Mark in "one sitting" - What Crime Has He Committed

One last thought from my "one sitting" reading.

When Pilate was asking the crowd what to do with Jesus, they shouted, "Crucify him!" To which Pilate responded "Why? What crime has he committed?" (Mark 15:14)

Celebrating (lifting up) Christ responds to all the problems of this world. Why do we fear speaking of Jesus Christ in our increasingly diverse religious marketplace as if the truth of Jesus would be offensive?

I want to be bold not for my glory but for the glory of God. I want to be bold not for my comfort but for the peace available to every person who lives in fear or who questions the purpose of living. When I step out to share who Jesus Christ is to me there will be some who argue. They can disagree with my perspective but when they take offense to Jesus, I want to be bold enough to ask "Why? What crime has he committed against you?"

The image of Christ during his "trial" is of one who does not attempt to argue, persuade, or sell an idea to anyone. There are some who are searching for truth and others who just want to stir up trouble. Jesus responds to sincere questions with truth in very few words and allows the other person to accept it or reject it. 

That certainly goes against the norms of our image saturated culture. Wouldn't it be nice if businesses gave us the simple truth and then allowed us to accept or reject their product or service instead of trying to persuade us with flashy ads repeated over and over?

Now, the challenge is on you. Go read through the Gospel of Mark in "one sitting." Notice the flow of the life of Jesus. You might be surprised at what you find. 

Visit www.VineyardColumbus.org to hear Rich Nathan's sermon from May 2/3, 2009, 

titled "How Do We Respond To So Much Religious Diversity?" 

(online sermons usually posted by Thursday).