What Shall I Do With This Jesus?

·33 min·3 clips

Pilate asks the crowd, 'What shall I do then with Jesus who is called the Messiah?' and they demand crucifixion.

The episode opens with a reading of Matthew 27:11-26, detailing Jesus's trial before Pilate and the crowd's demand for crucifixion. Speaker Ben introduces the central question from the passage: 'What shall I do then with Jesus who is called the Messiah?' He frames this as the most important question in scripture, transcending time and requiring personal answer. Ben explains that life is full of questions, some answered involuntarily and others voluntarily, with this question falling into the latter category. He draws parallels between Pilate's dilemma and modern listeners' struggles, noting Pilate was under stress and sought to avoid the decision. The sermon references C.S. Lewis's famous trilemma from 'Mere Christianity,' arguing Jesus cannot be merely a great moral teacher but must be accepted as God, a lunatic, or something worse. Ben outlines six aspects of the question: it is personal, demands a decision, reveals priorities, is answered by the crowd, exposes the heart, and points to the cross. He emphasizes that faith is not inherited and that each individual must answer for themselves, with no neutral ground possible. Ben warns that not choosing is still a choice and that delayed obedience can lead to permanent rejection. He analyzes Pilate's failure as a moral rather than intellectual one, driven by a desire for approval over truth. The sermon concludes that the cross was God's plan, not just the crowd's decision, and Jesus willingly sacrificed himself. Ben leads two prayers: one for recommitment and one for first-time faith, followed by communion as a response to the message.

As heard by us

A sober sermon turns Pilate's question into a direct call to personal faith and decision.

Matthew 27:11-26 is framed as a searching encounter with Pilate's question: "What shall I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" The sermon treats the question as immediate and personal, moving past inherited faith, church attendance, and good intentions toward the answer…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get Pilate's question, then have to reckon with what your own answer might cost.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from HumeRidge Church of Christ