“Moderate compromise is not a means of appeasing evil; rather, it is a cowardly choice that gives evil the justification to make even greater demands.”

 

“Moderate compromise is not a means of appeasing evil; rather, it is a cowardly choice that gives evil the justification to make even greater demands.”

 

 

 

“Then Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought this man to me as one who was misleading the people.  And behold, having examined him before you, I have found no basis for the charges you are bringing against him.  Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us.  Behold, nothing deserving death has been done by him.  Therefore, I will punish him and release him.’   But they all cried out together, saying, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas!’  This man had been thrown into prison because of an insurrection that had taken place in the city and because of murder.   Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, spoke to them again, but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’   And he said to them a third time, ‘Why?  What evil has this man done?  I have found in him no grounds for a sentence of death.  Therefore, I will punish him and release him.’   But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified.  And their voices prevailed.   So Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand should be granted.  He released the man they were asking for—the one who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder—and he handed Jesus over to them to do as they wished” (Luke 23:13–25).

 

(1)  After reading today’s passage, Luke 23:13–25, in both the Korean Bible and the Greek New Testament, I first want to compare it with the parallel passages in Matthew 27:15–26, Mark 15:6–15, and John 18:39–19:16 in order to understand a comprehensive summary (the overall storyline) of these passages.  Doing so will be beneficial because, with the entire picture in view, I will then be able to continue with a more specific meditation centered on today’s passage, Luke 23:13–25.

 

              (a)  Comprehensive Summary of the Parallel Passages in the Four Gospels (Jesus’ Final Trial)

 

                     Pilate’s Declaration of Innocence and the Jews’ Accusations (Luke, John)

 

After receiving Jesus back from Herod, Pilate summons the chief priests and the rulers of the people.  Pilate publicly declares that neither he nor Herod has found in Jesus any offense deserving death, and he proposes a compromise: “I will punish him and release him.”

 

The Passover Custom and the Appearance of “Barabbas” (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

 

At the Passover feast, there was a custom (tradition) of releasing one prisoner.  Pilate attempts to use this custom as a way to release Jesus.

 

At that time, a notorious prisoner named Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for leading an insurrection and committing murder, was in the prison. Pilate asks the crowd, “Whom do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

 

The Incitement of the Crowd by the Religious Leaders (Matthew, Mark, Luke)

 

The chief priests and elders incite the crowd, persuading them to demand that Barabbas be released and Jesus be put to death.  The crowd cries out together, saying, “Away with this man, and release Barabbas to us!”

 

(Additional context from Matthew) During this situation, Pilate’s wife sends a message to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man,” and tells him about her dream, thereby intensifying Pilate’s inner anguish.

 

Pilate’s Repeated Attempts and the Madness of the Crowd (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)

 

Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, makes three attempts to persuade the crowd.  He protests, saying, “Why?  What evil has this man done?  I have found no grounds for a sentence of death against him. Therefore, I will punish him and release him.”

 

However, the crowd cries out even more loudly, saying, “Crucify him!”  According to the Gospel of John, the Jews exert political pressure on Pilate, saying, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend.”

 

Pilate’s Submission and Final Judgment (Matthew, Mark, Luke)

 

Seeing that the situation could lead to a riot, Pilate ultimately decides to comply with the crowd’s demand.

 

(Additional context from Matthew) Pilate takes water and washes his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” thereby attempting to evade responsibility.  The people respond, “His blood be on us and on our children.”

 

In the end, Pilate releases Barabbas, who had been imprisoned for murder and insurrection, as they requested, while Jesus is flogged and handed over to them to be crucified according to their wishes.

 

A Shift in the Focus of Meditation Centered on Luke 23:13–25

 

When focusing on today’s passage in Luke in light of the overall picture, it may be especially beneficial to meditate upon it according to the following distinctive perspectives emphasized by Luke.

 

The three declarations of innocence (Lk. 23:14, 22): Luke emphasizes repeatedly, through Pilate’s own words, that Jesus is completely “innocent,” declaring three times that he has found no grounds for condemning Jesus.  We can meditate on the meaning of substitutionary atonement: the One who is without sin dies in the place of sinners.

The united madness of the religious leaders and the people: In Luke’s Gospel, not only the chief priests but also the “people (the crowd)” cry out together.  The crowd that had enthusiastically welcomed Jesus only a few days earlier is now incited to side with evil, revealing the weakness and sinful nature of humanity.

