A Mob Mentality

Some people question why Jesus would choose Judas to be His disciple, knowing that Judas would do what he did. If someone had to condemn Jesus, if it was written in the Scriptures that Jesus would be condemned by a friend, then why condemn Judas? Wasn’t he just a pawn?

Not at all. It’s important to realize that the Lord’s selection of Judas as one of the Twelve did not seal his fate. Rather, it gave him an opportunity to observe Jesus closely. As Judas properly concluded later, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4).

God, in His sovereignty, had determined that His Son would be betrayed by a friend. But divine foreknowledge does not destroy human responsibility or accountability. Judas made a decision freely and would be judged accordingly.

In that dramatic moment when Judas identified Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to him, "Friend, why have you come?" (Matthew 26:50). Then we’re told, "They came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him."

The Bible says a multitude came to arrest Jesus, and this would have included the officers of the temple, who were granted limited powers by the Romans in matters concerning Jewish religion and society. They were moving together as a mob. That is so typical of the mob mentality. Many of the people who joined in on this probably had no idea of what they were doing or why.

The same is true today. To a large degree, a vast majority of people do not reject Christ because they have looked into it or because they have some honest questions about the Bible or Christianity. They reject Christ because they let others do their thinking for them. They mock because others mock. And they become willing victims of someone else’s prejudice.