Monday 31 August, 2015
Mark 15:1-15
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.
There are two things that strike me in this passage.
Jesus is almost completely silent, and Pilate recognises Jesus’ innocence. Most innocent people cry out their innocence – yet not Jesus. Most people who recognise the innocence of another work to prove that innocence – yet not Pilate. This is altogether different. I have no real idea what I would have done if I were Pilate. The expedience of killing one man to keep the peace in a strife torn corner of the empire – that has its advantages. What takes a hold of you that while knowing the innocence of the one accused you condemn him to death – how tortured Pilate must have been. It is too easy to paint Pilate into the naughty corner as if I would not have done the same – and I hope I wouldn’t have – but where is my heart at. Am I hard hearted wanting to keep the peace, am I prepared to open my motives to the light of Christ and have Him search me.
I need to let God search me and find any offensive way within me so that I can be the bringing of life that Jesus calls me to be you to be.
Father, in the light of Pilate’s deception help me to have an open heart before You and fulfil Your plan in all things.
Written by Ps. Richard Botta
Amen, it’s much better to be a friend of God and have him know us so that we might know more of him, than to have him still work his plan through us, but we are none the wiser.
Here I see Pilate as being a highly competent civil leader applying worldly wisdom to a scenario of religious conflict. I see reflections of this same wisdom being applied to today’s world by media outlets when they brush up against the spiritual world.
Then and now, what these leaders lack is spiritual wisdom, insight and discernment. Whether my intentions are good or evil, whether I am wise or foolish in the way of the world, whether I possess a great deal of knowledge or a little, I will always be blind to some degree in making decisions unless I am open to the Holy Spirit guiding me and revealing deeper truths in a situation.
Lord, help me to continually depend more on You and Your Holy Spirit as I make every decision in my life.