 

The contrast between the two men: “Barabbas,” who had committed insurrection and murder, is released, while “Jesus,” who came to bring peace and salvation, is imprisoned.  This can lead to a meditation on the grace of remembering that I myself was standing in Barabbas’s place (Internet).

 

(2)  Second, I would like to meditate on the lesson given to us by the fact that Pilate, after receiving Jesus back from Herod, gathered the chief priests and the rulers of the people and publicly declared that neither he nor Herod had found any crime in Jesus deserving death [the three declarations of innocence (Lk. 23:14, 15, 22)], and then proposed a compromise, saying, “I will punish Him and release Him” (vv. 16, 22).  In particular, I would like to meditate on Pilate’s words to “the chief priests and the rulers and the people” (v. 13): “I have found no basis for a charge against this man” [οὐδὲν εὗρον ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τούτῳ αἴτιον (ouden heurōn en tō anthrōpō toutō aition)] (v. 14); “Behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him.  Therefore, I will punish Him and release Him” [ἰδοὺ οὐδὲν ἄξιον θανάτου ἐστὶν πεπραγμένον αὐτῷ· παιδεύσας οὖν αὐτὸν ἀπολύσω (idou ouden axion thanatou estin pepragmenon autō, paideusas oun auton apolusō)] (vv. 15–16); and “Why, what evil has this man done?  I have found no basis for a sentence of death in Him.  Therefore, I will punish Him and release Him” [τί γὰρ κακὸν ἐποίησεν οὗτος; οὐδὲν αἴτιον θανάτου εὗρον ἐν αὐτῷ· παιδεύσας οὖν αὐτὸν ἀπολύσω (ti gar kakon epoiēsen houtos? ouden aition thanatou heuron en autō, paideusas oun auton apolusō)] (v. 22).

 

1.  The Lesson from the “Three Declarations of Innocence”: Confirmation of the Perfect Substitutionary Sacrifice

 

Pilate officially gathers representatives of every level of Jewish society—the “chief priests and the rulers and the people” (v. 13)—and publicly declares Jesus’ complete innocence.

 

Meaning of the original language: The word αἴτιον (aition), repeated in verses 14 and 22, means “a legal basis for a charge” or “a legitimate ground for accusation.”  In other words, Pilate is declaring that there was absolutely no basis (οὐδέν, ouden) for legally punishing Jesus.  The expression ἄξιον θανάτου (axion thanatou) in verse 15 likewise means that there was absolutely no action deserving death, as certified by the highest human authority in the court.

 

Application for meditation: These repeated declarations of innocence paradoxically constitute a public confirmation, through a worldly court of law, that Jesus is the “lamb without blemish and without spot,” as foretold in the Old Testament.  Jesus did not die because of His own sin; rather, in the qualification of perfect innocence, He died in the place of “us sinners.”  As the highest judge in the world declares that He has “no guilt,” yet He receives the most terrible punishment reserved for a guilty criminal, we are moved to praise deeply the grace of substitutionary atonement that He has shown toward us.

 

2.  The Lesson from “I Will Punish Him and Release Him”: The Cowardice and Limitations of Worldly Compromise

 

Pilate’s most devastating spiritual and moral failure is fully revealed in the words of verses 16 and 22: “Therefore, I will punish Him and release Him.”

 

Meaning of the original language: The Greek word παιδεύσας (paideusas), translated here as “punish,” originally comes from a word meaning “to discipline or educate a child.”  In legal usage, it refers to a “disciplinary scourging” or “warning flogging.”  Pilate’s political calculation was essentially: “Although He is not guilty, in order to calm your anger, O Jews, I will have Him beaten and disciplined somewhat, and then release Him.”

 

Application for meditation: Pilate knew the truth and was able to discern what justice was.  However, he considered his own security and political position more important than defending the truth.  His compromise of flogging an innocent man ultimately failed to calm the madness of the crowd and instead opened the door to an even greater evil—the crucifixion.

 

Through this, we learn the lesson that “moderate compromise does not stop evil; rather, it causes evil to grow.”  It causes us to examine whether, in our own lives, we are compromising with truth for the sake of personal benefit or because we are overly concerned about what other people think of us.

3.   The Lesson from “The Things He Has Done”: Human Perspective and God’s Providence

 

In verse 15, Pilate says, “Nothing deserving death has been done by Him” (πεπραγμένον αὐτῷ, pepragmenon autō). From the perspective of the human judge Pilate, there was absolutely nothing among Jesus’ miracles and teachings that deserved death.

