PrintToday's "Moment with Mark (123)
28 March, 2013
So Pilate, anxious to please the crowd, released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to crucify him. (Mark 15:15 NLT)
"....anxious to please the crowd..." What was just a sneaking suspicion is now an undeniable reality. I refer to Pilate's motivation for the decision he made. The line of questioning that he had followed in his interrogation of Jesus raised some questions about the fairness of any kind of outcome.
He had become increasingly anxious as his awareness of what was involved grew. That anxiety must have become a powerful factor when his decision was made. He decided to yield to the mob and hand the prisoner over for execution, even though in his heart he knew that Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against Him.
It's Matthew who tells us that Pilate's wife had a dream the previous night and such was the impact of it that she just had to warn her husband not to have anything to do with "this innocent man". So she felt that he was innocent, too eh? The pressure was on Pilate - big time!
Have you noticed that we tend to yield to the greatest pressure....the strongest campaign...the loudest voice? Not necessarily the right voice, either? In so doing we surrender the right to make whatever decision might be involved. We forfeit the right to make the decision and that all we have to do, like Pilate, is wash our hands of the matter.
Are you being pressured at the moment? Are you being intimidated by one or more of your peers? Maybe, like Pilate, you know what is right. You also know that there is a price to be paid for championing what is right.
Don't try to negotiate with those who want to do what you know would be a compromise
If you know what is right, then, in the words of Mr. Nyke...JUST DO IT!
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