Pilate found no fault in Jesus, but because of his fear of man he handed Jesus over to be crucified! The text even says that he was suspicious that Jesus actually was who he claimed to be and that he was afraid even of Jesus. Yet his fear of others caused him to act according to their desires.
Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, acted primarily out of fear of man. It says, he kept his loyalty to Jesus a secret because he "feared the Jews". He was unwilling to go public with his faith because he didn't want it to effect his status before his countrymen.
Fear of man causes us to do many things! Generally it encourages us to disobey God. Jesus taught us to fear God and to live according to His commands. It is a difficult challenge, but it is worth it.
Live in the fear of God…not man.
a double life does not result in having more life.
ReplyDeleteit results in having less.