This was the moment of decision. Not for Pilate. He had already made up his mind. This was the moment of decision for the leaders standing before Jesus.
"We have no king but Caesar." The decision was made. We have no king but the bottom line - profit, prestige, protecting our interests, financial gain, security in this world's terms, reputation ...
This is the decision that people of all ages have to make. We stand before Jesus and decided: Shall we follow him or someone/something else?
Earlier in John's Gospel, when Jesus spoke of himself as the bread of life, some of his disciples found this difficult to swallow: "As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him."
Jesus turned to the Twelve and said, "Do you also want to leave?"
It isn't a matter of liking Jesus. Of course you do. It's a matter of following him.
This is the decision for which you cannot shift responsibility to others. It is yours to make, and only you can make it.
Admirer? Or disciple?
- Little Black Book, Diocese of Saginaw