The Resurrection that Lifts Us

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead  (John 20:1-9).

Three disciples came to the tomb of their Master where they saw something that changed their lives. Each disciple saw the same things, a rolled away stone, neatly arranged burial cloths, and an empty tomb. Each disciple was compelled by what they saw to some kind of response. But the Holy Spirit inspired John to report that each disciple’s reaction was different. Our Teacher reveals some precious treasure here for earnest truth seekers. He shows us that the resurrection of Jesus Christ offers diligent disciples important truth for victorious Christian living… “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). Today our Teacher exhorts us to discover and experience the power of the resurrection that lifts us.

Maturing disciples long to discover God’s truth in and through the faith-shaping trials of this temporal life… “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). If our faith is not being tested it’s time to ask ourselves if we are really growing as a disciple. If our faith is being tested, it’s time to look to the empty tomb to find the power that can lift us up above the circumstances and people that oppose us.

At the empty tomb, Mary “saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb”. It was still dark. Mary could not see clearly. The Greek word translated saw here is blepō and it means to look at or upon. She did not look inside the tomb. She only noticed that the stone that blocked the entrance was removed. It was enough to compel her to run to the other disciples with a report that someone had removed Jesus’ body from the tomb. Sometimes the Spirit gives us just a glimpse of God’s truth to compel us to go get other disciples together so He can reveal more faith-lifting truth to us as a group… “That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

At the empty tomb, Peter “saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth”. He went through the doorway and into the tomb where he saw much more than Mary. The Greek word translated saw here is theōreō and it means to be a spectator. As a fully participating spectator sees more of the athletic contest, fully engaged disciples discover more truth in the midst of their trials. Although He is able to deliver us, God wants to reveal more faith-lifting truth in the midst of our temporary trials… “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6).

At the empty tomb, John “saw and believed”. When he entered the tomb, John saw more than met his eyes. He understood the evidence and embraced the truth. The Greek word translated saw here is eidō and it means to know, consider, perceive, or understand. The Spirit grants diligent disciples understanding to put the facts together and to apply God’s faith-lifting truth to our lives… “To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message... It is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little” (Isaiah 28:9-10).

As we grow up into Christ our faith grows and matures as we diligently seek and apply the truth of…

The Resurrection that Lifts Us.

The Compassion that Transforms Us

After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there (John 19: 38-42).

The Teacher inspired John to give us this record of the burial of Jesus Christ. Of course this was an indispensable part of the whole gospel story. Jesus Christ had to be physically dead to fully pay for sin before He could physically rise to overcome death for us… “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). But hungry truth seekers will find so much more here if we let the Spirit of Truth be our guide. God provided indisputable proof of His Son’s death and fulfilled His prophetic word while He transformed two secret disciples because they were willing to serve Jesus even in His death. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two Jewish leaders that had become secret disciples asked Pilate for Christ’s body. They spared no cost as they prepared the body for a quick burial before the Sabbath began. They took care of the very private funeral arrangements all by themselves. They ensured that the poor carpenter would be a rich man in death. Though He died the death of a criminal, through divinely ordered circumstances and the caring and courageous actions of two secret disciples, Christ was buried in a rich man’s tomb. We note that it was not one of the twelve well-known disciples who stepped up. We even note that Joseph and Nicodemus were not fully convinced that Jesus would rise from death, since they intentionally prepared and bound His body in the typical “burial custom of the Jews”. But they loved Jesus and had compassion that moved them to care for His body even in death. God used the loving, serving hearts of these two secret disciples to accomplish His perfect will and the Holy Spirit recorded their benevolence toward Christ to reveal to truth seeking disciples the compassion that transforms us.

Christ’s burial confirmed His death. The consequence of sin is death. Christ’s willingness to die to provide atonement for our sin reveals God’s great compassionate love to us… “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Whenever we die to self and live for others we are showing Christ’s compassion.

