“6 At the festival it was Pilate’s custom to release for the people a prisoner they requested. 7 There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. 9 So Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews for you?” 10 For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead.

12 Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”

13 Again they shouted, “Crucify Him!”

14 Then Pilate said to them, “Why? What has He done wrong?”

But they shouted, “Crucify Him!” all the more.

15 Then, willing to gratify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”

Mark 25:6-15

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How often do we hand Jesus over in favor of us getting what we want? How often do we squelch the Spirit because our unwillingness to listen, to live humbly and to acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus in our lives? What sinful urges press in on us that blind us to our calling and purpose? Why do we let the obvious darkness creep in over our hearts, captivating our minds and distracting our efforts? 

What a sad state to be in. What a lost and wandering heart. We want to be saved but we will not be ruled and so we sacrifice the sacrifice made for us. We resign ourselves to sin because “it’s just too much work to be good.” We call for the murderer, the violence of sin, rather than the goodness of God because it is more familiar to our flesh. 

How much ministry, how many opportunities have been lost to selfishness and a lack of a resigned will? Why do we continue to choose sin over His Lordship? 

This is that classic struggle that Paul points out in Romans 7. Sin is at work in us and we desperately need to be saved from ourselves. We need to cry out. We need to acknowledge our brokenness rather than call for the things that drag us down over and over again. 

Humility was only present in Christ that morning outside of Pilate’s residence. He was the only one standing properly before the Father, while everyone else struggled with varying degrees of pride, hatred, worry, envy and confusion. 

Jesus is the One who was handed over. He was the Blameless One who bore the consequences of our sinful, selfish pride. The marvelous truth here is that Jesus wasn’t captured by our sin like we are, He voluntarily took it on out of His great love for us. 

Praise God for His infinite mercy and His wonderful grace!