 

Application for meditation: Yet within God’s redemptive providence, Jesus was the One who came into this world “in order to die.”  The human judge is perplexed because he cannot find a reason to put Jesus to death, while God is quietly moving His Son toward the place of death in order to deal with the sins of humanity.

 

Pilate mistakenly believed that he held the authority of judgment and that he could determine whether Jesus would live or die.  In reality, the One directing this trial was the absolute sovereignty of God, who uses even human wickedness and cowardice as instruments in the history of salvation. W e learn that even when incomprehensible injustices or contradictory circumstances come into our lives, we should trust that God’s good plan of salvation is flowing behind those circumstances (Internet).

 

(a)  Here, I once again think about the fact that Pilate knew the truth and was able to discern what justice was, yet considered his own security and political position more important than defending the truth.  In particular, I would like to receive a more concrete lesson from the principle that “moderate compromise does not stop evil; rather, it causes evil to grow.”

 

a.   Compromise sends evil the signal that “negotiation is possible.”

 

Pilate was convinced of Jesus’ innocence, so according to law and justice, he should have ordered His immediate release. However, concerned about the crowd’s reaction, he offered the compromise: “He is not guilty, but I will punish Him (discipline Him) and release Him” (v. 16).

 

Understanding the principle: The moment a person who stands in the place of justice proposes a moderate compromise, evil recognizes it as a “concession of justice” and a “weakness of authority.”  When Pilate permitted the injustice of flogging an innocent man, the crowd gained confidence that, “If we push just a little harder, perhaps we can have Him killed altogether.”

 

Concrete lesson: The same is true in our lives.  When we do not decisively cut ourselves off from temptation to sin or unjust pressure from the world, but instead say, “Let’s just accommodate this one time and then be done with it,” we are opening the door of our hearts to evil.  Moderate compromise is not a strategy for appeasing evil; it is a cowardly choice that gives evil a justification to make even greater demands.

 

 b.   Compromise paralyzes discernment and ultimately causes us to surrender to evil.

 

Luke 23:22–23 records that when Pilate insisted for the third time on the compromise, “I will punish Him and release Him,” the crowd “kept insisting with loud voices, demanding that He be crucified, and their voices prevailed.”

 

Meaning of the original language: The Greek word ἐπέκειντο (epekeinto), translated here as “kept insisting” or “pressed,” means “to lie upon,” “to press heavily,” or “to attack with force.”  When Pilate took one step backward and attempted to compromise, the forces of evil pressed upon him with even greater weight and intensity.  As a result, in verse 24 Pilate finally “pronounced sentence that their demand should be granted.”

 

Concrete lesson: At first, it appeared to be a reasonable compromise: “I will only have Him flogged, and I will save Jesus’ life.”  But the moment we sit down at the negotiating table with evil, control passes to evil.  The small compromise that we began in order to protect our own security and reputation can eventually paralyze our spiritual discernment.  Before we realize what has happened, we may find ourselves having become an instrument of the most horrifying evil—the very person handing Jesus over to be crucified.

 

c.   There Is No Spiritual Gray Area: The End of Compromise Is the “Release of Barabbas.”

 

Verse 25 summarizes in one sentence the horrific outcome produced by Pilate’s compromise:

 

“He released the man they had been asking for, the one who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over to them to do as they wished.”

 

Concrete lesson: Pilate wanted to create his own safe “gray area (a space for compromise)” between justice (Jesus) and injustice (the crowd).  But in the spiritual realm, there is no gray area. Every compromise that fails to fully uphold the truth ultimately means taking the side of evil.

 

The price Pilate paid for bending justice was horrifying. He allowed Barabbas (evil), a murderer who had threatened society, to walk free, while Jesus (good), the One who is peace and life, was driven toward death.  We must remember that even one small compromise we make today can result in releasing our own “Barabbas” and crucifying the “reign of Jesus Christ” within us.

 

Questions for Meditation and Prayer for Our Lives

 

Pilate possessed tremendous authority as the Roman governor, but in the end he compromised because he was a “slave to the fear of people.” Using this passage as a mirror, I examine my life today.

 

Question: Where is the spiritual gray area in my life these days where I am compromising before God’s Word, saying, “This much should be okay,” or “I can’t help it; the circumstances are unavoidable”? (For example: dishonest financial practices, being ashamed of the gospel because I am concerned about what others think, or allowing hatred toward another person to remain in my heart.)

