The story of Jesus crucifixion, as told in Mark 15, is ripe with reaction from various sides.  Don’t miss how the Roman governor Pilate responded!

Pilate was amazed that Jesus met the barrage of accusations leveled at him with silence (v. 5).  As the drama unfolded, the governor came to realize that Jesus was not an criminal, but a victim of the chief priests’ envy (v. 10).  Pilate offered to grant amnesty to Jesus, as was his practice at the Jewish Passover, but the crowd, spurred on by the chief priests requested another be freed instead and that Jesus be executed.

Here is the thing, Pilate who knew Jesus to be innocent, and who earlier had marveled at him, decided to go along with this miscarriage of justice so as to please the people (v. 15).  The accolades of the crowd, short-lived as they no doubt were, trumped truth in Pilate’s mind.

This is what confronts me.  Do I sell-out on Jesus for some temporal gain?