Mark 15:1-20

“But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.” (Mark 15:11, NKJV)

They say that birds of a feather flock together, meaning that people naturally gravitate toward others who are like themselves. We know that they understand us. We’re moving in the same direction. So, it isn’t surprising that when Pilate offered to release Jesus, the chief priests stirred up the crowd to ask for Barabbas instead. Barabbas was a rebel and a murderer. Guess what? So were they. They rebelled against God’s plan for themselves. They rebelled against His only Son. And now they would stop at nothing to kill Jesus.

As believers, sometimes we are surprised when others don’t like us. We are trying to be kind. We speak the truth in love. Somehow, we think that they will receive us. But then the devil stirs up their hearts to despise and reject us.

The chief priests should have received their Messiah, but instead they rejected Him. Likewise, we expect people who seem to be godly to receive us and be kind to us. But often they treat us with disrespect. They harden their hearts toward us because they have hardened their hearts toward Christ. They love the darkness rather than the light.

The chief priests were envious of Jesus, because the people rejected them to follow Him. Now they were rejecting Jesus to keep their position and their influence over others. They a chose a murderer rather than the Author of life.

Are you following truth or self-interest? Are you choosing to identify with Jesus or with those who reject Him?