Christ’s burial compelled His secret disciples to confess their faith. Compassion for the Savior should move true disciples from secretly knowing Christ to publicly sharing Christ whenever an opportunity to share His love presents itself. Showing compassion in word and deed to others is how we make Christ’s compassionate love known to others… “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:11-12). As we mature in the faith our compassion identifies us as Christ’s disciples.

Christ’s burial consummated God’s word. The Savior’s burial in a rich man’s tomb confirmed that He is the Messiah that would pay for sin as promised through the prophets… “He was… stricken for the transgression of my people… And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:8-9). When we sacrificially share Christ’s love with others we confirm Him as the One who died for them too.

As we grow up into Christ we are more clearly known as His disciples as we share His love, following the example of disciples like Joseph and Nicodemus who have shown us the power of …

The Compassion that Transforms Us.

The One Who was Pierced for Us

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced” (John 19: 31-37).

Crucifixion was one of the most horrible forms of capital punishment ever invented. It was meant to punish the offender by prolonging the agony of encroaching death. To die by crucifixion was actually to die by suffocation. As the person hung, he could breathe in but it became increasingly difficult to breathe out. In order to do so, he would have to push himself upward on his feet that had been pierced. That effort would also scrape his back, already raw from his beating. If a person was surviving too long on the cross, breaking his legs took away his ability to support himself in order to breathe and hastened his death. This action was necessary because this was the day of preparation and tomorrow was a high Sabbath. The bodies of Jesus and the thieves could not remain in the public view because Jews that looked at them would be considered unclean and could not participate in worship. When they came to break Jesus’ legs a soldier pierced His side and blood and water was spilled confirming His death and identifying Him as the One who was pierced for us.

Christ’s piercing confirmed His death. To confirm that Jesus was dead a spear was shoved into His side, likely under His ribs that ruptured the pericardial sack, resulting in a flow of both blood and water. Crucifixion typically resulted in death through one of two ways. The first way was hypovolemic shock. The prolonged rapid heartbeat resulting from hypovolemic shock can cause fluid to gather in the area around the heart. This is called pericardial effusion. The second way of death by crucifixion was by asphyxiation, which can also result in the buildup of fluid around the heart. Thus, the flow of blood and water from Jesus’ pierced side confirmed that He was fully dead, and the price for sin was fully paid on the cross… “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).

Christ’s piercing confirmed His divinity. The Spirit inspired Moses to include careful instructions about the Passover Lamb that was an illustration of the Messiah that would be the ultimate sacrifice for sin… “They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it” (Numbers 9:12). The Father protected the Son’s bones at Calvary that He might be recognized as the final Passover Lamb… “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Christ’s piercing confirmed our deliverance. The Roman soldier had his temporal reasons for stabbing the criminal on this cross, but God had a much more important reason for allowing a mere mortal to pierce the flesh of His only Son… “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). It was God’s will, throughout every moment of Christ’s crucifixion, to provide through His Son, atonement for our sin, that we might live beyond physical death… “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10).

As we grow up into Christ we are compelled to love, serve, and tell others about Jesus Christ…

The One Who was Pierced for Us.

The Death Worth Imitating

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19: 28-30).

The ridicule and abuse never stopped. The crowd mistreated Him to the end. When Jesus said He was thirsty they offered Him sour wine instead of water. But if truth seekers will follow the leading of our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, we will get a revelation into the sovereignty of the Savior even in the final moments of His earthly life. He was not an unwilling participant in these events but He was fully in control of every aspect of this dreary scene. He was careful and intentional about fulfilling every bit of His Father’s will, right down to the ancient prophecies about the Messiah’s sacrificial death. He was obedient, willingly surrendering His life that we might receive life. In His final moments of life here on the earth Christ died the death worth imitating.

