Pushed into mistakes

The worst mistakes are when you let other people talk you into doing something wrong. In this week's Gospel (Matthew 27:11-54), Pilate makes one of those mistakes -- and Jesus dies because of it.

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. Those who were watching said, "This man was the son of God."

Pliate must have felt like that. He knew Jesus hadn't done anything He should be killed for. Pilate even tried to tell everyone, but they pushed him to let them kill Jesus.

Even when someone tries to get you to do something wrong, it's usually your choice to say yes or no. If you say yes, the kids might think you're cool for a while, but you'll also take the chance of getting in trouble.

That's what happened to Pilate. He was governor and could do anything he wanted, but he decided to kill Jesus, even though he knew it was wrong. The people who hated Jesus cheered for a while -- but when Jesus died, everyone realized Jesus was really God.

Then they learned what you already know: Other people can try to talk you into anything, but once you listen to them, you're the one making the mistake. Don't be like Pilate -- do what you want to do!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me make my own decisions and be my own kid! Amen.