Pilate tried to release [Jesus]; but the Jews cried out, “If you release him, you are not a friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your king!” They cried out, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.

With an insight much deeper than his age suggested, Trevor McKinney says at the end of the movie "Pay It Forward": "It’s hard for some people who are so used to things the way they are; they don’t like to change, and they kind of give up. When they do, everybody kinda loses." In life, when people give up, everybody loses. All hope is taken away, and there is no chance to make life any better than it is.

What would have happened in our lives if people had given up when things were not going well? Where would the world be without people like Louis Pasteur, Thomas Edison, or Abraham Lincoln. And, on the contrary, what would our lives have been like if people had not given up when they did.

Consider the person of Pontius Pilate. It seems that in John’s Gospel, Pilate gradually came to the clear understanding that Jesus was someone quite special, maybe even the Son of God. If Pilate had not given up, if he had stood his ground, what good could have been accomplished, what evil could have been avoided? But he did give up, and his name has been forever associated with arguably the greatest crime ever committed.

In general, we are not a patient people. We tend to lose interest when things do not work out quickly. We do not want to put in the time, for example, that it takes to learn an art; we do not like the amount of energy it takes to become educated; we want the end without taking the time for the means. One of the lessons of maturity is that giving up on a worthwhile undertaking is not good for us. Indeed, the lesson that Trevor McKinney teaches us is that giving up on a fulfilled life can only lead to missed opportunity. Eventual greatness is only the gift of daily effort.                       

THOUGHT
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son endured enormous suffering so that he might bring life to us. Involved in that suffering were people who could have done so much, but did not. Help us recognize what we must do to better our lives and to better the lives of others. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America