and the corrupt leaders of His time saw to it that He was rejected |cont.Insert>                by His own people, the people of the covenant .  Mark 8:31 “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” ( KJV)

 The people were misled and influenced by a corrupt religious Jewish leadership into rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. And Pilate was coerced into crucifying Jesus to keep the peace and prevent an uprising that most assuredly would have reflected badly on him in the eyes of the Caesar.  Only the Romans had the authority to render the most violent and shameful means of execution in that day: crucifixion.  It is a remarkable witness to the deceitfulness of the human heart that the same people who just a few days earlier welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem by laying palm branches before him (a symbol of victory and triumph) shouting "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!" (John 12:13 NKJV), were now angrily shouting, “crucify him!”

Mark 15:12-15, “And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. 14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. 15 And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.” ( KJV)   

While the Jewish people, and particularly the Jewish leaders, were the instruments to press Pilate and the Romans for the crucifixion, in truth Jesus was killed by you, by me, by all that have sinned. Rom 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  (KJV)

 As we approach the annual memorial of our Lord’s death at the Lord’s Passover/Lord’s Supper Communion, let us reflect upon, no… let us focus upon the incredible act of love and sacrifice from our Father who loves us so much that He sent His only beloved Son to die for our sins and from our Savior who loves us so much that He suffered the stripes of scourging that we might be healed and the agonizing death of the cross that we might have life everlasting!  Praise God and pass the popcorn!

 

 May God Bless You!

Jeff Booth