Pilate Under Pressure

The crowd had already been manipulated. They agreed with the Chief priest and elders and would say crucify him. Pilate in his emotions would ask time and time again that they do the right thing, the thing that he knew was right, but he would be overruled and pressured by the crowd.

Mark 15:12-15 states: And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.

He would ask again and again and the people would still answer the same. Crucify him.

Still in his belief he would wash his hands in an effort to say to the people that it’s their choice, he is just doing his job, but did not believe they were justified to crucify a man simply because he claimed to be Christ.

Brothers and sisters, Pilate knew the chief priest envied Jesus. He also knew that the chief priest had controlling effects on the people. He knew the Sanhedrin council had ulterior motives. Yet, he would release Barabbas who he knew was bad, than face the people. He would fail to stand up for what he knew in his soul was wrong. My Lord!

Pilate would ask the people what in the world had Jesus done so evil, but the people riddled with insanity still would say crucify him.

We can only fathom from our studies that at any point Pilate could have said enough is enough. Let’s understand what we’re doing here. We have a man that only claims to be somebody, and we have another that has actually committed crimes, offensive crimes.

But the pressure was too much for him and he would break under that pressure and deliver Jesus, the Christ, to a crowd that was momentarily insane and blindly set on going along with the rest of the crowd. Does this sound familiar? I bet it does.

People do it all the time. We’ve always done it. Now, with the world wide web, face book, twitter, snap chat, and the like, the crowd is massive. And I’m here to tell you, the damage to someone’s life can be just as massive. AMEN

Luke 23:18-21 states: And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.

Pilate wanted to release Jesus. But yet he failed at stepping up, or making a sincere effort to convince anyone else in the crowd. He kept asking them why, when in his soul he knew why.

Luke 23:22-23 states: And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.