People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: “Aha! You were going to tear down the temple and build it up in three days! Now come down from the cross and save yourself.
Mark 15: 29-30 (TEV)
Scripture: Mark 15: 22-32
More and more, believers are pressured to conform to the worldview. Peer pressure isn’t something new. This devotion looks at the pressure Jesus suffered while on the cross.
Imagine the scene. The betrayal. The arrest. The trial. No, on second thought, don’t image it. It is too sad. Jesus was guilt-free.
Imagine Jesus dragging His cross through the streets. Imagine the sound of the hammer striking the spikes, the agony. No, on second thought, don’t. It’s too gruesome.
Imagine Jesus hanging on the tree. The pain. The loss of breath. The mental agony of knowing the end of His human life was near.
I always shake my head at Mark’s 15: 19. It says people were passing by. What? They were all in a line parading by so they could say they saw Jesus on the cross?
But some didn’t stop at that. They hurled taunts at our Savior.
Pressure From the Crowd
What did the onlookers say? “Save yourself.” “Come down from there.” “You said you could save yourself.”
What were they really saying? “Prove that You are the Messiah.” “We have to see Him come down to believe.”
Even one of the criminals crucified with Jesus added his two cents worth. “… Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Lk. 23: 39 TEV). The thief was in for the duration. He knew Jesus was his only way out.
But Jesus was in for the duration, also — even with all the abuse being hurled at him. He was going to work the plan.
Jesus knew if He gave in to the challenge of the crowd, the plan of salvation would not be realized. If He had come down from the cross, He wouldn’t have died — we would, spiritually.
What Does This Mean?
Jesus taught us by example how to withstand peer pressure. It had to have been hard for Him hanging on the cross, listening to everyone biting on Him, knowing He did have the power to come down.
The crowd wanted Jesus to believe what they believed — that He was not the Messiah, that He was not the Son of God.
Yes, they wanted Jesus to perform a miracle but not for validation of Who He was. Yes, they might have been amazed if He came down off the cross, but then He wouldn’t be doing the will of the Father.
But Jesus hung on that cross for what He believed in. He knew His cause was worth whatever abuse He received.
How Can We Apply This?
We also get abuse hurled at us. For the younger generation, we think of peers giving us grief because we don’t dress in the outlandish costumes they do, have a nose ring, and sport a creative haircut and color.
But we can also experience peer pressure as adults. We still hear it from friends and coworkers when we say “no” to allowing drugs and alcohol rule our lives. (Have you ever felt pressured to go for a drink after work? Or to one of the many parties a coworker hosts?)
Then our coworkers can’t understand our code of ethics. They don’t understand when we won’t blur the lines to succeed. Climbing the corporate ladder has long been associated with climbing it on the backs of others. They ridicule us when we won’t perform that way.
God knew that we would undergo pressure to accept the worldview. Romans 12: 2 says, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God” (HCSB).
“Renewing of your mind” might be a confusing concept for some. What does that really mean?
Let’s look at that verse in a different version. “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God — what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect” (Rom. 12: 2 GNT).
We change our minds. But I think it is more than that. We change our focus. So, how do we do that?
We have to reaffirm what our values and beliefs are. We have to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong — and we stick to that.
Sometimes, we have to have the inner strength to walk away. Walking away can be scary and painful. Starting a new chapter in our lives can be formidable with all of its unknowns and unfamiliars. Walking away from a long-term friend can be heartbreaking.
We also have to walk away from situations that make us uncomfortable or that put us in the position of being pressured. We know once we do something, it is easier to do it again the next time. We just have to remember that works for the positive as well as the negative.
Most times, we have to have the confidence we are making the right decisions. If we continue to question whether we have made the right decisions, it will be easier to convince ourselves we haven’t when we have.
It is easier when we have someone to support us. That is why God intended us to be a part of a fellowship of believers. Find someone to mentor you or a prayer partner.
When we do buckle under the peer pressure, it seems we do so because we just want to fit in and be accepted. (And we will buckle).
It is really hard to tune out those that are pressuring us. We have to ask ourselves whether we ultimately want to be accepted by the world or by God. We have to use the times we buckle as learning experiences. (Remember, God grows us through the trials.)
To read We’re Going to Have Trials, click the button below.
We can withstand peer pressure. We just have to keep our focus on God. All we have to do is pray and tap into His resources.
Loving Father. In our mind’s eye, we see Jesus on the cross, hanging there in sheer physical agony. We see Him silently withstanding all the abuse hurled at Him. The old nursery rhyme does not tell it like it is. Sticks and stones may break our bones, and words can cut us to the core. It must have cut Jesus, there on the cross, to hear everyone saying “save yourself” — when that was exactly what He was doing. He did it for our sake. Help us, Lord, when we get abuse hurled at us for Your sake. Remind us of the example Jesus was to give us strength to stand up for what we believe in — You. Amen.
What do you think? What strategies to you use most often to withstand peer pressure? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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