Sunday, 3/15/2015

“A revolution is not a bed of roses. A revolution is a struggle between the future and the past.” ~ Fidel Castro

DEUTERONOMY 26,27

God commands the people to obey him with all their heart and that they are his special people...

16The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. 18And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. 19He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.

MARK 15:1-26

The Chief priests have their way and finally get Jesus crucified...

9“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

12“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

13“Crucify him!” they shouted.

14“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. 

JOURNAL

Jealousy finally wins.  The chief priests have been so overcome with envy and hatred and finally they win the day by getting the people to vote to release Barrabas instead of Jesus.  Barbaras was a revolutionary...he opposed the Romans and was not the problem for the chief priests that Jesus was..I find myself wondering...what would I have done? 

If I put myself in the position of the chief priests...here is an amazing man who has shown up and continually puts me in my place.  Minimizes my position without having the "authority" to do so.  Jesus is a man that is a constant thorn in my side with the people that I am trying to lead.  He stirs up the crowds and is a real threat to my future existence as the authority on God's word.  Jesus has caused disruption and given me hard choices and said things that make me question all that I have accepted as absolute truth.

Barrabas on the other hand is a bigger problem for the Romans...although a "murderer" he is more of the Robin Hood variety.  Getting the people to choose Barrabas is a pretty easy sell...do you want the man who is willing to kill for the sake of Revolution or the man that says "pay to Caesar what is Caesar's and pay to God what is God's"?  I think in this scenario I more than likely would choose Barrabas as well.

In my life the reality is that Jesus does cause disruption, he does challenge me to question everything.  When he commands that I love my enemies or to consider others before myself or to be a servant above all else or to love God more than any relationship here on earth.  This is hard, disruptive and has the potential to reek havoc in my life...question is do I choose "Barrabas" or Jesus?

11Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” (John 18:11)