"What Shall I Do with Jesus?"

Pilate was at his own personal crossroads. He had to make a decision. He was the sixth Roman Procurator of Judea and within his realm of authority was the power to release one prisoner to the Jews. Who would it be? Would he release Barabbas, a known criminal (Mt. 27:16)? Or would he release Jesus, the one who claimed to be King of the Jews (John 18:36,37)? He knew Jesus was innocent, that he had done no wrong (Jn. 18:38). His wife warned him not to do anything to Him, for she had suffered many things in a dream concerning the Lord (Mt. 27:19). Pilate wanted to please the Jews, but yet he desperately wanted to release Jesus (Lk. 23:20). What was he to do? He tried to wash his hands of the situation (Mt. 27:24). He tried to pass the buck, yet, when it was all said and done, he was just as guilty as the multitude who yelled "Crucify Him!" At one point during Pilate’s quandary, he asked a most penetrating question, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate supplied his own answer to the question by turning Jesus over to the Jews to be crucified (Mk. 15:15).

All of us face the same monumental decision in life. We must make a decision about what it is that we do with Jesus. We have only two choices. We can choose to serve him all the days of our lives (Lk. 9:23), or we can reject him (John 1:11). Jesus makes it clear that there is no middle ground (Mt. 12:30). We can refuse to make a decision to serve him, but by doing so, we, like Pilate, become guilty of making a decision against him.

The question we must consider is this, "Why not accept Him?" He promises us that if we serve Him, we can enjoy the greatest life now (Jn. 10:10) as well as everlasting life to come (Jn. 3:16). He gives purpose for living (Mt. 5:16). He provides constant companionship (Heb. 13:5,6). He provides a relationship with the Heavenly Father (Jn. 14:6; Heb. 7:22ff). He provides all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3). He knows our deepest needs and he provides us with the greatest example to follow (Mt. 6:19-34; 1 Jn. 2:6). So each one of us must ask, "What then shall I do with Jesus?" Let us choose to live for Him (Phil. 1:21).