Can you see beyond the injustice?
Reflection on a reading from today's Church of England Lectionary. 4 October 2021. Mark 15 : 1 - 15.
The local Jewish authorities are forbidden from directly sentencing a prisoner to death so they have taken Jesus to Pontius Pilate, the provincial governor to hear the case against him. In a very short time Pilate has heard the accusation that Jesus claims to be king of the Jews, put a question to him, heard the crowd demand the crucifixion of Jesus and pronounced a death sentence to be carried out immediately without preparation or appeal. In accordance with local custom at Passover time Pilate asks the crowd who they want to set free and they demand a freedom fighter, murderer, terrorist called Jesus Barabbus (ironically translated as Jesus Son of the Father ).
The change of mind of the crowd from Palm Sunday shows the volatility of crowds and their latent violence when they demand that Jesus is crucified and a killer released. No surprise that the nervous Pilate capitulates almost immediately.
The violence of the Roman occupiers is also demonstrated in the passage. They invoke the most cruel punishment possible, death by crucifixion and after the summary, rudimentary trial where a defence is unprepared and the accused not allowed a professional defence.
But God has a plan. Despite the cruelty, the pain and the injustice he has us, his people, in his mind and heart.