Matthew 27:1-25 Crucify Him!

Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor....Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”....Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”....But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death....Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”  When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” [Matthew 27:1-25 NASB]

Such is the vindictiveness of the religious rulers:

1. They gathered a crowd that would do and say whatever they demanded.
2. Knowing that the Jewish Law had restrictions based on mercy, they handed Jesus over to the Romans so that He would receive a harsher punishment.
3. They chose to allow a murderer to be released instead of Jesus, in order to satisfy their religious envy.
4. The didn't just demand Jesus' death; they demanded His death by crucifixion. Had Jesus been stoned or beheaded, He would have died relatively quickly. But crucifixion was a slow, torturous death. They wanted Him to suffer for as long as possible before dying.
5. They were willing to call down a curse upon themselves and their children.

The priests and elders got what they wanted. Jesus was taken out of the way. But what cost did they pay?

Jesus threatened their position in this world. By turning Him over, they lost their position in the next world. Ultimately, they earned condemnation from God. They wanted Jesus to suffer. In return their own suffering will be much greater, and for eternity.

Even in this life their victory must have seemed hollow. Jesus' disciples continued to preach His name, and to perform miracles in His name. After His death, Jesus' name was proclaimed far and wide, far beyond the influence of these priests and leaders. Despite the eye-witness accounts, verified by the miracles the disciples performed, they refused to consider Jesus' resurrection.

We are told in Hebrews:

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [Hebrews 10:28-31 NASB]

He has told us:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head,And the LORD will reward you. [Proverbs 25:21-22 NASB]

If we seek revenge, we may succeed in our vengeance, but we will have failed in life.

Just like the priests and elders, vindictiveness against another will bring a curse upon yourself. Do you feel wronged? Then let yourself be wronged. Forgive the wrong-doer. In the end, God will sort it all out, and God's justice - or God's mercy - will be served.