Hello Authentic Lovers-

How are you guys doing?  Today has been an interesting day so far, from getting lost in the court buildings to missing a hearing, to starting off my day with a little Trip Lee “Manolo” action, and the day just started.   Anyways…I was reading Mark 15 this morning, like early in the morning ( 3ish?) and I was thinking about the reaction of the people as Jesus stood before Pilate.  I know it’s Christmas and some will say I should be focusing my study on Christ coming into the world, and “save all that” cross stuff for Easter, but hey the cross is always appropriate no matter the time of year.

Why is it always easier to choose the wrong thing?  To choose the wrong person? To choose the wrong lifestyle?  Why?

I thought about the power of wrong choices as I read this chapter this morning.  Jesus was arrested the night before and the He was before Pilate. Pilate was the governor of the land at the time was honoring a tradition of releasing a prisoner before Passover.  The public had a choice: Jesus (charged with claiming to be God) or Barabbas(a known murderer and criminal). Jesus, mockingly called the “King of the Jews”, had done nothing wrong and was arrested illegally( at night).  SO I’M ALL ABOUT JUSTICE…so if I was in the crowd I would have chosen Barabbas, but I would have been the minority.

The crowd yelled at the top of their lungs,,,,”WE WANT BARABBAS..” Pilate clearly nor understanding the animosity of the crowd asked, “What shall I do with him (gesturing to Jesus)? ” The crowd sealing His fate, yelled once more – “CRUCIFY HIM!”  

The crowd chose a murderer over an innocent man.  Isn’t that the times we are coming into, when the majority are choosing things/people that are not good for them, and therefore destroying what is good.  Jesus’ death was necessary for the salvation of mankind, but what are the deaths of those who are innocent doing for humanity?  How is their death significant, especially if it causes more violence instead of peace?  Why do we choose hatred over love? Violence over peace?  Selfishness over selflessness? 

Why do we make wrong choices?  Maybe it’s because at the beginning of time: Adam and Eve made a single wrong choice and ate the forbidden fruit, dooming mankind.

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 insurrectionists 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 have Pilate 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. ( Mk 15:6-15 NIV)

Until next time,

Mo 🙂

Featured Image Credit: http://gbcdecatur.org/files/Barabbas.jpg