John 18:28-40
John 18:28-40
Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go in themselves because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover feast. 29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, "What is your charge against this man?"
30 "We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!" they retorted.
31 "Then take him away and judge him by your own laws," Pilate told them.
"Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone," the Jewish leaders replied. 32 This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.
33 Then Pilate went back inside and called for Jesus to be brought to him. "Are you the King of the Jews?" he asked him.
34 Jesus replied, "Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?"
35 "Am I a Jew?" Pilate asked. "Your own people and their leading priests brought you here. Why? What have you done?"
36 Then Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."
37 Pilate replied, "You are a king then?"
"You say that I am a king, and you are right," Jesus said. "I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true."
38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, "He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I’ll release the King of the Jews."
40 But they shouted back, "No! Not this man, but Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a criminal.)
Pilate is such an interesting character. He was the Roman governor of all of Samaria and Judea——including the city of Jerusalem. He was a ruthless politician who was very much disliked by the Jews. Yet, because of the fear of and hate for Jesus—-the Jewish religious leaders were willing to take one of their own people and have Jesus crucified by the despised Roman government.
Now, what is interesting is how Jesus impresses Pilate and then how Pilate responds to Jesus. Within John and the other gospels, Pilate made five decisions on Jesus’ behalf. First, he tried to put the responsibility back on The Jews. (John 18:31) Second, he sent him to another politician named Herod———but Herod refused to decide on Jesus fate and sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12). Third, he tried to have Jesus released as it was a custom for him to release one prisoner to the Jews (18:39). Fourth, he tried to have Jesus flogged rather than having him handed over to die (19:1-3). And fifth, he tried to appeal to the Jews that Jesus was "their King" (John 19:15).
Devotional by Chris Bunch
Pilate had to decide what to do with Jesus. And the reality is: everyone has to decide what to do with Jesus. Whatever desire Pilate had to free Jesus, when it came right down to it, when it came to the decision of appeasing the crowd or following justice——he gave into the crowd. Pilate gave into the interest of others rather than the interest of Jesus. He allowed his self-interest to be stronger than his sense of justice.
So, the question for you today is this: What will you do with Jesus today? When you see injustice at work or at the grocery store———-will you intervene or walk away? When the choice is between selfishness or selflessness———what will you choose? The reality is there is a little bit of Pilate in all of us. Most of us want to make a stand for Jesus, but often we coward away when we might lose something or feel uncomfortable or have to take a risk. Today, this is what the Lord requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
PRAYER
God, help me today to live a life that pleases you. Help me to decide to make every decision today based on living like Jesus. Give me the strength to take a stand in the midst of injustice and show your love regardless of the cost. I pray in Jesus name. Amen
Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go in themselves because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover feast. 29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, "What is your charge against this man?"
30 "We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!" they retorted.
31 "Then take him away and judge him by your own laws," Pilate told them.
"Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone," the Jewish leaders replied. 32 This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.
33 Then Pilate went back inside and called for Jesus to be brought to him. "Are you the King of the Jews?" he asked him.
34 Jesus replied, "Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?"
35 "Am I a Jew?" Pilate asked. "Your own people and their leading priests brought you here. Why? What have you done?"
36 Then Jesus answered, "I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."
37 Pilate replied, "You are a king then?"
"You say that I am a king, and you are right," Jesus said. "I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true."
38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, "He is not guilty of any crime. 39 But you have a custom of asking me to release someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I’ll release the King of the Jews."
40 But they shouted back, "No! Not this man, but Barabbas!" (Barabbas was a criminal.)
Pilate is such an interesting character. He was the Roman governor of all of Samaria and Judea——including the city of Jerusalem. He was a ruthless politician who was very much disliked by the Jews. Yet, because of the fear of and hate for Jesus—-the Jewish religious leaders were willing to take one of their own people and have Jesus crucified by the despised Roman government.
Now, what is interesting is how Jesus impresses Pilate and then how Pilate responds to Jesus. Within John and the other gospels, Pilate made five decisions on Jesus’ behalf. First, he tried to put the responsibility back on The Jews. (John 18:31) Second, he sent him to another politician named Herod———but Herod refused to decide on Jesus fate and sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12). Third, he tried to have Jesus released as it was a custom for him to release one prisoner to the Jews (18:39). Fourth, he tried to have Jesus flogged rather than having him handed over to die (19:1-3). And fifth, he tried to appeal to the Jews that Jesus was "their King" (John 19:15).
Devotional by Chris Bunch
Pilate had to decide what to do with Jesus. And the reality is: everyone has to decide what to do with Jesus. Whatever desire Pilate had to free Jesus, when it came right down to it, when it came to the decision of appeasing the crowd or following justice——he gave into the crowd. Pilate gave into the interest of others rather than the interest of Jesus. He allowed his self-interest to be stronger than his sense of justice.
So, the question for you today is this: What will you do with Jesus today? When you see injustice at work or at the grocery store———-will you intervene or walk away? When the choice is between selfishness or selflessness———what will you choose? The reality is there is a little bit of Pilate in all of us. Most of us want to make a stand for Jesus, but often we coward away when we might lose something or feel uncomfortable or have to take a risk. Today, this is what the Lord requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
PRAYER
God, help me today to live a life that pleases you. Help me to decide to make every decision today based on living like Jesus. Give me the strength to take a stand in the midst of injustice and show your love regardless of the cost. I pray in Jesus name. Amen
posted by Mikey | 10:25 AM
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