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Monday August 11 - The crowd chooses Barabbas
“What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. “Crucify him!” they shouted.” Mark 15:12-13
The crowd demanded that Barabbas, a criminal, be released, while Jesus, the innocent Lamb of God, was condemned. This moment reveals the heartbreaking reality of humanity’s rejection of Christ in favour of sin.
The crowd’s decision demonstrates the power of pressure and the tendency to follow the majority, even when it’s wrong. It is crucial to conform to God’s will rather than blindly following the crowd. Before making decisions, we must examine our motives and consider the long-term consequences.
How often do we make similar choices? When we prioritise worldly desires over God’s will, we too ‘choose Barabbas’. But even despite our rejection of him, Jesus willingly went to the cross to redeem us. We must think for ourselves and not be pressurised to follow others. We should always question our assumptions and be willing to challenge the status quo.
Sin is a force that blinds people to the truth and distorts their judgment. It can lead people to make choices that are contrary to the will of God. Take a moment to examine your heart. Are there areas where you have chosen the temporary over the eternal? Surrender those to God and thank him for his unending grace.
Lord, forgive us when we choose our own way over yours. Help us to walk in faithfulness and love, trusting in your redemption. Amen.
Tuesday August 12 - Mocked by soldiers
And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” They struck him on the head with a staff and spat on him. Mark 15:18-19
Jesus endured humiliation, mockery and pain at the hands of the soldiers. Yet, he bore it all without retaliation, demonstrating unmatched humility and love. He endured the worst of humanity in order to redeem humanity.
At this level of pain, it isn’t easy to maintain a posture of humility, forgiveness and love. The natural human spirit would have sought revenge or wanted to show them that he was the Son of God. But despite the way Jesus was treated, he prayed for forgiveness for his persecutors.
The people he was going to die for were the same people that mocked him. Even though they had wronged him, he had empathy and compassion for them. Like Jesus, this must be our response to mockery, and the pain people inflict on us because of our faith and conformity to God’s will.
This passage challenges us to consider how we respond when mocked or mistreated. Do we retaliate, or do we, like Jesus, entrust ourselves to God? His example calls us to a higher standard of life, love and forgiveness, even in the face of cruelty.
Let’s pray for strength to follow Christ’s example in difficult situations and to reflect his love to a broken world.
Lord Jesus, please give us the grace to respond to mistreatment with love and forgiveness, just as you did for us. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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