Read the WORD
Luke 23:20-25
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
Pilate was a real weasel: He schemed with Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and when he got caught, he manipulated Caesar. Betrayal. Lying. Cheating – all fair game to keep power. Truth was a relative claim in his life, so manipulating the crowd with half-truths was fair game. He wanted to free Jesus, but couldn’t risk losing control. He tried to make it the people’s decision, with the pardon tradition: Pilate offered them Jesus Barabbas, which means ‘son of [our] fathers,’ and Jesus “the Son of the Father.”
Let that sink in: He offered the people a murderer who was from ‘their’ fathers or Jesus who was from the Father. He was manipulating them, thinking they wouldn’t choose a criminal, yet they chose a life-destroyer over a life-saver. It baffled him. He didn’t handle things according to truth, he handled them according to power: what let him control the situation.
Pilate chose to protect his power and control at the cost of what is right. How we handle power, and how we accomplish what we want is at the center of faith. Jesus’ conversation with Pilate centered truth, power, and responsibility. On some level, Jesus got through to Pilate: Pilate tried to release him several times, and even questioned him about truth.
Instead of standing up for what was right, he gave in to pressure from others. How do you handle pressure? Take a moment to reflect on the times you caved to pressure at the cost of honesty. From tickets, to returns, to argument, many of us, if we are honest, have manipulated somewhere, or caved to pressure of some kind. It takes courage to say ‘no’ to internal and external pressure. It takes courage to stick to the truth. But when you do, those who love the truth will love you for it.
LEARN AND REFLECT
Let’s Pray
as One.
Jesus, when Pilate asked, “what is Truth?” you were revealing to him that power was more important than truth. You showed us that real power is not having control over others, it is in controlling ourselves and setting others free. Help me to set other people free from manipulation and control. Help me to not leverage power, but instead seek to empower other people. Show me where I need to loosen my grip, o God. For the places where I feel oppressed and manipulated, show me kind and honest ways of speaking truth like how Jesus spoke to Pilate. Amen.
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