I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Luke 23-24

Reading today’s passage I was struck by how the crowd demanded Jesus’ death from Pilate, even though they could provide no evidence of any crime deserving of death.  Pilate tried to either find something he could charge (and convict) Jesus with which would justify crucifying Him, or to convince the crowd to accept His release.  When Pilate failed at both, he ordered Jesus’ crucifixion because he was unwilling to go against the crowd.  We learn from this passage that being part of the crowd, or doing what the crowd demands, will often lead us to do evil.

The men who appeared to the women at Jesus’ tomb ask a question which sums up the theme of the rest of this chapter and one which we today should ponder.  “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”  The two men on the road to Emmaus were doing the same thing.  They could not believe that Jesus had risen, certainly not on the testimony of mere women; rising from the dead was impossible.  The men who appeared at the tomb told the women that Jesus had told them this would happen, including His resurrection.  Jesus showed the men on the road to Emmaus that the prophets foretold that He would be crucified and rise from the dead.  And I just realized that if we believe that He is indeed alive we will never again be either part of that crowd which gathered before Pilate, nor afraid of that crowd.