And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. Matt. 27:11.

As fair as our relationship to Christ is concerned, there is no middle ground. The answer is either an emphatic Yes or an emphatic: No. With Pilate the issue arose when he asked of Jesus, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" One thing became clear to Pilate: Jesus was innocent. As he saw the moral and spiritual stature of Jesus, Pilate knew that the only right thing to do was to acquit Him; that is, providing it could be done with no inconvenience and no undesirable consequences to himself. He was convicted as to the claim of Jesus and became profoundly disturbed. He tried to wash his mind by washing his hands. In the end he surrendered his privilege of speaking in defense of what he knew to be right and just.

The choice of Jesus Christ is not a preference, Christ or Barabbas. Do you prefer to become a Christian or not? In a way, that is a foolish question. It is like asking, Do I wish to cheat? Do I wish to lie? Do I wish to betray my family or not? Do I wish to be honest or not? This is not asking the right questions at all.

The claim of Christ is an either/or decision. When the rich young ruler came to Christ he did not contemplate making any radical changes. Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by night, conceded he was willing to accept Jesus as a great teacher. He did riot contemplate making a revolutionary change when Christ. said, "Nicodemus, you must be born again." That was the cane thing he was not prepared for.

There are few things in Christian experience more self-defeating than sitting on the fence. Jesus declared: "A man's foes shall be they of his own household" (Matt. 10:36). He was riot talking about Christian homes, but about the unavoidable choice that confronts us sometimes.

It is easy to choose Barabbas when that is what the crowd wants. Often it is costly to choose Christ. Jesus Christ troubled the world back in the first century. He still does. He places before us one great and ultimate alternative: I will or I will not have this Man to rule over me.