The Teacher reminds us today that in its simplest terms, the goal of true maturing disciples should be becoming more like Christ… “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Today we are exhorted to examine our hearts, compare our words and actions to Christ’s, and with the Spirit’s help, apply God’s truth to our daily walk, that we might leave this sacred place looking, living, and loving a little more like Jesus Christ. The teacher inspired Paul to describe this process as a death to self and resurrection with Christ… “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5). As He inspired John the Evangelist to record Christ’s final moments on the cross, the Spirit presented a very clear and compelling image of Christ at His death that revealed three characteristics that are worthy of imitation. While Christ's atoning death can never be replicated, with the Spirit’s help, diligent, maturing disciples can crucify the flesh and put on these three Godly virtues as we become more like Christ.

There is Christ’s command of His circumstances. Maturing disciples are becoming more aware of and trusting in God’s sovereignty over all of our circumstances… “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all” (1 Chronicles 29:11). Like Christ at His death, we believe God is in control and is always at work for His glory and our good… “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

There is Christ’s consummation of God’s word. Maturing disciples feed on God’s word and yearn to be shaped and transformed by it… “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Like Christ at His death, we are compelled to live and die according to the truth of God’s word… “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25).

There is Christ’s conformity to God’s will. Maturing disciples are being transformed by God’s word that we might discern and pursue His perfect will… “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Like Christ at His death we have made and we are living out a great exchange of wills… “Not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).

As we grow up into Christ we learn to trust His sovereignty, obey His word, and pursue His will as we are transformed by…

The Death Worth Imitating.

The Mother that Trusted Him

But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home (John 19: 25-27).

The focus of the crowd was on Jesus, the criminal on the cross. The focus of Jesus was on His mother Mary, the woman “standing by the cross”. With so many natural distractions competing for His attention, Jesus directed His heart and mind toward His mother. The terrible pain from His beating, exhaustion from the journey to Calvary, and agony from His approaching death all took a back seat for a moment as He spoke to His mother. The pressure and stress from the relentless attack by unseen spiritual forces of darkness were briefly dismissed as Jesus reached out to His mother. The unimaginable oppression from the weight of the world’s sin was summarily forsaken as the Son ministered to His mother. In the final moments of the cross we learn that caring for people is so much more important than accomplishing great goals as Jesus responded to the precious faith of the mother that trusted Him.

The Teacher compels us to reflect on the condition of our faith today. The Spirit invites us to consider the faith of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and to compare our own maturing faith with the tried and tested trust that is revealed as she watches her Son suffer and die on a criminal’s cross. How do we respond when someone we love is going through a difficult trial? What do we feel when things don’t go the way we planned? How do we react when promises are broken, people let us down, or God Himself does not do what we expect of Him? Mary’s faith was sparked by the wonderful promise of God delivered by an angel… “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33). Her faith was challenged by the warning of God delivered by an old prophet… “And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed’” (Luke 2:34-35). And today we see her faith challenged at Calvary. But Jesus responded to her faith as He will to all who imitate her.

Mary’s faith was resolute. She did not flee the cross like most of the disciples. She remained faithful to the eternal promises of God despite the temporal difficulties of her circumstances… “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

Mary’s faith was restrained. When He was young, Mary challenged Jesus to do a miracle at a wedding and He scolded her. He taught her to trust God’s timing in all things… “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Mary was rewarded with revelation. With the words, “Woman, behold, your son” Jesus challenged Mary to see beyond the physical, temporal moment. He invited her to see by faith the King who disarmed principalities and died for sinners… “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Mary was rewarded with recognition. Jesus presented her to His most trusted and beloved disciple and commissioned John to care for her as his own mother. At the cross, Mary did not mention her need. By her presence she expressed her faith. Jesus responded to Mary’s precious faith by providing for her every need, now and forever. Jesus still meets our needs by responding to our faith… “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22

As we grow up into Christ our confidence grows and our walk matures as we imitate the faith of…

The Mother that Trusted Him.

The Grace that Saves Us

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,

                          “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things (John 19: 23-24).

