Confession: I started working part time at an old job, and I have been slacking on my writing. I started writing this post on Monday – 3/23/26 and am just now finally finishing up on Friday – 3/27/26. So, time between posts might be a little lengthy for a while until I find my groove again. So enough about that, here we go!
We are getting ready to celebrate Easter at my church, which falls in line with the Book of Luke we have been going through every Sunday morning. A story many Christians have heard over and over again, including myself. I enjoy having picked up a different part of the story pretty much every time I’ve heard it to focus on and learn from. This year, and in this post, I’m going to focus on the betrayal of Jesus by those who seemed to be doing the right thing but let ‘the crowd’ persuade them to do the unthinkable. Well, unthinkable to us maybe, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the present time because that’s what everyone seemed to want. Have you ever done that? Knew something was wrong and you didn’t really want or need to do it, but all your friends, peers, and maybe even family are urging you to go through with it, so you’d rather make them happy than do what’s right. I’ve been like that before. I was a people pleaser, do what makes everyone happy to stay away from conflict. But was that making God happy? It’s hard to say now, because I can’t remember all the instances that I have done that. But you can be assured I make an effort to put God’s needs first now! But let’s get back to the story and talk about those who KNEW Jesus was all He said He was yet still let the crowd sway their actions.
Now one was the governor of Judaea who is known for presiding over the trial of Jesus and authorizing His crucifixion – Pontius Pilate. I never paid much attention to the role Pilate played in the crucifixion, kind of just assumed he was a hateful Roman who couldn’t have cared less about another Jew. However, Pilate did in fact know and find that Jesus had done nothing wrong to be crucified and wanted to set him free instead of Barabbas, the murderer also on trial. After attempting to pass he task on to Herod – who didn’t really want to make the decision either, so Pilate still had to decide on what to do with Jesus –
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15 Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” [17] [a]
18 But the whole crowd shouted, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
[Luke 23:13-25]
Pilate was stuck! He obviously KNOWS Jesus is good and shouldn’t be put to death, but he let others sway him into doing the worst – and guess what? You are doing the same thing when you give in to sinning just because it’s what the people want! You are DENYING Jesus! You are neglecting to do what He wants you to! It may not SEEM like it’s as bad as putting someone to death because of other people’s thoughts, but it is! You are denying your surrender to Jesus. Who cares what others think about you in this life if it is going to prevent you from eternity in heaven? We MUST keep that in our head with every decision we make no matter what! Yes, it’s hard – I know! I’ve done it countless times! But when we surrender to Jesus, it’s time to put His needs before our own.
Now let’s discuss someone a lot closer to Jesus – Simon Peter. Yes, he followed Jesus everyday and followed Jesus’ will in this following, until it came down to him possibly getting arrested and taken away just as Jesus had. Let’s look back in the bible, even before Pilate’s incident, in Luke 22.
54 Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”
57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly. Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
[Luke 22:54-62]
What if you were in that situation? We like to all think, I would have never denied knowing Him! But truth is, we have never been in that situation, and I don’t know how I would have reacted. I like to think I wouldn’t deny him, but knowing they would march me right in after him to possibly be crucified as well, would my fear have kept me from that? Peter thought the same thing as I did, too!
One of the disciples, Peter, famously said to Jesus “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” But Jesus said, “I tell you, peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” [Luke 22:33-34]
Jesus knew! He even tried to get the disciples to pray that temptation would not get them, and they fell asleep!
39 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.[a]
45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” [Luke 22:39-46]
God knows the future as clearly as we can see the past (that came straight from my preacher after a powerful message of course). He knew it was coming and tried to give the disciples a way out, but they went to sleep. Okay maybe they had not slept in a while, a lot was going on right then, who knows – but when the One asks you to do something, you should probably obey! Again, I don’t know what I would have done in that situation – and I like to think I’d have done what Jesus asked, but I can only imagine how all of this was feeling to them. They never really believed Jesus was going to die or what he was getting at when he kept insinuating what was to come, but here it was – the man they had followed for so long and hung on his every word was about to be crucified and maybe anyone who knew Him was to. It’s so very had to imagine what any of us would have done in that situation, and thankfully, Simon Peter later repents and is right back where he needs to be, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. So now let’s talk about me and you. Have you ever heard people talking bad about a church or other Christians, and you reply with, “oh I don’t go there” or “they talk about Jesus too much, but not me” – something like that? Because you don’t want others to think less of you because you love Jesus? I don’t think I’ve ever denied Jesus in that sense, but I may have stayed silent – just didn’t say anything at all, which is just as bad. Jesus never said this life would be easy, so we can’t expect it to be!
I’m curious to hear thoughts on this! What do you think you would have done if you were in Simon Peter or Pontius Pilate’s position? Have you ever been in a situation where you proudly chose God’s way over other’s opinions or vice versa? Let’s talk about it!