Crucify Him, crucify HIm!

Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him" (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).

And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go." But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

- Luke 23:13-25

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was brought before Pilate. He was accused of "perverting the nation," forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and calling Himself "Christ, a king." Pilate asked, "Are You king of the Jews?" Pilate found no fault, despite increasingly vehement accusations against Jesus. Having heard that Herod was in Jerusalem, and Jesus a Galilean, Pilate sent Him to Herod. Herod had been curious about Jesus and wanted to see a miracle, but Jesus was equally non-participatory in this second inquiry -- so Herod treated Him with contempt, and sent Him back to Pilate in a robe for a mockery of a king. That day, we're told, Herod and Pilate became fast friends, after formerly being enemies. See Are you the king of the Jews?

Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, "You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him" (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast). It is quite interesting that, somewhere along the line, a sense of some truth or justice peeks through in this process. We don't really know the reasons why (except elsewhere we are told that Pilate was warned about Jesus by his wife), but Pilate decides that Jesus is clearly not the man His accusers claim Him to be. First of all this may be obvious by Jesus' demeanor, and possibly Pilate most assuredly wants to assert His authority as Roman Prefect. There may be all kinds of reasons. But nevertheless, Jesus clearly does not merit death: on this both he and Herod agree. So, Pilate's proposal is that Jesus be scourged and released. This was a Roman punishment of whipping -- my study bible describes the whip as having several leather strips with small bones or metal bits tied at the tips. Pilate offers Jesus' release as part of the the Passover custom of the Roman rulers.

And they all cried out at once, saying, "Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas" -- who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go." But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. Where even rulers such as Herod and Pilate have found Jesus innocent of any wrongdoing, this crowd or mob is bent on doing what they've set out to do. My study bible points out that "these men" (in the last sentence here) are those who've come along with the leadership that wants to rid themselves of Jesus, and not the common people. Jesus was very popular with the general public, whom we're told the leaders feared. Three times Pilate offers that Jesus be scourged and given His freedom -- but perhaps those who shout loudest prevail, and Barabbas, a known rebel and murderer, is released instead.

So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison, but he delivered Jesus to their will. It's a sad, grim situation we witness here. The impact of the cosmic reality of this scene is incalculable. In worldly terms, we have seen the impact of injustice and the perversion of good rule prevail throughout history and plague our world. There are so many elements to this picture, but I'm moved today -- if we can put it that way -- by the element of the "mob" in this picture.

How do we understand concepts of truth and justice? Surely they are linked to our faith, to this very real picture of the evil in our world that would condemn this man, Jesus, who calls Himself the Christ. We can see the importance of the elements of the consideration of the innocent in any system of justice, of the perversion of the rule of law -- and most importantly the power of a mob to circumvent all such justice and truth. What does it teach us about the necessity of good government, and most especially one that enshrines the powerful lessons in this scene? A value for truth, a respect for justice, and error on the side of mercy? We really can't escape from the story of Christ that has taught us these values, that poses the cry for justice -- true justice -- against a backdrop of cosmic spiritual battle, in which the innocent are harmed by the "prince of this world." What is God's kingdom for if it does not teach us, through this story of Jesus' incarnation and His Passion, how essential it is that we understand that He carried this Cross in order to teach us what is good and important, and what is not? Remember the need for values, that come from the story of our Lord and impact us and our world in all ways: the necessity for a pursuit of truth, for justice, and for error on the side of mercy. When we lose our heads to a mob, or any fanatical interest, we may lose the battle we're engaged in together with Christ in our hearts. In any such scene in your life, don't be swept by a mob, but remember God and keep alert in the ways He has taught us to be.