Mark 15

So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. ‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Pilate released Barabbas because he wanted to appease the crowd and he was afraid of their reaction if he did not give in to them.  He believed in his heart that Jesus was innocent, and he knew that releasing Jesus was the right thing to do.  However, his fateful choice was to let peer pressure and fear guide his actions.  We cannot make this type of mistake and allow the opinions of other people to affect our decisions in life: “…We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29).  We also cannot use fear as an excuse to justify our actions.  “The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid?  The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?” (Psalms 27:1).  God sent the Holy Spirit to live inside each one of us who believe in Jesus Christ.  Turning to Him for help instead of reacting to a situation in fear gives us the power to overcome whatever obstacle is in our way.  Is there something that God has asked you to do, but fear of man is standing in your way?  

And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him. ‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭29‬-‭32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jesus could have saved Himself from this excruciating pain and humiliation.  Certainly, coming down off the cross and striking His enemies dead while they hurled insults at Him would have felt like an amazing victory to any of us.  But Jesus was sinless and had knowledge of a greater plan for all mankind.  If He would have chosen the easier road that satisfied the flesh, then we would not have the forgiveness of our sins, a restored relationship with our Holy Creator, and the promise of eternal life.  Just because Jesus CAN do something does not mean that He will.  When we pray for God to do something in our lives, we should follow the pattern of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.  But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:17,18).  We know that God is able to do whatever we ask, and we should have faith that He will do it.  However, we must remember that the greater plan for our lives has not been revealed to us.  God answers prayers in His own way and in His own timing, according to His will, and we must continue to have faith that His plan is the best plan for our lives.