Politics

Luke 23: 1-6
Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.’3 So Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ ‘You have said so,’ Jesus replied. 4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, ‘I find no basis for a charge against this man.’ 5 But they insisted, ‘He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.’ 6 On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean.
Jesus must have felt some support from Pilate. After all, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, but he really played politics. He was too concerned about himself and what would happen to him if he set Jesus free. Did Jesus ever wonder if Pilate would be the one to turn him over to be crucified? Did Jesus ever wonder if he would be spared? Did Pilate think if he let the people have their way, all this talk of Jesus being a king would be over? Did he think he was closing the book on this “rebellion”? Would he be a hero to his superiors by stopping this revolt? Would he be granted even greater power?
Humanly, Jesus must have been at his lowest when his own people preferred him to a thief. Not one person stood up for him, even though many knew who he was. After everything Jesus had done for these people, healing them, teaching them, raising the dead, yet no one spoke up for him.
How many times have I passed the buck? How many times have I put down others to save myself? Have I done things I shouldn’t have just to get ahead?