Envy in Action

At the festival it was Pilate's custom to release for the people a prisoner they requested. There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. So Pilate answered them, "Do you want me to release the King of the Jews for you?" For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed Him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. Mark 15:6-11

The crowd wanted something from Pilate, I wonder if they even thought about who they would ask for. The chief priests were quick to use the request to cement Jesus' fate. Pilate wanted to release Jesus but the chief priests wanted Him gone.

Isn't envy ugly and so patently obvious to everyone but the ones who are trapped by it. Pilate could see the envy, they couldn't or wouldn't.

The chief priests stirred up the crowd to do its bidding. They were responsible for these sheep but instead they used the sheep's foolishness to their advantage. This was a habit they had long practised, nothing was about to change.

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