READING: MARK 15:1-15

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ asked Pilate.

‘You have said so,’ Jesus replied.

The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, ‘Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.’

But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

‘Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?’ asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to get Pilate to release Barabbas instead.

‘What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?’ Pilate asked them.

‘Crucify him!’ they shouted.

‘Why? What crime has he committed?’ asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify him!’

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

REFLECTION

It’s Friday and our podcast series takes us into Mark Chapter 15, which marks the conclusion of Jesus trial, and the end of his journey – a journey which ends at the cross.

I’m going to pull out verse 15 for us to focus on today:

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

As I read this passage, I felt God was asking us the question: ‘Who are we seeking the approval of today? Who are we seeking to serve?

Let’s take Pilate first. What’s his part in this unfolding saga that Mark lays out before us? Overnight, the Sanhedrin, the religious council, have realised they do not have the authority to put Jesus to death. Therefore, they decided to bring Jesus before Pilate, the Roman governor, who happened to visiting Jerusalem at that time, in order to keep the peace.  The council claimed that Jesus referred to himself as ‘King of the Jews, hoping that the term ‘King’ would ring alarm bells in the governor's ears as someone who might challenge Roman rule and therefore be sentenced to death.

Seeking to understand the situation a bit more, Pilate begins to question Jesus. Jesus remains silent – we saw this yesterday too. Meanwhile, a crowd has gathered outside. The customary tradition was that one prisoner would be released during the festival time. The crowd  eagerly await Pilate’s decision.

Pilate goes out to the crowd to ask them. He seeks their opinion on this matter, which I find interesting. This is a man who was given authority to administer justice. Why is he seeking the crowd's opinion when he is capable of making the decision himself? Clearly, he sought their approval.  The council whip up the crowd into a frenzy. They demand the release of another prisoner, Barabbas - a man convicted of rebelling against the authorities.

Suddenly, it dawns on Pilate what’s happening and he understands the motive behind the council’s decision to put Jesus to death. They are envious of his position amongst the people. They want to put a stop to it, once and for all. Despite knowing all this, we see Pilate continually ask the crowd what they want. ‘What crime has this man committed? What shall I do with him?' Eventually, the crowd and the council get their wish.

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

Pilate is more concerned about the crowd – what they thought of him, how they will react to his decision, than he is about actually administering justice. He sought the approval of the people around him.

Can we see any parallels here with us, I wonder? Have we ever felt like we are trying to please others – our family, our friends, our colleagues, those around us. These are the crowds we face.  It would seem that the world around is constantly trying to shape us, to squeeze us into its mould. To think, talk, act and live in a certain way. We can probably all identify with what it means to feel the pressure around us to conform, to fit in, to get swept along with the crowd.

Yet, we know this is not the Jesus way. It is not the way of a disciple. Each day, we are faced with a question: Who will I serve this day? Will I follow Jesus, or will I follow the way of the world around me? Will I let Jesus shape my life, or the world squeeze me into its mould?

Earlier this week, I talked about the importance of reminding ourselves of the Gospel – this good news that we choose to believe at the start of each morning. This is our way of reminding ourselves of who we are and who we build our lives on. It’s in these moments, as each new day begins, that we need to ask God to fill us with his Spirit, to guide us, to strengthen us, and to equip us to live the life of a disciple.

God asks us this question: Who will you serve this day? What does it look like for us to serve God at home, at school, at university, at work today? What decisions will we need to make in order to do that? How will we need to respond to situations that present themselves in order to do that? Let’s ask God to help show us how.

PRAYER

Jesus, we want to follow you today. We choose you because you first chose us. Fill us each with your Spirit and guide us, equip us and strengthen us to live as a disciple for you, in a world which is constantly trying to squeeze us into its mould. This day Jesus – we choose to serve you..

Amen

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