By Lisa Wilmore
Scripture: Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 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.” But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. (Luke 22:20-24 NIV).
Greetings to all in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, our Everlasting, Eternal, and Endless Savior.
Have you ever been in an argument where the other person becomes extremely loud or overly boisterous? In that moment, you may have given in to their noise simply because you did not want to deal with it anymore, as it was too overwhelming to ignore. The constant badgering and noise became too much to handle. At times, it can be difficult to ignore when the noise is so loud.
As we journey through this challenging and crucial time in our lives, crowds have begun to shout in disapproval of government oversight. With jobs being cut and people being degraded as if we were living in the 1950s and 60s, the people’s outcry is too loud to ignore. In fact, even those who never believed they would be affected by the dismantling of what was established in our country decades ago are now being impacted and have begun to shout. They are frustrated by the thought of their livelihoods being taken away with no remorse or sympathy from those in authority.
Additionally, news commentators are raising their voices, and some preachers and pastors are also speaking out, taking stands against the injustices in our nation. One might think that such noise would influence decisions, and that those in power would respond to the demands of the people.
Interestingly, in the aforementioned text, Pilate, who was governor at the time of Jesus’s trial, gave in to the noise. In chapter 22, Jesus is falsely accused and shuffled back and forth between Pilate and Herod. Pilate is confronted by a noisy crowd. He is caught between saving Jesus from being killed and a crowd that he could not ignore. Of course, Pilate desired to set Jesus free, but the crowd relentlessly shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Scripture declares that they kept shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified, and, in the end, their shouting succeeded (v. 23).
Sometimes, the noise is too loud to ignore. In Jesus’s case, He had done no wrong, but the noise proved to be powerful. How do you handle noise when it becomes overwhelming? Do you ignore it, or do you give in to its demands?
