“But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that He be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.” Luke 23:23
We all know the story of how Pilate wanted to release Jesus, having found nothing in Him deserving the death penalty, but how he was pressured into crucifying Him by the mob rounded up by the Sanhedrin. The mob mentality was thriving back then, just as it is today. It would seem that every time there is a mob in the Scriptures, they are always clamouring for something that is not right (e.g. Gen. 19:4-5, Num. 11:4-6, Judg. 6:30, Luke 4:28-29, Acts 19:28, etc.).
Why did Pilate give in to the mob? Chuck Smith* teaches that Pilate was on his ‘last warning’ from Rome to keep the peace in Judea. He had already incited the Jews by marching into Jerusalem carrying standards bearing the bust of Caesar, and generally made little attempt to accommodate their religious rules. But the Jews threatened him that if he did not do what they wanted, they would start a riot and send reports to Rome (John 18:12).
We can criticise Pilate, and we can criticise the Sanhedrin. Certainly both were responsible for their sin in crucifying Jesus. But God’s will had to be done. He used the circumstances and personalities there to have Jesus crucified, even though He was innocent – the Scriptures had to be fulfilled.
*http://www.twft.com/?page=c2000 - c2227, 30:00 onwards
No comments:
Post a Comment