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. This verse jumped out at me this morning. The scene is Luke 23 and Jesus' trial and conviction. Wicked Pilate finds no reason to convict Jesus yet the mob wants his blood. Try as he might to escape this situation, Pilate surrendered to the multitude. They cried for Barabas and Barrabás they got. The reason the above verse caught my attention was because of the phrase, "and (he) surrendered Jesus to their will. Pilate surrendered Jesus to the crowd's will. Strange. Since when does a tyrant surrender to the people's will? Didn't he have soldiers handy to put down a rebellion? Who was in charge? The religious leaders wanted Jesus dead. But even they didn't want him killed during the feast of the Passover. Because they feared the crowd. This crowd had cheered as Jesus had entered the city on a colt. They had marvel...
These are devotional, and other, thoughts from a guy who lived in Brazil from 1997 to 2023. I recount personal experiences and Bible applications with most of my posts. These "posts" are mostly for me but if you want to, you can read them too!