March 10, 2010: What Will You Do With Him? Mark 15:1-15
Jesus’ trial before Pilate is one of the most suspenseful accounts in the Gospels. First you have this political leader who has no real understanding why he has this, what seems to be, innocent man on trial. The picture that is being played out reveals the insecurity of Pilate allowing the religious leaders to get their way out of fear of losing political supporters.
We are also given a picture of an innocent man unwilling to plead his case. It is in this scene that Jesus’ silence brings more problems to him than good. Jesus could have simply silenced the crowd yet chose to silence himself to look at the goal before him.
Pilate had asked a profound question which would bring about the verdict to this case, “What should I do with this man you call the King of the Jews?” It was the crowd’s response that set in motion the brutality Jesus would endure.
This question that Pilate asked is the same question every reader of this passage is asked, “What will you do with the King of the Jews?” The first choice we have is to ignore, keep silent, and be unwilling to look at the deity of Christ. The other is to be someone in the crowd who is willing to stand up and embrace Jesus for who he is, the King of the Jews and the King of all Glory.
