Jump Start # 657

Matthew 27:24 “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was  starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to that yourselves”

Poor Pilate—he was in a mess and didn’t know what to do. The innocent Jesus stood before Pilate. The Jews were demanding his execution. Pilate didn’t see any major offenses in Jesus. This was a Jewish thing, an internal squabble about their laws and rules. The Jewish leaders kept pressing Pilate. He heard that Herod was in town so he shipped Jesus off to Herod. He can decide and Pilate won’t have to. Herod sent Jesus back. He too, saw that Jesus was innocent. Again Jesus stands before Pilate. The Jewish leaders had stirred up the crowd. A mob had assembled. They were loud, angry and demanding. They wanted an answer from Pilate. They wanted “their” answer from Pilate. He couldn’t do it. A riot was starting. In John’s account, the crowd shouts to Pilate, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar.” Things were getting worse. The crowd was ready to make Pilate an accomplice and accuse him of being a traitor.

We know the story. Pilate turned Jesus over to the Roman soldiers to be executed. He did not agree but went along with it. He said that he was innocent and not to be blamed, but he is. He had the power to stop this and he didn’t.

What we see in Pilate is a weak leader who lost control of a situation and gave in to the threats of a crowd. He, in essence, stepped aside from leadership and allowed the mob to have what they wanted. Pilate opened the door for the Jews to run the city—not just this time but anytime, by assembling an angry and loud crowd, Pilate was certain to give in to their demands. It is interesting that a short time after this, in Acts 7, when the angry crowd turns on the preacher Stephen, they don’t even go to Pilate for permission to execute. They did it themselves. Pilate became a weak and ineffective leader that day. Much was lost by giving in to their demands.

This is a powerful lesson for us to consider. The same can happen in a home. The kids throw a fit, they get loud and the parents lose control and give in. You see this when it comes to bedtime. The kids don’t want to go to bed, so they scream and holler and make a real fuss. Parents are tired and don’t want to deal with it. So they let the kids stay up. You know what will happen the next time. The kids have learned. You see this when the family is out shopping. The kids want a toy. The parents say “no.” Right there in the store, the kids throw a tantrum. The parents are embarrassed and don’t know what to do, so they buy the toy. The kids have won. They haven’t taken over. All it takes is make an ugly scene and the parents will cave in. This is not about a toy or bedtime, it is about leadership. The parents have stepped aside and the kids have taken over.

What happened to Pilate happens in a church. The shepherds or elders plan something or make a decision about making things better and some don’t like it. They fuss and complain. Some rally others behind them and then they threaten to leave unless the ideas are canned and things go back to the way they want them. We are not talking about things that are wrong. We are talking about folks who simply want things their way and if they don’t get it, they make threats, get ugly and force those in charge to change. By doing this, the elders have lost leadership. The loud and selfish members run the place. They can always threaten to leave and hold that over the heads of those who want to improve things.

Pilate simply failed. Modern police departments have learned that you don’t give in to a riotous crowd. Pilate had Roman troops at his command. Pilate wasn’t Jewish, he was Roman. He could have brought the troops in and scattered the loud crowds, arrested the agitators, imprisoned the leaders and brought order to the city. It would have been messy and ugly and probably bloody,  yet he would have established that he was still in charge. Instead, he allowed Jesus to be crucified and he turned the city over to selfish Jews.

The same goes for parents. When the kids demand to stay up, the parents can march them to the bedrooms and take charge. The same goes for elders in a congregation. They can lead the church and when necessary mark those who are stirring things up.

Leadership begins by leading. This mob mentality is all too common today. The mob is selfish. They want what they want or else they will cause trouble. Yet the mob doesn’t want to take leadership and do the work. They simply want what they want.

It’s hard to be a leader. The crowds are often taking shots at you and demanding that you do what they want. The leader must stick to what he knows is right. He must stay the course. His decisions may not be popular but he has to do what he thinks is best. The leader is looking beyond today. The leader sees the big picture.

It’s time for parents to be parents again. It’s time for shepherds to shepherd again. It’s past time for politicians to govern this nation. They have shown us the Pilate example by caving in to every special interest group and reading the polls and being concerned about re-election instead of governing the people.

Pilate did more than allow Jesus to be crucified. He lost the city. Parents, it’s more than just letting the kids have their way this time, it’s losing the home.

Tough times require tough decisions and then the gumption to stand by those decisions, even if the crowd demands something else.

Roger