March 20- Going Along With the Crowd

Numbers 18

Psalm 35:22-28

Proverbs 8:22-24

Mark 15:1-20

“Then, willing to gratify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.” Mark 15:15

Verse 10 tells us that Pilate knew Jesus was not guilty of any crime and that the only reason the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him was because they were jealous. He tried several times to get them to change their mind, but in the end he refused to stand up and do what was right. He went along with the crowd. It is difficult to do the right thing when everyone around you is doing something else. It becomes even more difficult when they begin to mock you and ridicule you for standing up for what you believe. We find a perfect example of a man who stood up for what he believed in the face of much opposition in the life of Daniel. Throughout his lifetime there are instances in which it would have been much easier and even understandable to go along with the crowd, but Daniel stood firm. When he was first brought to Babylon, he refused to eat the choice food and wine of the king that went against the dietary restrictions God had placed over the Jews. God blessed him and he was healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who had eaten the king’s food. When the king issued a decree that everyone must bow down and worship him only. Daniel refused to obey and continued praying every day to God and worshipping Him alone. He was thrown into the lion’s den and God brought him out completely unharmed. In the book of Daniel we also see the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to bow down and worship anyone but God. They were thrown into the fiery furnace and came out without even smelling like smoke. In each of these instances they faced the ridicule and mocking of the crowd, but they also faced the very real possibility of death. Yet they remained faithful. They did not bow to peer pressure. Are you willing to gratify the crowd or will you remain faithful and do the right thing even when it is difficult? Will you do the right thing even if you are alone?