As the elders of Israel tried to find a way to get rid of Jesus, all of the witnesses that came forward could not agree with one another. But the elders persisted in trying to get their desired result. They wanted Jesus dead. They were not looking for truth but for what they felt was best for them at that very moment. So they lied and plotted and planned until the real truth did come out, which was all they needed to decide to put Jesus to death by their laws. It was the truth that was so offensive to them. It was the truth of who Jesus was that they did not want to hear or want to be true.
Next, these leaders of the spiritual life of Israel encouraged the crowd to have Pilate release a murderer and insurrectionist (Barabbas) instead of the one who claimed to be the "Christ, the Son of the Blessed." Even Pilate (the non-believer) saw that Jesus had done no evil, but he didn't realize why Jesus was so dangerous:
If Jesus is who he claims to be, then that changes everything! A murderer is not as dangerous because a murderer can only take your life. If Jesus is the Son of God then he owns your life. Those leaders didn't want that to happen because then they are no longer in charge.
That's not so different than how people struggle with the Christian faith today. It is often easier to be offended at Jesus and repeat the lies than to really come to terms with who Jesus is and accept it completely. Pilate decided it was better to satisfy the crowd than to pursue the truth. Even Peter at this point saw self-preservation as more important then standing for the truth.
So Jesus is mocked, denied stripped and crucified all over again. All because people cannot accept the truth of who he is - the Son of God.
That's what I read today. How about you?
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