Jesus Before Pilate

Fear of anything but God the Father is death. Fear of God = REVERENCE…

Mark 15:1-15
Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.

14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The mob mentality. Clarity can become fogged over as we are surrounded by throngs of people if you don’t know God is with you. We must be reminded as we swim in this world of sin, that the only way through it, the only way to make the right decision, is by asking God to help. By fostering a deep personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

The crowd had not known this, although Jesus had taught to them, spoken to them, and warned them, they refused to listen. Fear can be powerful. It is apparent that those standing in the mob before Jesus ,asking for Him to be crucified, we’re scared. Fear filled them. Fear of what others would think. Fear of the “What-if”.

Here is what is perhaps the most amazing part of this entire scene, at least in my mind. This was how it was to okay out. This is the plan put into action. The fear of man, placed in the crowds hearts by the evil one, became the way in which Jesus would put into action God’s perfect plan. It is through the weakness of man that God’s Will was carried out.

When I first read this as a young boy I thought, how could they do this. I wondered why they would not let Him go. Wouldn’t the world be a much better place today if He had not been crucified? I soon rrslized that this was His plan. His time to save us. This needed to happen. Sin was carried to the cross at Calvary, never to return. Jesus said, “It is finished.” Friends…it is finished. Now thank Him. Every single day…thank Him!

Happy New Year! Jesus loves you! Invite Him into your life this year. Become a friend of Jesus TODAY! Give us this day our daily bread. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK