Tag Archives: Pilate

Who Did It?

Bible Study, , ,

WHO DID IT?

“From out of David’s descendants God produced a Saviour for Israel, Jesus, exactly as He promised — but only after John had thoroughly alerted the people to His arrival by preparing them for a life-change. As John was finishing up his work, he said, ‘Did you think I was the One? No. I’m not the One. But the One you’ve been waiting for all these years is just around the corner, about to appear. And I’m about to disappear.'” Acts 13:23-25 (The message).

Jesus was no self-proclaimed Messiah, making extravagant but unfounded claims for Himself. His coming was not only prophesied from the beginning (Genesis 3:15) but, in true royal fashion, His arrival was heralded by His forerunner, John, who come in the spirit and power of Elijah.

As a human being, Jesus was a descendant of the royal line of David, rightfully the king of Israel, but more than that, He was the Son of God, coming to reclaim His place as God in the hearts of His people. He was not an intrusion into the lives of people who were already worshipping God. He was the representative of the Father, the face of the One they had never seen, sent from the Father to reveal His true nature and to call them back to pure worship, uncluttered by the rules and ritual that had clouded their understanding of Him.

“‘Dear brothers and sisters, children of Abraham and friends of God, this message of salvation had been precisely targeted to you. The citizens and rulers in Jerusalem didn’t recognise who He was and condemned Him to death. They couldn’t find a good reason, but demanded that Pilate execute Him anyway. They did just what the prophets said they would do, but had no idea they were following to the letter the script of the prophets, even though these same prophets are read every Sabbath in their meeting places.'” Acts 13:26-29 (The Message).

Jesus came both to reveal the Father and to reconcile His people to the Father. The sacrifices which they offered to God were only a visual aid of the true sacrifice that Messiah would become to do away with sin once-for-all and to dispense with everything that stood in the way of their free access to Him.

So who was really responsible for the death of Jesus? The Father who planned it? The Jews who condemned Him to death and handed Him over to Pilate? Herod who played with Him and sent Him back to Pilate? Pilate who passed sentence and handed him over to the soldiers? The soldiers who nailed Him to the cross? Or all of us whose sin demanded the penalty of death which He was willing to pay for us?

Everyone was implicated in the chain of events which Paul declared was God’s way of bringing salvation to the world. And, just to make sure that no one missed the point; God put it in writing through His prophets long before it ever happened. He made sure that all the evidence was in His data base so that anyone who has the will to, can compare the finger prints of Jesus with the finger prints of Messiah on the data base of Scripture and come up with a perfect match!

Only those who have no interest or desire for reconciliation with the Father and the all the blessings and privileges of the sons of God would be foolish enough to ignore God’s offer of a free pardon and reinstatement into His family as His son or daughter.

The Battle Is On!

Christian Life, , ,

THE BATTLE IS ON!

“Then Pilate called in the high priests, rulers and the others and said, ‘You brought this man to me as a disturber of the peace. I examined him in front of all of you and found there was nothing in your charge. And neither did Herod, for he has sent Him back here with a clean bill of health. It’s clear He’s done nothing wrong, let alone anything deserving of death. I’m going to warn Him to watch His step and let Him go.’

“At that the crowd went wild: ‘Kill Him! Give us Barabbas!’ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for starting a riot in the city and for murder).” Luke 23:13-19 (The Message).

Pilate’s true colours begin to show in this exchange with the Jewish religious hierarchy. Their resolve to kill Jesus was pitted against his resolve to set Him free. Into the mix came Pilate’s fear of a riot in Jerusalem and underneath that, his fear for his own skin.

His first step towards defeat was his attempt to negotiate with Jesus’ accusers. He was the highest Roman authority in Jerusalem and he had the last word. Why did he try to enter into an agreement with them? He could have simply given them his verdict, released Jesus and that would have been that. But he did not. He tried to appease them by bringing Herod into the picture, (so much for Herod’s part in this ‘justice’ system!), and trying to convince them that he and Herod were in agreement regarding His innocence.

His approach through reason met with a barrage of violent opposition. The bottom line was: ‘We want Jesus dead. Justice does not come into it any more. Even if we have to trade His life for a dangerous man’s, we will bulldoze you into agreeing to the death sentence.’

And so, spurred on by their religious leaders, the mob began their campaign of intimidation. Their first weapon was unrestrained behaviour coupled with volume and vehemence. They also had a big gun – the practice of releasing one prisoner at Passover. The other gospels state that the initiative came from Pilate. He offered Barabbas, knowing that he was a violent criminal, and hoping that the mob would choose Jesus because He gave no evidence of being dangerous in spite of their accusations.

That plan did not work. In fact it only seemed to add fuel to the flames. Instead of appeasing them, he added to his problem by offering to release into society a man who had already taken lives. It was becoming more and more difficult for him to put the brakes on. Even his offer to have Jesus beaten was a pathetic substitute for what they were demanding.

Behind this tussle between civil and religious authorities lay the real battle, but we must never think that it was war between two evenly matched powers, God and Satan. Amazingly, the scales were tipped against Jesus from the beginning and He knew it. He was also a willing party to it because God’s passion to rescue mankind from the devil’s clutches had to be satisfied through Jesus’ sacrificial death, blood for blood, an innocent man for the guilt of mankind because that was the only way for the debt of man’s sin to be paid.

“‘This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead…'” Acts 2:23-24a (NIV).

Peter was there and he saw it all. Could there be any clearer statement than his? “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV). After all, there was no contest. It was Pilate’s decision and he was responsible for it, as were those who yelled for Jesus’ death. But God had the last word and, through Jesus’ death, exposed and vanquished the devil once for all!

