The religious leaders didn’t have the final word. They had to take Jesus before the ruling authorities to see if their death sentence for religious matters would be acted upon. Pilate was the governor at that time, and he was no dummy. He saw through to the religious leaders’ motives.
What surprised you most as you read through this passage? Whether or not it was your first time reading it or your hundredth, something sparked your attention or seemed a bit shocking. Take time to reread if you need to.
For me, it was seeing how the leading priests stirred up the crowd. We saw the adoring crowds following Jesus for most of his ministry, and certainly his triumphal entry into Jerusalem just days earlier. Someone had to turn the crowds against Jesus so that Jesus’ journey to the cross continued.
We see a contemporary version of “stirring up the crowd” happening on social media. It seems like people’s opinions have exploded. Nobody keeps such things to themselves anymore. What happened to the days of “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”? I suppose if people paid attention to the moms in our heads, there would be no social media, or we’d be back to the old days of posting pictures of our pets, our delicious dinner plates, or even our before-and-after stories.
If the current climate of discourse between individuals or groups continues in this toxic fashion, I’m afraid something bad is going to happen. The worst thing imaginable has already happened. We see what happened when people started infighting about Jesus. It would do us all good to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us just a little bit more than we do. And while horrible, Jesus’ sacrifice and grace extended is the best gift we can ever receive.
We are all sinful creatures, that’s a given. But that doesn’t give us the go-ahead to sin against our neighbors. We’re supposed to love them. We’re supposed to love God first, but then love each other as we love ourselves. Personally, I think there is too much “loving self” going on these days. I’m sure all generations have said that about the next. I’m just a few generations older than most people alive on the planet!
Did you find it a bit curious that Pilate’s custom was to let one prisoner go each year? Jesus had a 50/50 chance of being let go. If Jesus had been freed instead, God’s will or Jesus’ mission would have had to find an alternate ending. It had to play out the way it did, despite how hard it is for us to imagine.
We tend to want to rush past reading about the beating Jesus took for us. Watching a movie depiction of these crushing scenes could never give us an accurate picture of what went on that day. If you’ve heard a brutal attack up close, you know the sound of bone hitting bone or flesh being ripped. No more ugly talk, but it’s huge what Jesus took on so that we could be free. We can’t be unchanged or unmoved. Every time you read about Jesus’ final hours, don’t feel bad if tears are near. It’s powerful. Jesus’ love for us, that is.
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, saying thank you for what you endured for me seems like it could never be enough to truly represent my gratitude. My soul feels so pulled to despair when I remember how poorly you were treated and how devastated you must have felt. Thank you for loving me that much. May I never forget your great love for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
