Mathew 27, in my opinion, is the most impactful and riveting chapter in the Bible. The Bible is composed of sixty-six books, written by 40 men, over a period of 1500 years. Every prophet, every vision, and nearly every parable that was taught was leading up to this moment. The death of Christ, God’s Son, our Savior.
I cannot help but focus on the manner in which our Savior was convicted of crimes He did not commit and was sentenced to a horrible death by people who had no evidence of Him doing anything wrong. Jesus was murdered because the Jewish leaders in charge felt threatened by Him.
Here is a riveting part of Christ’s death. In Matthew 24, verse 23, Pilate said “Why, what evil has he done?” What was in Pilate’s heart at that moment? Why was he asking this question? More on that in a moment.
Verse 24 goes on to state “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just person. You see to it.’” Verse 25 goes on to say the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
There are hundreds of people who contributed to the murder of Jesus. The Sanhedrin, consisting of chief priests and elders, Judas, bystanders at the trial, the false witnesses who testified against Jesus, and the guards. Even Pilate’s wife contributed to Jesus’ conviction as she told Pilate “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” All contributed and supported the crucifixion of the Son of God. But, one man could have stopped it. Pontius Pilate.
When are those moments in life when we need to stand for something and have courage?
Pontius Pilate is arguably one of the most known names in the history of the world. He is remembered, for eternity, for the horrible crucifixion he allowed. But yet, the Bible inferred he had questions about Jesus’ guilt. He seemed to have doubts but did not have the courage, in the moment, to stand up for Jesus and save Him from the mob.
The courage to stand up for our own opinion can be difficult. To rid ourselves of the ease to “follow the herd,” because it seems like the popular or easy thing to do, can be a difficult proposition. We need to focus on what feelings control us in the moments of decision, when we have to make a choice. We should not allow ourselves to go along with negative feelings of envy, jealousy, the feeling of “getting attention,” or perhaps the sense of anger or rage against others.
The most fascinating aspect of Matthew 27 to me is that Jesus died to save the exact people that murdered Him. He took the beatings, the spitting, the ridicule, the torture and the unfathomable pain to provide the salvation for believers to spend eternity in Heaven.
What is on my heart today is that if Jesus had the courage to make the sacrifice He did at His crucifixion, I should be able to muster the courage to love and appreciate people when it might not seem popular. Loving or supporting others might not seem accepted at the time, but in the end, could have a massive impact on someone’s life. We never know when our support will mean the most.
Jesus commanded, before His death, in John 13:34-35.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
By loving others, we show our love for Jesus.