Once again we behold the irony of the cross. As the Son of God laid down His life and put off His earthly body, the Roman soldiers greedily divided up His worldly clothing. To the victor belong the spoils? There was enough of this common criminal’s clothing to go around. Each of four soldiers received a share. But when they came to His tunic, the linen undergarment that was worn close to His body, they noted that it was “seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom”. Rather than tear it apart, they cast lots to see who would get this special garment. We may wonder why Roman soldiers would covet the clothing of such a humiliated and disgraced man, but the Holy Spirit reveals the true, hidden reason for their actions… “This was to fulfill the Scripture”. To the discerning heart, the grace of God is evident and active in every moment at Calvary, and today’s scene illustrates even more important truth about God’s grace in the work of salvation. Insensitive to the grace of God, still… “The soldiers did these things”. True disciples are discerning and trusting the grace of God so we are eager to be part of God’s soul saving work. Diligent disciples actively and intentionally love, serve, and share the gospel with others because we love to witness over and over again, the grace that saves us.

In the distribution of Christ’s garments to the four Roman soldiers we have an illustration of the truth that the gospel is to be preached to the four corners of the world… “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Jesus gave His disciples a commission to share the gospel with the whole world… “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation’” (Mark 16:15). The soldiers were eager to receive a portion of the criminal’s clothing. Earnest disciples are even more eager to share the gospel with everyone we meet.

In the preservation of the wholeness of Christ’s tunic we have an illustration of the Lord’s desire for unity in His Church. Just as the tunic was seamlessly woven from the top down, unity in the Church originates in Christ, the Head of the Church. Jesus prayed that unity among His disciples would provoke faith in the world that was watching His Church… “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21). The way we treat brothers and sisters should attract others to join His family, the Church.

In the casting of lots for Christ’s tunic we have an illustration of how God’s grace works in salvation. Though the gospel will be shared with the whole world, not everyone will receive the benefits of Christ’s saving work. Only those who believe the gospel’s truth and receive Christ by faith will be saved… “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). The Holy Spirit teaches plainly that faith is a gift of God, granted through His grace… “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Just as no one knew which soldier would receive the tunic until after the casting of lots, so we do not know who will receive Christ as we share the gospel until after the working of God’s grace in their heart. We share the gospel because we love to see God’s saving grace in action.

As we grow up into Christ we eagerly share the gospel with the lost, that we may see more of…

The Grace that Saves Us.

The King Who Died for Us

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written” (John 19: 16b-22).

 The center of today’s scene is a declaration… “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. It was inscribed by the Roman Governor Pilate and placed very visibly over the thorn-crowned head of Jesus. It was fixed on the cross carried by the King to a seat of judgment where He would soon decide the fate of two thieves even as He paid for the sin of the world. It was written in the various languages of the day so it could not be overlooked by the crowds that came to see this beaten and abused criminal. The chief priests recognized the significance of the title and petitioned Pilate to change it in order to reduce the impact of its truth on the people, but in His sovereignty, God orchestrated this moment as a beautiful and clear revelation of the King who died for us.

The title was meant to humiliate the King. In this inscription, the power and authority of the Romans was to be seen as conquered by the power and authority of the alleged King of the Jews. The inscription was meant to keep the Jews in their humble, submissive place and to discourage further rebellion. But our Teacher, the Holy Spirit shows us the true authority being released through the King on this cross… “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:13-15).

The title was meant to discredit the King. Placing this title above His head and crucifying Him between two thieves was meant to disguise and deny the judgment of Christ. He came to convict the world of sin and to offer forgiveness to repentant sinners. In the shadow of the inscription, Jesus turned “The Place of a Skull” into a seat of judgment for the thieves as well as for all looking on the cross through the ages… “And he said to him (the repentant thief), ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:43).

