Pilate asked them, “What should I do then with Jesus who is called Messiah?”

They all answered, “Crucify Him!”

Then he said, “Why? What has He done wrong?”

But they kept shouting, “Crucify Him!”  all the more.  Matthew 27:22-23

In our scripture passage today, the same crowds that hailed Jesus, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” just a few days later shouted, “Crucify Him!”  We are told in Luke chapter 19, verses 36-38 that as he was going along, they were spreading their robes on the road, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for the miracles they had seen:  saying, “The King who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!”  This crowd was in an uproar over Jesus entry into Jerusalem.  But just a short time later the crowd was shouting for Pilate to sentence Jesus to death and allow a notorious criminal with a rap sheet as long as your arm to go free.  It just doesn’t make any sense does it?  Oh, but wait.  Isn’t that just what we do?

We can go to church on Sunday and be so sweet and praise the Lord and then on Monday be cussing up a blue streak against someone.  We can have hatred in our hearts.  So which crowd are you in?  Does it depend on whether you are having a good day or a bad day?

Our emotions can get us into trouble.  Charles Stanley once did a sermon about being hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.  He said that these are times that are most dangerous for us.  If we are not careful the devil can creep in and take over if we allow our emotions to get the best of us.  It is easy to get swept up in the crowd and become a follower if we don’t guard ourselves.  It is all too easy to be led by our emotions.  If we don’t keep our focus on Jesus and who He is and what He offers to us, we can easily be led astray.

Now some of you may be reading this and Monday morning quarterbacking by saying, “well, I would never want to crucify Jesus.”  Well, you already have.  You see Romans 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Our sin is what nailed Jesus to that cross, not their sin, our sin-yours and mind. When we continue to sin we crucify Him all over again.  When we have that sin that we just can’t let go of, we may as well be in the crowd yelling to “Crucify Him!”

So today, I am asking you crucify your sinful nature and release Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life. Release Him to give you all the love, mercy, and grace that He has for you.  God never forces Himself on us, we have to come to Him.  We have to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  We have to ask Him to come into our hearts.  When we do all of this and then fail to live the way we are called to live, we crucify Him all over again.  So let your old sinful self die today and bury it.  Let the new creature rise up and live for Christ.

My prayer for you today is that you begin each and every day by asking God to strengthen you against the devil.  Read Ephesians 6 and suit up with the armor that God provides.  Trust in Him for protection.  Learn to not focus on what you feel but on what God did for you.  Learn to trust in Him in all things and not to trust in your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Get off of the emotional roller coaster and enjoy the peace and joy that only a life lived with Jesus in your heart can provide.

Have a great day!