Year of the Bible: Part Nine of TwelveSample

Pleasing God or Pleasing the Crowd

How do you respond when someone accuses you of something you didn’t do? When you are innocent?

Pontius Pilate tried to question Jesus; twice, the Scripture says that Jesus “answered him nothing.” Pilate told the Jews, “I find no evil in Him.” Jesus is declared innocent multiple times in the Gospel accounts, yet he was condemned to be crucified—the only righteous or blameless person in history—for us, the sinners. Jesus took not only Barabbas’ place but also yours and mine: the innocent One for the guilty. The innocent one subjected Himself to false accusations, mocking, a twisted crown of thorns, and beatings without railing against His tormenters or hurling insults at them for their injustice.

Pilate’s fear of man resulted in doing what he knew was wrong: putting Jesus to death.

Jesus, on the other hand, submitted to God the Father despite the crowd’s hatred. He was rejected by His creation. You might say that He embraced rejection so that those who put their faith in Him will never be rejected by God.

Question: Do you struggle with rejection or the tension of trying to present yourself in a way that gains the admiration of others?

Prayer: Talk to the Lord honestly about any man-pleasing tendencies you have and say a fresh “yes” to the Lordship of Jesus today. Tell Jesus that His is the only opinion that matters, even if pleasing Him means persecution or mistreatment. Embrace the honor of suffering unjustly for Him.