Scripture to Read: John 19:12–16
Pilate did not want to send Jesus to His death on the cross, for we read in John 19:12, As a result of this Pilate made efforts to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying, “If you release this Man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” But we also see that the religious leaders were not backing down from the pressure they were putting on Pilate to have Jesus put to death. Due to the pressure Pilate felt, we then read in John 19:13–15, Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he *said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” 15 So they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate *said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Pilate lacked leadership and at this point seemed to be looking for a last effort to be able to release Jesus. The religious leaders had so stirred up the crowd that the only thing they could say was, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” They had rejected the King of kings in exchange for a tyrant as their king, “We have no king but Caesar.” Anger always leads people down the wrong path (Ephesians 4:26–27, James 1:19–20).
Challenge & Application
• What was the response of the crowd to Pilate, and why did they respond the way they did?
• How else have you seen anger turn people to make rash and unwise decisions?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!