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The religious leaders wanted Jesus silenced. To have Him dead would accomplish their purpose, even if false or twisted accusations were needed to have death inflicted "legally." After their stating their case before Pilate, the Roman governor, Pilate asks Jesus a single question and then declares that he finds nothing wrong with Him. The priests and the crowd that was watching insisted that Jesus was a troublemaker. Their angry words though also inform Pilate that Jesus is a Galilean, and Pilate sidesteps any responsibility that may have been his, and sends Jesus to Herod who seemed to make a joke of the whole situation and sent Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate still declares Him innocent, but compromises with the crowd by ordering Jesus to be beaten. The still unsatisfied crowd pressures Pilate with their shouts of crucifixion, and Pilate soon bows to their demands, and turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.
Pilate judged Jesus rightly in the charges that were brought against Him, but he was not a follower of his own convictions. His actions were determined by an angry crowd rather than the belief of his convictions, and he was not willing to make the necessary sacrifices that following his convictions may have brought. His story stands in contrast to the convictions and actions of Joseph, a man of wealth and of religious prominence, but a man who disagreed with his fellow members of the Jewish Council. Joseph lived by his convictions, and those convictions were the basis for his actions. He was the man who cared for the body of Jesus after His death. Joseph was not swayed by the crowd, and although he did not change history, he did what he could, and God honored him for it.
Paul was another man who lived by his convictions, and he encouraged others to do the same. He told the Galatians, "I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you." When we live by our convictions, we are living by the truth of God’s Word. Convictions are not to be confused with "preferences" which are based on tradition, familiarity, or personal comfort. Preferences may have their place, but the same imperative to live by them is not given in Scripture.
It is easy to sidestep our convictions, compromise them, or ignore them when confronted by the conflicting thought of the "crowd" in our everyday world. For protection, the chameleon changes its color to blend in with its environment. I learned from a question asked of the online MadSci Network that the color change happens on a "cellular" level, that is, within the cells of the animal’s skin. It was very interesting to me that something on the inside determined what happened on the outside. Rather than our being self-protective, or compromising our convictions, we need that inward change that assures the follow-through of our God-given convictions.
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