Insistent

But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.  Luke 23:23 (NIV)

What got into those people that day?  How could God-fearing men and women fall into such cruel behavior?  How can religious oriented people stoop to abuse and hatred?  How many crimes are we reading about of a people who are meant to be the people of the Lord?  What is going on?  The Jews were supposed to be the children of God.  Why on earth were they trying to kill the Son of God?  How could they be so insistent on their horrible intentions towards Jesus?  What got into Pilate to give in to their evil desires?  For generations we have sat back and judged these people who abused Jesus.  Have we heaped the blame on them for treating our Saviour in a way that was not worthy of the Son of God?  Could it be because we don´t want to take a look at the way we are treating Him today?

It is horrifyingly true that there were many people to blame in the treason and execution of the Lamb of God.  But is it also true that those things had been foretold?  Did all that happen to Jesus somehow have to come to pass?  Was it not part of God´s great plan of redemption?  Did Jesus need to suffer and die to fulfill scripture and save our race from the treason in our hearts?  Although there is never an excuse to fail God, were these unsuspecting souls actually playing an important part of history?  If these things needed to happen that day and somebody had to be held accountable for that great sin, what is our excuse now?  When we do not lift up the Son of God as high as we should, how do we think we can escape being held accountable for our lack of charity?

Is there a possibility that the people of today who should be devoted to God are not acting as we should towards the Lord?  Would it be a good time for us to stop our insistent demands and our furious action and take a closer look at Jesus?  Could we examine our hearts to see if we are not getting carried away with some worldly or personal intentions?  Is it possible that for all our religion and conviction, we too may be far from our Lord in some way?  Are we looking closer to the political scene than to the direction of Jesus´ words?  Are we bolstered by the direction of our leaders to get worked up over earthly issues?  Are we insistently focusing on the situations we see around us?  Could we be somehow forgetting to look for what God is working on right now?  If God is carrying out His plan that has been foretold right now, don´t we want to make sure that we are free from blame?  Should we each be doing all that we can to look past the trends and excitement of our times?  Should we all be desperately cultivating our relationship with the Lamb of God?

Dear Jesus, others have failed to treat You as they should.  Please guard us from deceiving ourselves!  We come to You to ask if there is any way we too are to blame.  Is there any way in which we are letting You down?  Is there any Way that we can love You more?  Show us how to look past what is happening around us and seek to see what You are working on.  Teach us!  Heal us from our ways!  Don´t let us be like those before us who were so insistent on NOT treating You as we should!  Let us be of a different nature!  Let us be filled with You!  Let us see where You are moving!  Let us stand with You no matter what happens in our times!

Amen