 

Prayer: “Lord, when the voices of people and concern for my own security press heavily upon me, please do not let me compromise cowardly like Pilate.  Help me to reject even the appearance of evil, and from the very beginning, give me the holy courage to stand firmly upon the truth and offer You wholehearted obedience.” (Internet)

 

(i)        Here, the sentence, “Moderate compromise is not a strategy for appeasing evil; it is a cowardly choice that gives evil a justification to make even greater demands,” particularly speaks to my heart.  And when I read the word “demands” in this sentence, I am reminded of the passage from Luke 22:31 that I previously meditated on: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.”  How, then, are we to resist such demands from Satan—for example, the demand to make a moderate compromise?

 

·         The Greek word ἐξῃτήσατο (exēitēsato), which is actually translated as “demanded” in the statement that Satan “demanded” to sift them like wheat, means “to make a strong claim or demand something as a right.”  Just as the crowd made increasingly forceful “demands” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in verse 23 when Pilate offered a moderate compromise, Satan rushes in when he sees an opening created by our compromise, seeking to shake us completely as though he had seized a legitimate legal right over us.  In order to resist Satan’s demand for compromise, here are three spiritual principles presented by Scripture (Internet):

 

1.   We must depend upon Jesus’ “intercession” for Peter (the spiritual foundation).

 

In the very next verse after Luke 22:31, verse 32, Jesus provides the alternative: “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail...”

 

Understanding the principle: It is impossible to resist Satan’s powerful demands by relying solely on our own willpower or determination.  Even Peter, despite boasting of his own strength, ultimately fell.  The first key to overcoming the temptation to compromise is to rely upon the prayer of Jesus Christ, who even now intercedes for us at the right hand of God.

 

Practical application: When the pressure to compromise comes and our hearts begin to waver, we should not trust in our own willpower. Instead, we should first confess: “Lord, I cannot overcome this temptation in my own strength.  I depend upon Your grace as You pray for me.  Please hold me firmly so that my faith may not fail.”

 

2.   We need a decisive rejection that gives Satan no “small opening” (the spiritual attitude).

The reason Satan was able to “demand” to sift Peter like wheat was because Peter remained in a spiritual gray area of compromise, having “followed at a distance” (v. 54) from Jesus.

 

Understanding the principle: Ephesians 4:27 warns us, “Give no opportunity to the devil.” Satan never begins by demanding, “Completely deny Jesus.”  Instead, he looks for small openings for compromise: “Everyone does this,” or “Just give in a little; you can make things right later.”  This is exactly what happened when Pilate gave an opening through the compromise of flogging Jesus; Satan, speaking through the crowd, immediately demanded crucifixion.

 

Practical application: The surest way to resist Satan’s demands is to reject them “from the beginning, immediately, and decisively.”  We must turn away immediately when we find ourselves in a place of temptation or in a situation where we are calculating how much we can compromise.  Just as 1 Thessalonians 5:22 says, “Abstain from every form of evil,” we must remember that there is no room for moderate concession in spiritual matters and draw a clear line.

 

3.   We must oppose Satan by putting “God’s Word” above “our own security” (the spiritual weapon).

 

Pilate surrendered to Satan’s demand—the voice of the crowd—because of his “self-protective instinct,” his desire to preserve his own security and political position.  Jesus, on the other hand, when Satan demanded compromise in the wilderness (Luke 4), resisted solely with the words, “It is written,” using the Word of God.

 

Understanding the principle: When Satan demands compromise, if we begin a dialogue (negotiation) based on our own thoughts, emotions, or circumstances, we will lose every time.  The only shield and sword that can break Satan’s demands is the Word of God, the unchanging truth.

 

Practical application: Even if I suffer a loss or become hated by other people, when God’s Word says “No,” I must not mix my own thoughts into it.  I must stand firm and proclaim the Word as it is.  The power to resist Satan’s demands does not come from my cleverness, but from absolute obedience to the Word.

 

A Grace-Filled Discovery Connected to This Meditation

 

Satan demanded Simon Peter in order to sift him like wheat, and Peter ultimately denied Jesus three times, seemingly falling like Pilate.  However, Jesus’ prayer (His intercession) brought Peter back to life.  After being restored, Peter was transformed into a person who would later stand before Satan’s demand for compromise and proclaim at the risk of his life: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) (Internet).

