One line jumped out to me as I read it today.
"Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified." Mark 15:15
"Wanting to satisfy the crowd."
See, Pilate was not convinced of Jesus' guilt; in fact, he was convinced of his innocence. The elders, chief priest and teachers of the law brought Jesus to Pilate to be tried and put to death. The only reason that Pilate would be involved in this sort of matter was to keep peace in his region. Historical records tell us that Pilate had been warned about other uprisings that happened in the region. So, Pilate was on high alert regarding uprisings and was, perhaps, afraid of Rome taking away his position.
But Pilate was a fairly wise ruler. Pilate offered up Barabbas and Jesus and asked which of them the people wanted released. Some of us have been taught that Barabbas was seen as a low-down horrible murderer, but this simply isn't true. Barabbas was a murderer as an insurrectionist. Barabbaas murdered while part of an uprising against Rome. Barabbas was to many a hero. What Pilate did was shrewd. The leaders claimed to be afraid of Jesus leading a rebellion for His Kingdom against Rome, so Pilate offered them a known rebel against Rome. In choosing Barabbas the chief priests, elders and teachers of the law were showing their cards. They didn't care about the people getting hurt in a rebellion. No, they were not righteous worriers but instead they were jealous murderers.
Pilate showed shrewd wisdom but in the next moment he displayed cowardice. Pilate gave in to the leaders of the people not because he was convinced of facts but because of the pressure of the crowd. Pilate became an accomplice in the most egregious murder of all time because he wanted to satisfy the crowd.
How often have I caved in not out of knowledge or wisdom but out of my want to satisfy the crowd?
Fear the LORD. This is the answer to my problem of people pleasing and your answer to it as well. When I cave in to peer pressure I announce through my action that I fear people more than the Author of Truth.
Fear the LORD. Much of our cowardice can be remedied by a magnification of God in our hearts and minds. If I rightly thought of God I would be unable to follow anyone else. If I saw in my mind's eye Christ more closely as glorious as He really is then why would I fear any other?
Stiffen your spine through a healthy dose of fear. Gaining a more proper awe of and more elevated view of God's holiness will embolden us in all circumstances. Pilate gave in to satisfy the crowd, but when one sees God as He is he can only ever want to satisfy God.
Fear the LORD and lose all ability to fear anything else today.
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