January 18, 2011 – Mark 14:43 - 15:5

There is a lot here, but the line that really stuck out to me is the last verse.  Pilot was amazed.  I was trying to think about what he was amazed at.  Was it the fact that Jesus would not answer His accusers.  Was it Jesus’ confidence in Himself and His innocence.  Was it just the feeling that came to someone that was close to Jesus.  Pilot was not a person that was necessarily threatened by Jesus message.  Rome was secure from small squabbles.  Pilot did fear the Jewish leadership and those that could cause the crowd to get out of control, but you don’t get that he senses that kind of a threat from Christ.  He might have even gotten a sense of peace from Him, maybe even encouragement that if he let Jesus go, his governing would be more peaceful.  Christ didn’t teach anything about throwing down Rome or its leaders, in fact, just the opposite.  If Pilot knew anything about what was going on, he would have some knowledge about what Christ had been preaching. 

I think in Pilot we see what fear can cause a person to do.  He did not act out of jealousy or greed as the Jewish leadership did.  He finds no guilt in Christ.  But he fears what will happen if he doesn’t obey the crowds.  It is the most important acts of peer pressure in history.  Peer pressure is all about fear of what people will do or think of you if you don’t go along with their actions.  Pilot is a coward for not following his own notions, but I don’t think that makes him unsympathetic.  The person of Pilot has always been somebody I felt very sorry for.  I don’t hear people talk about peer pressure as much as when I was growing up.  It seemed then that everything involved peer pressure.  I guess it is not the slogan of the day anymore, but I don’t think that means it isn’t still active, if not more so.  And one things I find in growing up is that peer pressure is not something that only applies to teenagers, which I kind of assumed growing up.  Peer pressure for adults maybe even more of an issue.  Maybe that is one reason we don’t bring it up as much.  Maybe adults that were preaching it realized they fall for it and adults don’t like to face their own issues, so the whole movement has faded away.  But as we can see, it is not something new, and it isn’t going away.  I think we need to realize what the things and people we surround ourselves with influence us.  Maybe we don’t take a look at where we are at and what we are doing enough.  Maybe we are too close to it to realize it is hurting us.  Peer Pressure is real, it is powerful, and it effects us all.  Be on your guard.