John 18:33-40
Why was Jesus crucified? People want anyone, anything, other than Him.
Pilate is not the sharpest tool in the shed. No good Roman governor would offer to set free either a terrorist, or a traitor. But, this is Pilate. The crowd wants Barabbas. Why?
He is a hero, an opponent of Rome, a rebel with a cause. He is in the line of the Maccabees, those saints who took on Rome, and for a time, won! Jesus, on the other hand, is a king with no army, a Savior who changes hearts, not economics. Barabbas they understood; Jesus not so much.
Folks aren’t that much different today. We’ll want Jesus, but not just Jesus. We’ll want Jesus and…something. We’ll settle for Jesus or…something. There is no way around the choice our God offers. Jesus, or not Jesus. Life, or death. We choose death, more often than not.
How does Jesus deal with this rejection? He creates a new community from the cross. His mother is given a new son. A dear friend is given a new family. We are called into the Body of Christ. Where He is all and focus of everything.
When we put religion before Him, He calls out, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do!” When we deny Him, He opens heaven to set the Holy Spirit within us, as a seal and a source of power and courage and holy love.
We choose Jesus all too rarely. He chooses us over and over. Thanks be to God.
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