November 15 - After Three Days

Read: Matthew 27:62-66

and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ (Matthew 27:63 ESV)

Once Jesus' body had been entombed a group of religious zealots gathered before Pilate. This was the same group that had had Jesus murdered. The same group that had regularly pitched a fit over Jesus performing miracles on the Sabbath were gathering with Pilate on the Sabbath to get someone to seal the tomb.

They remembered Jesus' own words. They remembered his promise to rise again. And they were so blinded by their religious idiocy that they thought to thwart it, proof that they never actually comprehended what was about to happen.

Pilate granted their wish. The tomb was sealed. Guards were posted. The religious goons were satisfied. No one was going to steal he body of Jesus. No one would make false claims about his resurrection.

October 8 - Authority

John 19:6-11

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?” (John 19:10 ESV)

Pilate was continually flabbergasted by Jesus. He just didn't know how to take a man that wouldn't stand up for himself in the face of potentially horrific agony. His view on authority reveals a great deal about how we often see ourselves as well.

Pilate stated plainly that he was in a position of authority over Jesus. An untrue statement. Jesus' authority was and is unsurpassable by any man.

What kind of authority do we recognize in our lives? What position of authority do we view Jesus as having? Have we truly made him our Lord, or do we just like the savior part? What are we gonna do about it?

October 6 - Satisfy the Crowd

Mark 15:6-15

So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. (Mark 15:15 ESV)

Peer pressure stinks. No one likes feeling the speculative weight of a mob settling over them. Rarely are the expectations of culture and society easy to manage. The Romans did it by shaping the culture of their conquered lands to reflect their own—and it was wildly successful.

For Pilate, as he scrambled for some reason to release the innocent Jesus, and avoid a riotous uprising, the pressure became too much. The cost was too much. Pilate gave in to the crowd. Jesus would be crucified to appease the bloodlust of the fickle mob—while the murderous brigand Barabbas went free.

Thinking back across my life I can recall many of my own moments when I sought to satisfy the crowd. Stupid decisions, hurtful things, and regrettable memories were made under the pressure exerted from outside sources. Because the mob can be ruthless, their judgment can be merciless, and it takes a strength that comes from something bigger and better than myself to resist.

As I have matured this has nearly became a non-issue. I am my own man. I don't feel the need to impress or be impressed. I have freedom and security from all of that, but only because I found it in Jesus. I don't have to fear the mob all because Pilate wished to satisfy the crowd.

October 5 - Envy Jesus

Matthew 27: 15-23

For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. (Matthew 27:18 ESV) </blockquote>

Pilate was not a believer. By all accounts he was a stern and sometimes ruthless governor. Yet even he could see that the mob which had handed Jesus over to be killed was pushing for something unjust. And his observations led him to declare that envy was the underlying cause.

Just exactly what were the religious people envious of? Jesus had no money. He had no prestigious titles. He was not a man of remarkable appearance. He had nothing at all by which men so often measure worth and value.

What Jesus had was kindness. He had the Spirit of God. He had unwavering commitment to his cause. He had the power of God working through him. He also had the ear of the people.

His miraculous deeds had granted him a special place on the public eye. His selflessness had promoted him to a level of notoriety that set the religious cadre in a big fuss. They didn't like it. They did like him. And they didn't like the way he messed with their stuff. And for all that disliking they still couldn't help but envy Jesus.

October 4 - What Is Truth?

John 18:28-40

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. (John 18:38 ESV)

What is truth? That philosophical pursuit has been the chief question for many thinkers across history. What makes something true? What makes something untrue? And what the implications for either?

Pilate was faced with the truth of Jesus' identity. A truth each of us must also face. Pilate had the added complication of a volatile geopolitically charged climate. You and I must merely answer the question of the truth of Christ for ourselves.

We're not told of Pilate's answer. We don't know what he determined truth to be. However, he did state that he found Jesus to be not guilty of the charges leveled against him. He found him undeserving of the death penalty. And then, in action both contradictory and concessional—he turned Jesus over to be crucified as an appeasement for the Jewish mob.

Pilate's own mixed wonderings about truth led to his perplexing actions. And it is a reality in which we share. Our view of truth will shape our actions. What we believe in forms the context and motivation for all of our most meaningful behavior. So, it might be a good time to go look in the mirror and ask the person staring back, "What is truth?"

September 30 - You Have Said

Mark 15:1-5

And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” (Mark 15:2 ESV)

The Jewish council, called the Sanhedrin, had met secretly in the middle of the night on the heels of the Passover meal. They had sentenced Jesus secretly, and then rushed him out at dawn to Pilate, the Roman governor—seeking the death penalty.

Pilate had one question for Jesus. "Are you the king?" It was an important question that carried a lot of implications. The truth to that question had ramifications that stretched across governments, cultures, and creation itself.

Jesus never backed down from his identity. The Gospels paint a repeatedly pointed picture of Jesus the Son of God. He was the King of the Jews, and the King of Kings. So why the strange reply?

I believe that Jesus is often more concerned with who we say that he is. Now, make no mistake, he will declare himself King one day—and scripture says that when that happens every knee will bow. But Jesus wanted to know who Pilate said that he was. He often wanted to hear who people said he was. Why?

Because who you think Jesus is matters. If he is just a good moral teacher and man, well that kind of view has no far reaching eternal implications. If you believe he was the perfect Son of God, who died for your sins, then that is a different matter altogether. Jesus just wants to know who you have said he is, and what you're going to do about it.