I want to invite you to reflect with me on a brief passage, little noticed by many, but deeply revealing of human nature. It is in Mark 15:15:

“So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.”

A decision marked by pressure

Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea, the Roman representative in Jerusalem. After an unjust religious trial conducted by the Sanhedrin, Jewish leaders handed Jesus over to him. They did this because they wanted the execution to take place at the hands of Rome, thereby exempting themselves from responsibility.

In this scenario, they incited the crowd and created a pressured environment. Pilate, in turn, knew that Jesus was innocent. There was no evidence, no crime, no legal basis for conviction. Still, he made a fatal decision.

The choice to please the majority

Instead of acting with justice, Pilate chose to please the crowd. Attached to his position and fearing that a riot would reach the ears of Rome, he first thought of preserving himself. In other words, Jesus was on the cross instead of him.

Thus, the desire for self-preservation was united with the need to be well-seen. It was exactly this human impulse that made room for one of the greatest injustices in history.

Pilate is us

It’s easy to judge Pilate. However, he represents the human being in its most basic form. Since the time of the Tower of Babel, man has sought recognition, exaltation, and a name for themselves. The centuries have passed, but that has not changed.

Today, there is not a single Tower of Babel—there are many. They appear in the tallest buildings, on stages, in stadiums, and, above all, on social media. There is always a crowd waiting to be pleased and someone wanting an audience.

And this is not limited to celebrities. Just change the scale. Maybe you don’t have millions of followers, but you want to be the popular one in the group, the admired one, the recognised one. Thus, the human being stumbles on their own vanity.

The antidote against vanity

So, what to do? First, recognise that within us there is an ego that wants attention, applause, and glory—and this is a real danger. Second, act like John the Baptist, who said: “It matters that He grows and that I diminish.” (John 3:30)

Even though Jesus was considered the greatest of the prophets, John did not take the glory for himself. On the contrary, he pointed to Christ and rejoiced in diminishing himself.

A final alert

The human being has no structure to receive glory.

It doesn’t divide itself.

It belongs only to God. Therefore, be careful with decisions made only to please the majority.

Otherwise, without realising it, you may end up doing exactly what Pilate did.

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