The title was meant to limit the sovereignty of the King. Pilate wanted the whole world to believe that the impotent rule of this alleged King was restricted to the humble Jewish community. The inscription was written in Aramaic, the common language of the local community; Latin, the governmental and scholarly language of the Romans; and Greek, the common language of the Gentiles. In His sovereignty, God used the unwitting Pilate to confirm the gospel truth that Jesus is the King who died for the sin of the entire world… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Instead, Pilate’s inscription clearly confirmed the divine mission of Christ. Pilate wrote what he wrote because Jesus said what He said about himself. Jesus was the King who carried His own cross like a scepter, a royal symbol of authority that was not of this world. His cross was a divine token of power that submitted to the will of God and served the deepest need of men. In today’s scene, the Gentile governor identified Jesus as King of the Jews at his death just as the Gentile wise men had done at his birth… “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him’” (Matthew 2:1-2).

As we grow up into Christ may we be increasingly recognized as humble, thankful subjects of…

The King Who Died for Us.

The Kingdoms that Confront Us

He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified (John 19: 9-16).

 Today’s text presents a scene that has rightly been called the confrontation of two kingdoms. Perplexed by the Jews’ claim that “He has made himself the Son of God” (John 19:7), Pilate asked Jesus to affirm or reject the accusation by revealing where He came from. When He did not answer, Pilate confronted Jesus with his Roman authority. Jesus replied with two very important truths about authority. He taught here that authority is granted by God and that it can be used rightly or wrongly. Pierced by the truth of Jesus’ words, Pilate turned again to the crowd. In Christ they were confronted by the beaten and abused King of the Jews and in Pilate they saw the glory and splendor of Caesar. With a boisterous declaration, “We have no king but Caesar” the crowd made their choice. When confronted by the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Caesar, the crowd chose the more carnally attractive and sensually appealing Rome. And Pilate, seeking to appease the mob and remain a friend of Caesar followed the crowd in making a terribly wrong choice between the kingdoms that confront us.

Diligent disciples living in a rebellious world are constantly confronted by two kingdoms. There is the kingdom of this world that is relentless in immersing us in its familiar, comfortable, and attractive ways. Then there is the Kingdom of God that challenges us to live above and beyond the temptation of the natural world and to impact this world with the truth and gospel of Jesus Christ. Today our Teacher, the Holy Spirit shows us that whenever we are confronted by these two kingdoms and we chose rightly, we are fulfilling Christ’s prayerful desire and advancing God’s Kingdom here on earth… “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Let’s ask the Spirit to lead us into truth about these two kingdoms and to empower us to discern and choose rightly when we are confronted with this choice.

The kingdom of the world is carnal, temporary and in opposition to the Kingdom of God… “Do not love the world or the things in the world… For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). Diligent disciples are not conformed by the culture of the world… “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Earnest disciples heed the Spirit’s exhortation to avoid compromising friendship with the world… “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). Maturing disciples transform this rebellious world by living as culture-shaping citizens of God’s Kingdom… “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). True disciples conquer the darkness of this world by living in the Light of Christ… “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

As we grow up into Christ His kingdom advances whenever we choose rightly between…

The Kingdoms that Confront Us.

The Humility that Astounds Us

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid (John 19: 1-8).

Although he found “no guilt in Him” Pilate had Jesus flogged and presented to the clamoring crowd. He hoped they would be appeased at the undeserved punishment so he could set Jesus free and be done with this troublesome matter. But something about the severely beaten man with the bloody “crown of thorns” dressed in a blood spattered “purple robe” incited the unruly crowd to even higher levels of anger, and they intensified their demand to “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”. Pilate’s heart was pierced by the accusation of the leaders of the Jews, that Jesus “Made Himself the Son of God”. We, like the angels in Heaven look on in amazement as the Son of Man is abused and molested by men and our Teacher, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the humility that astounds us.

