#129 - Scapegoat Season {Reflections}

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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.

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