Pilate set Barabbas and Jesus before the religious leaders and their followers. Never mind justice! Let the lynch mob decide! The people were stirred up against Jesus. Jesus had healed their sick. He had fed their hungry. He had told them about the Kingdom of God. Barabbas, on the other hand, stood for violence and rebellion. Barabbas was the devil incarnate. Who would the people choose?
Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”
Pilate knew that the chief priests had betrayed Jesus out of envy.
Pilate asked them, “What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?”
They cried out again, “Crucify Him!”
Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has He done?”
They cried out all-the-more, “Crucify Him!”
“So, Pilate, wanting to please the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.” [1]
Barabbas and the collective consensus of the crowd or Jesus?
The Apostle Paul was in prison for the Christian faith when he wrote, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” [2]
Paul wanted to “know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” For what? So, he could take part in Christ’s resurrection. [3]
The resurrection from the dead to an eternal heavenly reward is of much more value than having governmental and crowd approval.
“Holy Spirit, please empower us to be witnesses for Christ regardless of the suffering that we may experience. Please don’t ever let the shouts of pain in our ears ever become louder than the choruses of hallelujahs from heaven’s distant shores. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.”
[1] Mark 15:6-10
[2] Philippians 3:7-8
[3] Philippians 3:10-11
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