Understanding and practicing humility clearly defines us as true disciples and not mere Christ followers. In today’s reflection on Jesus’ mistreatment by Pilate, we note the large crowd of Christ followers. They all were following Him to the cross, though the overwhelming majority of them were His enemies, in the crowd to accuse Him and speed His journey toward an early death. There were some true disciples in the crowd. Among them was John the Evangelist, used by the Holy Spirit to record these events. Here Christ continued His strategy of confronting the crowd of followers with truth in order to prompt followers to step away from the crowd, embrace the truth revealed by the Living Word, and become His disciples. Every time we read God’s word we are confronted by His truth and invited by His Spirit to mature from Christ follower into disciple… “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).

In today’s text, the crowd is confronted by an astounding illustration of humility. The bloody crown of thorns on Christ’s head echoed the truth He taught about servant leadership… “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). The purple robe covering the abused body of Christ illustrated the truth Jesus taught about true authority being submitted to the purpose and will of God… “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:17-18).

The crowd of followers was confronted by a bloody crown of thorns and a purple robe. Pilate was confronted by the crowd-inciting accusation of the Jewish leaders… “He has made himself the Son of God”. This was not a totally strange declaration to Pilate. As a Roman governor he was aware of the rich tradition of his culture that maintained a history of myths and fables of human beings born of gods. But this Man was different. He was not the typical arrogant, prideful son of a god. Jesus was humble to the point of silence… “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). The encounter with this humble King greatly troubled Pilate’s heart.

As we grow up into Christ we should become more like Him, reflecting to others…

The Humility that Astounds Us.

The Innocence that Paid for Our Guilt

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber (John 18: 38b-40).

 Pilate did not wait for the answer to his penetrating question… “What is truth?” (John 18:38a). Our Teacher, the Holy Spirit gives us a glimpse into Pilate’s heart through the pens of the gospel authors. Matthew recorded that Pilate valued peace above truth… “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves” (Matthew 27:24). Mark recorded that Pilate wished to please the crowd more than to know and expose the truth… “So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified” (Mark 15:15). Luke recorded that Pilate prized political alliances more than the pursuit of truth… “And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other” (Luke 23:12). John recorded that Pilate wanted to hold onto temporal authority and power more than he wanted to know the truth… “From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, ‘If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar’” (John 19:12). When he abandoned truth, Pilate became especially vulnerable to deception. The option of substituting Barabbas, a thief, terrorist, and murderer for the innocent and politically harmless Jesus of Nazareth became an attractive way for him to appease both the corrupt motivations of his heart and the easily swayed crowd. He was unaware that the sovereignty of God was at work fulfilling His perfect plan to provide the innocence that paid for our guilt.

We can identify with several characters in today’s text. There is Pilate, whose lack of desire for truth left him vulnerable to deception. When we do not love truth we make ourselves an easy target for deception. Although it is a hard truth to grasp, the Spirit shows us that God sometimes sends deceiving spirits into the lives of those who do not love His truth to accomplish His will… “Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you” (1 Kings 22:23). The Teacher moved Paul to write that shortly before the revelation of the antichrist, the love of unrighteousness will be so prevalent and the love of truth will be so absent, God will send a strong delusion that separates true disciples from the rest of the world… “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). The Spirit exhorts us today to maintain a growing love for God’s truth.

There is Barabbas, whose criminal activity brought his life to a very fitting conclusion, death by crucifixion. He was a murderous rebel… “And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas” (Mark 15:7). He was a thief… “Now Barabbas was a robber” (John 18:40). Jesus shows us how much like Barabbas we are… “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire” (Matthew 5:21-22). The Spirit convicts us today of our guilt that deserves the just judgment of God.

Then there is Jesus, who willingly took Barabbas’ place, and our place on the cross, exchanging His innocence for our guilt… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). We are reminded of how great this precious exchange really was.

As we grow up into Christ loving and pursuing His truth, we are evermore thankful for…

The Innocence that Paid for Our Guilt.