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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me stop when I'm feeling peer pressure and make my own decision. Amen!

Jesus was arrested and brought to Pilate, the governor, but Pilate saw that Jesus had done nothing wrong. He wanted to let Jesus go, but those who hated Jesus said, "No! Let someone else go!" So Pilate ruled that Jesus would be killed. The crowd took Jesus away and crucified Him. Later that day, He died, and the whole earth shook. The people watching said, "This man was the son of God."

Peer pressure is a fact of life for a lot of kids. Even if you don't feel pressured in a negative way, you might follow fads like Rainbow Looms or feel guilty for not selling tons of candy bars like the kids at school who win prizes for fundraising.

Peer pressure has been around for a long time, and it doesn't just affect kids. This week's Gospel (Matthew 27:11-54) shows how peer pressure played a part in Jesus' death.

Pontius Pilate questioned Jesus when people brought Jesus to him, and he couldn't figure out what the problem was. He didn't see that Jesus had done anything. But the people wouldn't let it go.

Pilate had Jesus whipped, thinking the crowd would accept that as enough punishment, but they didn't. Pilate finally gave in and ordered that Jesus be crucified.

Having learned about peer pressure at school, you might be sure you wouldn't give in to pressure to do something wrong - especially once you're an adult. But Pilate gave in to that pressure. Sometimes, being pushed hard enough makes even adults do things they know are wrong.

Once you've given in to negative peer pressure, you can't take it back. You can apologize, but what's done is done.

The next time you're following a fad, ask yourself if it's what you really want. Small pressures can become big - and, like Pilate and the people who crucified Jesus, you don't want to end up saying, "This was very, very wrong." [[In-content Ad]]

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