 

(3)  Third, I would like to reflect on the response of the crowd when Pilate, after declaring Jesus innocent three times, tried to release Him.  I want to think about the spiritual and psychological condition of that crowd and apply the lessons to ourselves: “But they all cried out together, saying, ‘Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas’” [ἀνέκραξαν δὲ παμπληθεὶ λέγοντες· Αἶρε τοῦτον, ἀπόλυσον δὲ ἡμῖν τὸν Βαραββᾶν (anecraksan de pamplethei legontes, Aire touton, apolýson de hēmin ton Barabban)] (Lk. 23:18); “But they shouted, saying, ‘Crucify him! Crucify him!’” [οἱ δὲ ἐπεφώνουν λέγοντες· Σταύρωσον σταύρωσον αὐτόν (hoi de epephōnoun legontes, Staurōson staurōson auton)] (v. 21); and “But they were insistent, with loud voices, asking that he be crucified, and their voices prevailed” [οἱ δὲ ἐπέκειντο φωναῖς μεγάλαις αἰτούμενοι αὐτὸν σταυρωθῆναι, καὶ κατίσχυον αἱ φωναὶ αὐτῶν (hoi de epekeinto phōnais meglais aitoumenoi auton staurōthēnai, kai katischyon hai phōnai autōn)] (v. 23).  In particular, the common saying in this world, “The person with the loudest voice wins,” comes to mind, and I want to learn from the contrast between the crowd’s loud shouting and Jesus’ silence.

 

1.  The Spiritual and Psychological Condition of the Crowd: Mob Mentality, Madness, and Spiritual Blindness

 

The Greek verbs in the passage vividly show that the crowd was not merely expressing an opinion but had been swept up into a state of irrational frenzy.

A simultaneous explosion (v. 18): ἀνέκραξαν ... παμπληθεὶ (anecraksan ... pamplethei) means “the whole crowd cried out all at once, in unison, as if screaming.”  Individual reasoning disappeared, and under the control of the agitators, the crowd moved like one enormous “monster”—a classic example of mob mentality.

 

Continuous shouting (v. 21): ἐπεφώνουν (epephōnoun) is in the imperfect tense, indicating that they repeatedly and continuously chanted the horrific cry, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” [Σταύρωσον σταύρωσον (Staurōson staurōson)].

 

Pressure and overpowering (v. 23): ἐπέκειντο (epekeinto) describes the heavy pressure being brought to bear upon Pilate, and eventually their voices prevailed over him [κατίσχυον (katischyon): to completely overpower].

 

Reflection for Us:

 

Among this crowd were likely some of the very people who, only a few days earlier, had shouted “Hosanna” and spread their cloaks on the road when Jesus entered Jerusalem.  Yet when they became disappointed with Jesus because He would not act according to what they wanted—a political Messiah who would overthrow Rome and provide them with immediate earthly benefits—they were easily swept up by the religious leaders’ agitation and became instruments of evil.

 

The world commonly says, “The person with the loudest voice wins, and majority rule determines what is right.” We, too, are warned that unless we remain spiritually awake and grounded in the absolute standard of God’s Word, we can be swept away by the “loud voice” of a massive cultural trend or majority opinion and find ourselves standing in the place of those who crucify the truth—Jesus—within us.

 

2.   The Lesson from Jesus’ “Silence” in Contrast to the Crowd’s Loud Shouting

 

In the midst of this enormous, frenzied noise, Jesus does not offer a single word of excuse or protest but remains silent.  This silence was not helpless submission; rather, it was the most powerful spiritual proclamation, exposing and shaming all the voices of the world.

 

①  It was the “silence of justice” that exposed the world’s injustice.

 

People tend to raise their voices when they suffer injustice or want to prove themselves.  But Jesus knew that the trial before Pilate was already a false stage filled with political collusion and evil, and therefore He did not participate in it by making excuses.  Rather, His silence was the most solemn judgment, proclaiming to the whole world the truth that “no matter how loudly you shout, injustice cannot become justice.”

 

②  It was the “silence of trust” for complete obedience.

 

Jesus’ silence fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”  Jesus trusted that even though it appeared at that moment that the voices of the crowd had won, the final victory was ultimately in God’s hands. Rather than reacting to human shouting, He quietly focused His whole being on God, drinking the cup of the cross that the Father had given Him.

