Surrendered Jesus
"He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will." — Luke 23:25 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, As Pilate relented to the insistent shouts of the blood-thirsty crowd, he released Barabbas from prison and "surrendered Jesus to their will." He gave Jesus to the people to be led away and be crucified. The word Luke uses is paradidomi, meaning "to surrender, to yield up, to deliver up, to give over." It appears that You were being surrendered—delivered up, given over—to the crowd and to their will. But in actuality, You were surrendered to the Father's will, choosing to give Yourself over to Him. Oh, how often we humans want You to surrender to our will! We want You to perform as we determine. We want You to do what we desire. We want You, Lord of the Universe, to yield to our will. Pilate's actions, releasing a prisoner and condemning an innocent m...