Jesus Before Pilate, John 18 – Poor Choices

Stephanie continues to examine the passage about Jesus before Pilate, as found in John 18. She suggests that we are all prone to making poor choices.

Jesus Before Pilate

In our previous post we talked about the question Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” While he may not have understood Jesus’ declarations, Pilate did no one thing: There was no reason to put this man to death. He said as much to the crowds gathered outside.

John 18:38-39 (ESV) says,

“After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, ‘I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?’” 

John 18:38-39

But the crowds had been deceived and instead of asking for the release of the man who had opened the eyes of the blind and raised the dead, they asked for the release of a thief. Verse 40 says,

They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber

John 18:40

This may be the ultimate example of a poor choice. But we are still prone to do the same . . . at least I know I am.

North American Society

In many ways, it seems North American society values busyness over almost everything else. And with access to computers and the Internet in millions of households, the workday no longer ends at 5:00. And if it does, there is an endless list of things to do before collapsing into bed only to wake up the next morning and start all over again.

And what about volunteer work? “Sure, I’ll take that on. No problem.” Yeah, right!

Now, don’t get me wrong. Making a living is important, as is volunteering our time and energy to worthwhile volunteer opportunities.

However, Psalm 46:10 says we are to

“be still and know that [He] is God.”

Psalm 46:10

I’m 100 percent certain that God’s idea of stillness isn’t collapsing in front of the television or spending endless hours on Facebook.

God Convicts Us

Before I go on, I want to remind you that God’s Spirit convicts us. And we, as followers of Christ, must remember Romans 8:1, which says

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” I see it this way: When we’re experiencing condemnation, it’s as if we’re bound and a heavy, wet blanket is tossed over our heads. There seems to be no way out. On the other hand, we must remember Hebrews 12:6, which says, “The Lord disciplines those he loves” (emphasis mine).

Hope and Peace

There is a sense of hope and peace that comes along with the Lord’s discipline—though it may take time to experience that hope and peace. And that’s just one of the benefits of being still.

Now, why would I focus on busyness and being still in light of the passage we read today?

What have you learned from the story of Jesus before Pilate? We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.

Steph Nickel

Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.

Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.

You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.

Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.

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Images Courtesy of:

Jesus Before Pilate – Mihály Munkácsy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Clock – Vera Berard