Crucify Him

Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." – John 19.6

What an amazing turn of events from Sunday to mid-week. In just a few short days Jesus went from being the conquering hero to the most vile of criminals. When the people were given a choice between releasing Him and a hardened criminal the people opted to release the criminal.

First it was the chief priests and officer, but eventually the blood thirst spreads to the whole crowd – ‘Crucify him! Crucify him! We don’t have any king but Caesar!’

How did that happen? I think it is pretty simple. He didn’t do things the way they wanted Him to. They thought when He entered the city He was about to liberate them from Rome. They figured that they were about to be free. You can almost sense a William Wallace like shout of ‘Freedom!!’

But then everything fell apart. He was arrested and didn’t even fight back. Now He was on trial for treason and anyone who took His side might very well be arrested as well.

So they turned on him. Completely. Absolutely. He didn’t do it their way.

We might very well take a haughty attitude about them and think ‘how could they do something like that?’ but I wonder if we are really much better.

How do we do that? Just think about how we respond when Jesus doesn’t do things the way we think He should. When things don’t go the way we want we can easily start to question Him. No one there could have possibly understood that God’s greater plan was being worked out.

I have felt that way. I can’t always see what He is doing. When it goes totally against my way of thinking I can doubt Him. I may even reject His way. I may not say ‘crucify him’ but I may be tempted to say ‘are you sure you know what you are doing?’

Is that really any better? I already know what He has done. I know the price He paid. I know that He has proved Himself over and over again. And yet still I doubt. I can go from praise to doubt in just hours, much less days.

I don’t think I at least have much room to be critical. Would I have been there by their side?