 

3.   The Specific Lesson We Must Receive: “Silence That Overcomes Noise”

 

The world constantly urges us, “Raise your voice too,” “Prove that you have been wronged,” and “Take the side of the majority.”  Jesus’ silence in this passage gives us a living spiritual weapon for today.

 

Turn off the voices of people and focus on God’s voice: When the voices of the world—reputation, trends, and threats—become so loud that our hearts are shaken, we are easily tempted to compromise like Pilate or be swept away by madness like the crowd.  What we need at such times is the silence of Jesus.  We need to practice quieting the human voices of excuses and anger within us and remaining still before the courtroom of God, who defends us.

 

Become Christians who prove their faith through the way they live: In a world where there is much noise but little fruit, true strength comes from “silent obedience”—quietly living out God’s will rather than shouting about it.  Even in the face of unjust accusations or overwhelming pressure from the world, when we do not respond by shouting back but quietly love and quietly walk the way of the cross like Jesus, eventually the loud voices of the world will be put to shame and fade away (Internet).

 

(a)  Here, the sentence, “In a world where there is much noise but little fruit, true strength comes from ‘silent obedience’—quietly living out God’s will rather than shouting about it,” speaks deeply to my heart. Indeed, in this world where there is much noise but little fruit (even within the church), I long for the grace of true strength that comes from quietly living out God’s will.  For this reason, I desire to imitate Jesus and practice silent obedience. How can I put this silent obedience into practice?

 

(i)      The silence Jesus demonstrated was not simply endurance or helpless silence; it was a spiritual strength rooted in complete trust in God’s sovereignty.  I would like to share four practical spiritual guidelines for practicing this silence of obedience in our daily lives (Internet):

 

a.   Stop “my words” and fill the silence with “Jesus’ prayer” (silence of speech).

 

When the voices of people are loud, if we try to prove ourselves or relieve our sense of injustice, our own voices eventually become louder as well.

 

Practical application: When you are criticized or a conflict arises, stop the human impulse to immediately argue back or make excuses for “just three seconds.”  Then, in that space of silence, fill your heart not with anger but with the name of Jesus.

 

Pray inwardly: “Lord, You know my sense of injustice.  Keep me from sinning with my words, and help me to remain quiet and look only to You at this moment.”  Reducing the words we use to prove our own righteousness is the beginning of silent obedience.

 

b.   Turn off the channel of “other people’s evaluation” (silence of reputation).

 

Pilate gave in to the crowd’s voice, and the crowd was easily manipulated because they were all trapped by “people’s eyes and ears, and by reputation.”  In contrast, Jesus was able to remain silent because His eyes were fixed only on God’s courtroom and God’s judgment.

 

Practical application: After doing something good in the church or in the world, quiet the voice within you that expects people to notice or praise you.  Conversely, when you are unfairly misunderstood, let go of the desire to go to everyone individually to explain yourself and gather people to your side.

 

You need to practice stopping your efforts to prove that you are right and entrusting yourself completely to God’s judgment, with the confession, “It is enough that God knows.”

 

c.   Abandon “my calculations” and immediately obey the “small word” given for today (silence of action).

 

Silent obedience is not a passive state of doing nothing.  Rather, it means turning off the complicated calculations and excuses in our minds and responding to God’s Word quietly through our actions.

 

Practical application: When you hear the voices of comparison and calculation—“I am already suffering this much, so why should I endure this?” or “That person is getting through life so easily, so why do I have to struggle?”—cut off those voices.

 

Then, if there is a word God has given you for today—for example, “Love your enemies,” “Serve humbly,” or “Be honest”—live it out quietly, without announcing it or seeking recognition.  True strength is demonstrated not through loud slogans but through the silent footsteps of obedience.

 

d.   Protect your own “wilderness (Gethsemane)” time (silence of the inner life).

 

The spiritual depth that enables us to remain silent amid the noise of the world is formed during our private “one-on-one” time with God.  Jesus prayed in the early morning, before dawn, and also in the Garden of Gethsemane before the noisy trial, praying until His sweat became like drops of blood and quieting the voices within His soul.

 

Practical application: Even if it is only ten minutes a day, turn off your smartphone and spend time quietly in God’s presence, cutting yourself off from all the information and noise of the world.  Pour out before God all the worries, plans, and feelings of injustice filling your heart, emptying them before Him, and allow your inner life to become completely still through God’s peace.  Only through such a spiritual quiet time can we develop the spiritual silence that remains unshaken in the face of the world’s enormous shouting.

