Pilate asked them. “Crucify Him!” they shouted. "Why? What crime
has He committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder,
“Crucify Him!” (Mark 15: 12-14)
I wonder what life was like in Jesus' day. I wonder what people were
like. I wonder about the people in the crowd that shouted "Crucify
Him!" to Pilate in response to his question "What shall I do with the
one you call the King of the Jews?" And I wonder why, in response to
Pilate's next question, which was "Why? What crime has He
committed?" They simply shouted "Crucify Him!" all the louder.
I think maybe, like today, a very few of them were evil men with
nothing but ill intent...trying to rid the world of the One who was
truly kind and filled with love. They cared not for finding a just reason
for crucifixion, but instead embraced their true motives without
remorse or apology. These men wore their sins on their sleeves like a
badge of honor.
I think maybe, also like today, others among them were not evil
men, but men with a misguided belief that Jesus was a sinful man
who deserved the punishment about to befall Him. They cared for
justice but just didn't recognize an unjust act cleverly disguised.
These men wore their sins not proudly, because they knew pride was
itself a sin, but humbly in their pockets...though believing all the
while that their sins were virtues.
And finally I think that, definitely like today, the rest of
them...probably the majority of them, were truly good men. These
men knew what was happening to Jesus was wrong. They knew what
they were participating in was the farthest possible thing from
justice. They truly cared for justice, but were afraid to stand up for
what they believed in. These men wore their sins deep in their
hearts, in a dark place they thought was hidden from the world. In a
place, they thought, where sins could do no harm. And if these men
were the majority, then they were the reason, the real reason, that
Jesus died on that day. A wise man once said "All that is necessary
for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." Long before he said
that, God said that. He foretold it when He sent His only Son to die
for our sins. And it came to pass on that day they shouted all the
louder "Crucify Him!"
Jeff Edwards
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