Luke 23:13-25
Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers, and the others and said, "You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing to your charge. And neither did Herod, for he has sent him back here with a clean bill of health. It's clear that he's done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving death. I'm going to warn him to watch his step and let him go."
At that, the crowd went wild: "Kill him! Give us Barabbas!" (Barabbas had been thrown in prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder.) Pilate still wanted to let Jesus go, and so spoke out again. But they kept shouting back, "Crucify! Crucify him!"
He tried a third time. "But for what crime? I've found nothing in him deserving death. I'm going to warn him to watch his step and let him go." But they kept at it, a shouting mob, demanding that he be crucified. And finally they shouted him down. Pilate caved in and gave them what they wanted. He released the man thrown in prison for rioting and murder, and gave them Jesus to do whatever they wanted.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
The other night, our cat Mabel came in the living room while we were watching TV, and she began to pace around… and even whimper. My husband asked her, “Is your food bowl empty?” I checked… there was plenty of food. We both looked at each other and laughed. We knew that she wanted a dish of milk… a treat we have only recently begun to give our cats. Normally we give them milk right before bedtime, when we feed them for the night. But it was a couple of hours earlier, and Mabel was already begging.
Finally, we caved. I poured a small saucer of milk, and she came running to the laundry room where we feed them and began to lap at the cold treat. We had given in to her demands. And while the only consequence will be that she once again thinks she can manipulate us into doing whatever she wants, in essence, we were her “Pilate.”
Quite honestly, we are all a lot like Pilate more often than we care to admit. We cave to our peers and do things we know we shouldn’t. We give in to our own frailties and desires and fall off our diet, buy that new pair of shoes or the latest electronic gadget or computer game we can’t really afford, and cheat – just this once – on a test, our taxes, or our significant other. And if you read Luke 22, you see that Jesus’ disciples were no better. Peter denied Jesus three times after His arrest – before the rooster could even signal the dawn of a new day. We are weak souls indeed!
The Good News is that we don’t have to succumb to our weaknesses. We have Inner Strength that we cannot even comprehend… in the form of the Holy Spirit. We can call on the Holy Spirit any hour of the night or day to shore up our resolve… to give us courage to stand up to the temptation of that extra cookie, a persuasive friend, or the lure of something we know we should avoid. Pilate knew that to choose Barabbas was right… but it would bring him ridicule and/or discomfort from the people, and he did not have the necessary courage and faith to do this.
When we make the more difficult choice of doing the right thing… we can depend on God to bless the outcome of our faithfulness. When your boss says, “Lie for me, or lose your job,” the temptation may be to do what it takes to stay employed. But God will help you find another – better – place to work, if you do the right thing and your boss fires you, as threatened. When a friend or loved one says, “You think you’re too good for me. I don’t want to hang around you anymore” because you won’t do something illicit or illegal, walk away, knowing God will see you through whatever the outcome. When you think you can’t possibly exercise or do some sort of workout to get in better physical shape, God can help you take the baby steps that lead to bigger steps… and give you the strength and courage to persevere.
It all starts with one thing – a simple prayer… “Lord help me.” He can… and He will! We may have been modern-day “Pilates” in the past, but we don’t have to continue with this kind of behavior. It’s time to exercise our faith muscle… to call on the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us… and to trust God to keep His promises. How deep is your faith? How strong is your resolve? Who is guarding your heart and guiding your choices these days?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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