Passing the Buck

Christian Life, , ,

PASSING THE BUCK

“But they were vehement.’ He is stirring up unrest among the people with His teaching, disturbing the peace everywhere, starting in Galilee and now all through Judea. He is a dangerous man, endangering the peace.’

“When Pilate heard that, he asked, ‘So, He’s a Galilean?’ Realising that He properly came under Herod’s jurisdiction, he passed the buck to Herod, who just happened to be in Jerusalem for a few days.” Luke 23:5-7 (The Message).

How convenient for Pilate! Herod was responsible for governing Galilee. Jesus was a Galilean. Herod “happened” to be in town. Pilate must have heaved a sigh of relief. Jesus was a “hot potato” and he did not want to handle Him. Was it “Providence” that organised the circumstances to let him off the hook?

How does one go about finding reliable witnesses in a crowd of volatile people who were so stirred up by their religious leaders that any tiny spark could set the whole mob on fire?

Their accusations against Jesus were touching raw spots in Pilate’s mind. His role in Judea was to keep the peace by enforcing Rome’s domination. The Roman overlords, represented by the military, did whatever was necessary to suppress rebellion by oppressing the people. The gospels give hints of Roman cruelty even at the instigation of Pilate. On one occasion he ordered the murder of worshippers in the temple. Any sign of insurrection was ruthlessly crushed. Jewish blood flowed for very little reason and yet, Pilate was reluctant to deal with Jesus.

What was it about the man that caused him to hesitate to pronounce Him guilty and pass the death sentence to appease the Jewish leaders? One more dead Jew would be one less troublemaker for him. But somehow he couldn’t do it because of the man!

He had never had a prisoner like Jesus. Every time he looked at Him, he felt guilt overwhelming him. The man’s eyes bored into him like a laser beam, exposing the deepest secrets of his heart, and yet he felt, not condemned but loved. How was it possible for a “rabble-rouser” to arouse such mixed emotions in him? He was drawn and repelled at the same time. He wanted to love Him in return but he was supposed to be indifferent, just there to do a job.

It was a relief to have Herod in Jerusalem as a back-up. Let him handle Jesus. After all, He was his responsibility because He was a Galilean. And so Pilate hoped that his brief encounter with this man would end and be forgotten.

Would Pilate be able to shake Jesus off that easily? He did not know that he had been brought face-to-face with the man who would one day be his judge. Destiny had caused their paths to cross for one brief moment but, unknown to him; it was a dress rehearsal for a much greater encounter in the future. Passing the buck seemed a simple solution to his dilemma but he was to learn that he could not evade his responsibility then, just as he would not evade his accountability on Judgment Day.

That was not only Pilate’s moment. It will be ours as well. “Just as man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people, and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28 (NIV).

To those who have recognised who He is and have willingly given Him the reins, His coming will be the most joyous occasion ever. For those who tried to get rid of Him, there will be the inevitable consequences of their rejection. This is not a threat to garner supporters. This is the sober truth that warns of the outcome of cutting ties with our Creator and trying to establish our own rebellious rule.

We have to learn, like Pilate, that we cannot pass the buck. Accountability is inevitable. There is no such thing as all religions worshipping the same God; all roads do not lead to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There cannot be more than one Lord, and God has declared the Jesus is Lord and to Him every knee will bow!

Consider Your Verdict

Bible Study, , , ,

CONSIDER YOUR VERDICT

“Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against Him. ‘We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting Himself up as Messiah-king.’

“Pilate asked Him, ‘Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?’

“‘These are your words, not mine,’ Jesus replied.

“Pilate told the high priests and accompanying crowd, ‘I find nothing wrong here. He seems harmless enough to me.'” Luke 23:1-4 (The Message).

Pilate had no idea, when he opened his eyes that morning, that for him it was judgment day. A routine day, a few more Jewish prisoners to sentence; he’d done it all before. It was an unpleasant part of his role as governor and he did it with indifference. Judah had always been a troublesome province and he was quite glad to sentence a few more rabble-rousers to death.

But this man seemed different. He didn’t have the same insolent attitude. His face wore an expression of serenity, an eerie calm that disturbed him. There was none of the bravado that aroused his rage and gave him a feeling of sadistic pleasure to see condemned prisoners walking towards the execution site, backs bent under the heavy load of the crossbeam.

The mob that crowded the courtyard was in ferment. Led by the high priests, they were yelling out the charge, ‘Treason! He calls Himself ‘King of the Jews’! He’s inciting rebellion!’

Pilate looked at Jesus. Flanked by two soldiers, hands tied so tightly behind his back that dried blood stained His wrists and hands, He stood unmoved, looking steadily into his eyes, almost challenging him to consider his own verdict. ‘Pilate, you decide whether I am guilty or not guilty.’

Just as the Jewish leaders were put on trial that day, so was Pilate. He was a man to be most pitied. He had an unpleasant job to do in Jerusalem. It was Passover and the city was filled with volatile Jews from all over Israel. Although the Jewish leaders had not planned it this way to avoid a riot, Jesus had inadvertently fallen into their hands at this inopportune time through the conniving of Judas.

But it was the Father’s time. Jesus had to fulfil the role of Passover lamb, to be sacrificed for the sin of the world at the precise moment when the high priest spilt the blood of the first lamb in Jerusalem.

Pilate still had to face his own responsibility in this drama. He had the final say regarding Jesus’ guilt or innocence. He alone decided whether He lived or died. His honest verdict, even after a perfunctory examination of the prisoner was, ‘Not guilty.’ It was glaringly obvious that the charges against Jesus were trumped up.

In true “Jesus” fashion, He turned the question back on Pilate. ‘It’s not my responsibility to tell you. It’s your responsibility to make your own decision. On that rests your own fate.’ Pilate’s verdict was ‘not guilty’, but that was not the end of the story. The deciding factor would be what he would do about it.