March 5, 2020
God Pleasers
Luke 23:1-25
Julie Tredennick
Central Truth
By always trying to please people, we lose sight of our true calling and miss out on God's blessings of contentment, freedom, and peace. Our ultimate goal each day should be to please God and to bring Him honor and glory.
Key Verse | Luke 23:23-24
But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted.
Luke 23:1-25
Jesus Before Pilate
1 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”
Jesus Before Herod
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.
13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore punish and release him.” 1 23:16 Here, or after verse 19, some manuscripts add verse 17: Now he was obliged to release one man to them at the festival
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.
Footnotes
[1] 23:16 Here, or after verse 19, some manuscripts add verse 17: Now he was obliged to release one man to them at the festivalDive Deeper | Luke 23:1-25
When my son Luke was a baby, I would often put him in a bouncy swing that attached to our ceiling so I could get a few things done. One time he bounced so high that he ricocheted off one wall and hit the other wall and then back to the original wall. His eyes got huge, and I burst out laughing at my little human pinball machine. As soon as he saw me laughing, what do you think he did next? He ricocheted off the walls about 100 more times!
We are born with a desire to make others happy, to please people. God calls us to love others; so wanting to please them is actually a great thing! But it becomes a problem when we want to please others more than we want to please God. It's a problem when we tell them what they want to hear and become who they want us to be, even when it opposes God's Word and will.
Pilate was a people pleaser. Three different times in this story, we are told that Pilate found Jesus innocent of the crimes he was being accused of. But the people's voices got louder, and he stopped listening to his inner voice and what he knew to be true. He was afraid of rejection by the people resulting in a riot and failure as a governor. So he gave the people what they wanted and granted their demand. Unfortunately, this sounds too familiar. I, too, can be a lot like Pilate. I, too, can fear rejection and base my worth on people’s opinions rather than on who God says I am.
God gave us a hole in our hearts that longs for acceptance and love. He is the only One who is the right shape to fill that hole. Take a moment to think about how you can put Jesus first today, above people and all their demands. And trust that when you give up some time for Him, He will meet you and satisfy your every need. Let Him shape you into whom He meant you to be.
Discussion Questions
1. Our ultimate daily goal should be to please God and bring Him glory. Do your calendar and to-do list reflect this?
2. Check your heart motives for the way you treat people. Are you loving and serving others to make God more famous or to make yourself more famous?
3. What Scripture can you memorize to prepare for being tempted to please man over God?
4. What does God say about people pleasing? See Galatians 1:10; Proverbs 29:25; James 4:4; John 12:43; and Ephesians 6:5-7.