 

Pilate’s courtroom, where “their voices prevailed” (v. 23), may have appeared to be a temporary victory, but Pilate ultimately remained one of the most shameful names in human history.  Yet Jesus’ “silent obedience,” as He walked the road to death without making a sound, became an eternal victory that crushed Satan’s head and brought life to all humanity.

 

Even today, the Lord is seeking one faithful worshiper who, amid the noisy feast of words, quietly bears the Lord’s cross and lives out silent obedience: “But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (Hab. 2:20) (Internet).

 

(4)  Fourth and last, I would like to meditate on the passage in which Pilate released “Barabbas,” who was “the one who had been thrown into prison because of insurrection and murder” [τὸν διὰ στάσιν καὶ φόνον βεβλημένον εἰς φυλακὴν ὃν ᾐτοῦντο (ton dia stasin kai phonon beblēmenon eis phylakēn hon ētounto)] (Lk. 23:25), whom the crowd “was asking for,” and “released” him [ἀπέλυσεν (apelysen)], while Jesus “he handed over to them to do as they wished” [παρέδωκεν τῷ θελήματι αὐτῶν (paredōken tō thelēmati autōn)] (v. 25).  Here, I think that a faithful worshiper lives according to God’s will, for the glory of God, following the voice of God (His Word) heard in silence before God.  In contrast, I think that a false, unfaithful, hypocritical worshiper continually raises his voice before people and lives according to his own will for his own glory.

 

1.   The Tragedy of “Their Will”: The Hypocritical Worshiper Who Seeks His Own Glory

 

In the end, Pilate released Barabbas, whom the crowd was demanding, and handed Jesus over, declaring that he was to be subjected “to their will” [παρέδωκεν τῷ θελήματι αὐτῶν (paredōken tō thelēmati autōn)].

 

Meaning of the original language: The word translated here as “will,” θελήματι (thelēmati), is a word that is commonly used to express God’s divine will and purpose, as in the Lord’s Prayer: “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  Yet Luke uses this word here to describe the desires and will of a fallen human crowd.

 

Reflection for meditation: The religious leaders and the Jewish crowd were outwardly God’s people and worshipers who served God.  Yet they relentlessly raised “loud voices” (v. 23) before people in order to carry out their own will and their own glory, pressuring Jesus, who is God Himself.  In the end, what they achieved was not the fulfillment of God’s will, but the tragic fulfillment of “their own will.”  I come to realize that a worship and a life in which my own will prevails and my own voice wins may appear to be successful, but in reality, it is the most frightening spiritual state of judgment—a state in which Jesus is pushed out of my life.

 

2.   “Release the Murderer and Hand Over the Life-Giver”: The Reversal of Values

 

The passage describes the released Barabbas with a very lengthy and specific expression: “the one who had been thrown into prison because of insurrection and murder” [τὸν διὰ στάσιν καὶ φόνον βεβλημένον (ton dia stasin kai phonon beblēmenon)].

 

Reflection for meditation: The result of hypocritical worship is always a reversal—a distortion—of true values.  Those who worship their own will fill their lives with “Barabbas”—sin and death—which destroys the community and harms life, while handing over to the cross the Lord of life, who gives peace and salvation.

 

Even today, when we try to display our own righteousness before people and raise our voices, this scene exposes the reality that “Barabbas”—anger, jealousy, and division—can run rampant within us, while the sovereignty of Jesus Christ within us is brutally trampled underfoot.

3.   “According to the Voice of God Heard in Silence”: The Path of the Faithful Worshiper

 

In this noisy and corrupt courtroom, only one person—Jesus—showed us the true model of a faithful worshiper.

 

Reflection for meditation: Jesus did not raise His voice in order to prove Himself before people.  Instead, in the deep silence of Gethsemane, He completely surrendered Himself to the Father’s voice that He had heard there—to “God’s will,” saying, “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Lk. 22:42).

 

Because of Jesus’ silent obedience, the very place where it appeared that the evil will of human beings had triumphed became, instead, the place of salvation where God’s great will for the salvation of humanity was perfectly fulfilled.  A faithful worshiper is precisely one who follows this attitude of Jesus: in the midst of the noise of the world, he quietly listens to the voice of God speaking through His Word, and silently offers himself as a sacrifice so that God’s will may be fulfilled in his life (Internet).