Daily Thoughts : November 3rd

   

Mk 15:15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

     

It's a sign of immaturity, this wanting to please others all the time. Please don't get me wrong; wanting to bless others is a good goal in life, but if it means that desiring to please others becomes our motivation for life then it's wrong. What others think should not be the arbiter of whether we do right or wrong. We should always be seeking to do right, regardless what others think.

 

Pilate was taking the easy way out. The crowd, being egged on by the religious leaders, wanted Jesus crucified. The only thing about that was he hadn't done anything wrong. It was patently unjust and Pilate knew that! Still there was the crowd threatening to riot. Now that wasn't really a problem. Pilate could have threatened to arrest the leaders if they didn't disperse and could have used his troops to quell any uprising – but he didn't. He took the easy way out. He gave way to the unrighteous demands of the crowd. It was wrong but it was easier. He'd have to live with it afterwards.

 

So you have someone wanting you to act in a particular way, to do something for them, which deep in your heart you know is wrong. But it will take effort to resist. Maybe you'll have to seek the Lord for wisdom to know how to deal with it, but deal with it you'll have to, otherwise you'll put yourself alongside Pilate – and that's bad!

 

     

 

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