"Wanting to Satisfy the Crowd..."

April 22, 2011,

Today is Good Friday. The weather is a fitting reminder of what it might have been like over 2000 years ago when Jesus was nailed to the cross. I did not spend much time outside because of the chill and the drizzle, other than to get in and out of my car (and to walk around a block to copy down some numbers in the city for apartments to rent). This afternoon the words, "Wanting to please the crowd, Pilate released Barnabas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified." (Mark 15:15) caught my attention. The first five words were the ones that resonated in my heart because they can lead to so much trouble. How many times have I said "No" to something I should have said "Yes" to or "Yes" to that which I knew in my heart was not God's best? How many times have I been quiet when I should have spoken up or on a different occasion spoke a word to contribute to gossip? How often have I not done something for fear of what others will think or on the other side of the coin, done something because of the pressure from those around me? Basically the reason captured by those five words, "wanting to please the crowd..." have the power to lead us where we do not want to go -- all because we want to please others.

Pilate had power over those who brought Jesus before him and yet he feared their power. He feared losing his position. He feared creating a stir. In another of the gospels we are told he clearly knew that Jesus was innocent but releasing a guilty man and sentencing the innocent one was to Pilate worth the price. Because had he not done so, he would have been accused of harboring an enemy of Caesar. His decision to satisfy the crowd led to the crucifixion of an innocent man, which we know had to happen to the Son of God because of the prophecy in the Old Testament. The death of His only Son on the cross was God's redemption plan for the world. And I am oh so thankful for it!! But at the same time I do not want to be like Pilate who made his decision so as to please others. To appease, to satisfy. So often those motivations cause us to take our eyes off of the One who we are called to please -- God our Father. I am challenged again in this Easter season to look at what is the motivation behind my choices. I want to choose Jesus in everything.