Mark 15
Psalm 117
Mark 15. Let’s ask those familiar three questions again:
Who is Jesus?… the king of the Jews – verse 2
What did He do?…came to saved others from their sin – verse 31
How should we respond?…follow Him and not the crowd – verse 15
It’s so easy to follow the ways of the world – isn’t it? It’s our natural bias. Every day we are bombarded with so many attractions that pull us away from being Christian: pleasure seeking, materialism, popularity, achievements etc.
Things that make us forget who we are in Christ.
We have to ask therefore, and be honest, what it is that makes us want to, like Pilate, ‘please and satisfy the crowd’? What is it that makes us choose to go with the flow, instead of upstream? Why are we unwilling to side with, to stand with Jesus?
Are you ashamed of Him? Are you ashamed of what Jesus stands for? Are you ashamed of His gospel message? Are you ashamed of this powerful means by which your unbelieving family and friends can actually be saved? Or … is it a fear of being mocked and persecuted for living and speaking about Jesus and His saving power?
Is it just plain unbelief? You don’t really believe that God would have a plan such as this; don’t believe that His one and only Son would be crucified for the sins of the world?
Dear Christian, don’t be like Pilate! Don’t want to be in favour of the crowd and an enemy of God. Don’t fall into the trap of being one person at church with your Christian friends, and a completely different person at home, at work, or at play. Be who you are. Always!
Imagine how things might have turned out if Jesus, instead of Barabbas, was released on that day. What would have happened with us and with our massive problem of sin? Thankfully, this was all part of God’s plan to save men, women, and children from eternal hell and, in the end, He too was who He is – the gracious, Saviour of the world.
Consider this then and:
- Thank God for His plan of salvation in Christ
- Ask God for help in resisting the temptation to ‘follow the crowd’ and, instead, to stand firm and stand out by being different because you are in the world but not of the world.