own actions, and covenant with Him.
“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
Luke 22:19-20 ESV
During the first Communion, Jesus offered the bread and the wine to each one of the apostles. They each took a piece of the bread, and each one drank of the cup. Jesus made covenant with all of them at the last supper, but did so one at a time. Ownership in the covenant was made with all of them (the group, and later The Church) but was joined into individually. It is the same for us today.
When we are a part of a crowd it is easy to assign responsibility, and guilt, to the crowd itself as if it were a living entity. We say things such as He took bread and wine and made covenant with “the apostles.” We see this all the time on television when there is civil unrest. There are terms we use to define it... names such as mob mentality, crowd mentality, herd mentality, or pack mentality, just to name a few. When this occurs then the group takes on the attributes of an individual, and the individual gets lost within the group. Good things can happen in a group, and conversely, some very bad things can happen, but becoming a part of a group allows someone the ability to pick and choose what they will claim as their own responsibility... regardless of the fact that they have been actively involved in all of it.
We saw this when Jesus entered Jerusalem and the crowd greeted Him, and we witnessed it again as the mob mocked, taunted, and eventually had Him crucified. The people in the crucifixion mob were able to deny that they were ever personally a part of the original welcoming crowd, and when Jesus was put to death they could each claim that “it wasn’t me”, no, it was “them... it was the Romans!”
The Jews in Jerusalem who greeted and crucified Jesus aren’t the only ones who have done wonderful things in the name of Jesus, and then turn right around and done despicable things. We see such happenings throughout Christian history, with everyone claiming the good, but blaming all of the bad on “The Church.” This still goes on today. Such behavior isn’t limited to raucous crowds of people looting and running in the light of flames on your television screen. It is easy to get caught up in the crowd in many circumstances, and to yield our own responsibility and accountability... but wait...
Jesus makes a point in the covenant of Communion that this is an individual agreement between Him and Me, and Him, and you. We all make this covenant with Him individually, and we will each be held personally accountable before God. How many people did we witness on television as they jumped in and out of store windows with arm fills of someone else’s belongings on a Wednesday night that were sitting in church the very next Sunday? How many people have been put to death over the course of history at the hands of “The Church”, and yet no one took individual responsibility? What was the harm in Peter denying Jesus in the heat of the mob action against Jesus? He denied Jesus saying he wasn’t “one of them.”
We might think that we can assign blame, or responsibility to groups, crowds, mobs, and such, but there is personal accountability for our actions that cannot be denied or masked by the mob. God sees us, even in the midst of a crowd, even in the body of a legislature, even in the decision of a church board. We like secret votes and discreet actions, but our sins are never hidden from God... we have a personal relationship and accountability to Him, and there is no hiding it.
“for it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:11-12 ESV
So my salvation is not the responsibility of a crowd, or a church, it is mine alone! Nothing I do as a part of a group is any less mine. I might be able to deny responsibility for my actions successfully before men, but that denial fails before God. In the end... men will not be my judge, and eternity is not assigned to us as the reward of a mob. Countries, gangs, and church boards, will have no place in heaven or hell... only the individuals operating within them. The groups of men and women will be dissected, and we will each be judged alone.
Are you proud of your group behavior? Do you reflect God’s image in the midst of the mob?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the personal relationship I have with you, and Jesus Christ. I thank you Lord for holding me accountable for my actions and being willing to spare me, as you were willing to spare Sodom for just ten, because of my individual righteousness. Holy Father, I thank you for setting me apart, and showing me that even when I am a part of a group, my contribution to it will be judged. Help me Father to walk away from ungodly and sinful activities, votes, demonstrations, and situations. Lead my feet alone down paths of holy righteousness, even amidst the sound of many others traveling beside me. Give me the ability to discern, and to separate myself from poor decisions, especially when they are being made by a group that I once felt was good. Let your Word be my guide, and the taste of the body and blood of Jesus on my tongue dictate what is acceptable upon your table. Open my eyes to sanctity and truth Merciful Father, and turn my face away from justifications. Let each of my votes stand on its own, and my actions be mine alone. Keep me personally faithful in the midst of groups, and let me feel your hand upon me even in a crowd. You separate me Father, and you make me Holy, even in the midst of a throng. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you in whom I believe alone, and for eternity.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
Rich Forbes