Mark 15:15 “Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.”

I grew up hearing the gospel often. But one Easter, I remember walking into church, singing the songs, hearing the verses read, and feeling nothing. I used to be the girl sobbing in church when the pastor explained the gospel, feeling the spirit during worship. But then without even realizing it, the “good news” suddenly felt like “old news.” I could go through the motions of Easter and never take more than 5 minutes to thank God. 

Not only that, but sin had become more common for me. Overlooking the gospel caused me to overlook peace, conviction, and joy. My selfish living was causing me restlessness.

Maybe this is you right now. With Easter approaching many of us can acknowledge we have heard the gospel many times. Most of us have heard that there was a Son of God who was sent as a servant, and although flawless, took on the punishment we deserved. Because He was a perfect sacrifice and He suffered a death on the cross, we finally were forgiven. Three days later, the tomb He was buried in was empty. He defeated death and resurrected from the grave. Now, we have the opportunity to believe in His resurrection. If we believe, we get to go to Heaven for eternity.

Maybe you have never heard this before, and if this is the case, I invite you to read the gospel. I invite you to accept Christ as your Savior, and decide to follow Him.

This message changed my life. However, without even noticing it, in the midst of a busy life, errands, and daily duties at work or school… I became numb to the gospel. Suddenly, hearing the gospel and believing it became something I tried to put on my to-do list, but easily skipped over. Maybe, that’s how you feel. Therefore, your actions right now reflect how mine once were. They reflect a “kinda know the story” kind of person. When temptation is too strong, you give in. When the world is loud, you listen to them over your Savior. 

When I felt this way toward the gospel, I remember reading Matthew 27 and realizing I related to Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate was the governor who ended up making the official order for Jesus to be crucified. I get it, I am not exactly like Pilate. I am not the governor of anything and I’m pretty sure I am only in charge of bringing the mac-and-cheese to the Easter brunch (which is a big duty I like to believe).  But I have denied Him publicly like He did and listened to the crowd over my heart. Pilate was the one who made the offical order for Jesus to be crucified, not because he thought Jesus was bad or deserved this punishment. He made this order because the crowd wanted Jesus dead. 

Oftentimes after hearing the gospel over and over, we know Jesus is a good guy, but we listen to the crowd instead of standing by our Savior. We want to satisfy the crowd more than we want to live like our Savior. We often think, “I know the story. I know Jesus was perfect. But it isn’t always convenient to stand by Him.” 

See, when we feel numb to the cross it is because we are distracted. When we are numb to the cross, we are denying Jesus as our Savior and listening to the crowd. We may not have a crowd around us yelling at us to crucify Jesus… But each day we reside in a world that yells lies about our Savior and about our identity. And without even realizing it, we began to get distracted from the cross and believe these lies. 

We have to remind ourselves that Jesus isn’t just a “good guy,” He is a Savior who is worthy of all praise and attention. Even in the busyness of our lives we must tend to our relationship with Jesus. It is not enough for us to just know He is a good guy. We need a relationship with Jesus, a consistent prayer life with Him, and to read His word… we need more than just an acknowledgment that He is good.

So if you feel restless and like the gospel has become “old news”… stop what you are doing. Talk to Jesus honestly. Pray for conviction and for a heart that doesn’t get distracted by the crowd. Add in prayer time, worship, and even a walk with a faithful friend so you can be pointed to Jesus, even when the crowd is loud. 

Dear God, 

Remind me this Easter to not let myself become numb to the gospel. I pray you soften my heart and allow me to remember all you have done for me and all you continue to do. Help me to remember your power this Easter. Amen.