What Will You Do With Jesus?
Earlier this week at Calvary, we stood at one of the most sobering scenes in all of Scripture. Jesus, the innocent Son of God, is bound, accused, mocked, beaten, and handed over to be crucified. And in the middle of it all stand three figures who reflect the human heart: Pilate, Barabbas, and the crowd.
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. Three times in the Gospel accounts he affirms that no guilt is found in Him. Yet Mark tells us he acted “wishing to satisfy the crowd.” He chose approval over truth. Political peace over moral courage. Pilate reminds us how easy it is to know what is right and still fail to stand for it. In our workplaces, friendships, and even online, we can be tempted to wash our hands and distance ourselves from Christ when following Him feels costly.
Then there is Barabbas. A rebel. A murderer. Justly condemned. His name means “son of the father.” On that day, the guilty man walked free while the innocent Son of the Father was scourged and led away to die. It is one of the clearest pictures of substitution in the Bible. Jesus died in his place. And He died in ours.
Like Barabbas, we stood guilty before a holy God. “All have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death.” Yet Jesus, the Righteous One, was treated as guilty so that we, the guilty, might be declared righteous. Barabbas did nothing to earn his freedom. He simply received it. The same is true for us. Salvation is not achieved. It is received by grace through faith.
Finally, there is the crowd. Earlier in the week, many in Jerusalem shouted “Hosanna!” Now they cry, “Crucify him!” The same city that welcomed Him rejects Him. The crowd was stirred up by leaders and swept along by emotion. It is a warning for us. If our faith is built on excitement, convenience, or personal expectations, it will not endure when Jesus does not meet our agenda.
Yet through it all, Jesus remains silent, sovereign, and steadfast. He is mocked with a purple robe and a crown of thorns, symbols of a kingship the soldiers cannot comprehend. But He truly is King. Not the kind Pilate imagined. Not the kind the crowd demanded. A suffering King whose throne would be a cross.
It was not ultimately Pilate or the crowd who put Jesus on the cross. Our sin did. And it was the Father’s gracious plan to save sinners like us.
At Calvary Baptist Church, we carry hope because of this truth: the innocent King took our place so that we might become sons and daughters of the Father. The question before each of us is simple and personal. What will we do with Jesus?
