Palm Sunday

The Passion According to Matthew is a very dramatic reading. In some parishes, the priests and people take various parts. As part of the parish "crowd," it is hard to join in with "Crucify him!" But that is what some people did at the time of Jesus' passion. Look at the list of people below. Each one or group had a part in the passion of Jesus. Each person made a choice. Some helped Jesus. Some made his suffering worse. What would you have done? Read the gospel again, and explain why you think the people on this list made good choices, or suggest better choices they could have made. You may want to join in groups and have each group consider a few people.

Pontius Pilate

chief priests and elders

the crowd standing before Pilate

Pilate's wife

the person who scourged Jesus

the Roman soldiers who stripped off his clothes and wrapped him in a cloak

the soldiers who fixed a crown of thorns on his head

the soldiers who stuck a reed in his right hand

the soldiers who mocked and spat at him

Simon of Cyrene

the soldier who gave him a drink of wine with gall

the soldiers who divided his clothes among them

the people who went by and insulted him on the cross

the insurgents who hung near him and taunted him

the man who gave Jesus a sponge soaked with wine

the centurion who said, "Clearly this was the Son of God!"

When are you tempted to go along with the crowd rather than make your own decision?