John 19:1-11

Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified

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. 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.”

😇 Some sins are not as bad as others. Pilate “thought” he had a decision to make but he could not have given Jesus up to be crucified unless God allowed it. You and I know, this was God’s plan all along. So, is there really no free will?” Jesus gives us a clue. He basically tells Pilate “you have to make a decision here but this isn’t your fault.” He wasn’t so kind toward the Jewish leaders who refused to recognize Him as the Messiah…even though he fulfilled 324 messianic prophesies. This was willful disobedience. 

For believers, the test is simple; when we are confronted with a hard choice, our responsibility is to seek God’s word to see if He has made a judgment. For example, we know we are guilty if we tell a lie, for any reason. However, God doesn’t directly address which job we should take or who we should marry. In those cases, a wrong choice is not defiance. It may, however, have consequences that haunt us. Psalm 1 is a good rule of thumb; “you are on the right path if you meditate on God’s word rather than seeking advice from ungodly sinners and cynics. You will prosper in all you do.“ 

🙏🏼 Father, God…keep my head and my heart in your word. Fill my spirit with prayers to you. I don’t always know the path to take but you do. Help me to listen. In Jesus name, amen. 

 John 18:38b-40

“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.”

😇 Pilate is a typical pragmatist. He attempts to negotiate an agreement that will diffuse the situation and cost him as little as possible. So, he told the Jewish leaders, “I don’t believe He’s guilty of anything you charge. Even so, you have a ‘get out of jail free’ card, you can let him go as your Passover tradition allows.” Pretty shrewd on Pilate’s part but the Jews would have not part of it. They would not rest until Jesus was dead and buried. 

🙏🏼 Lord, God…I’ve never faced a serious “life” decision when you did not provide an answer…even when the dilemma was of my own making. I confess, I have not always followed you out of my troubles and I’ve sometimes made my problems worse. Help me to keep my eyes on you Jesus and follow wherever He leads. Amen. 

 John 18-33-38a

My Kingdom Is Not of This World

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

😇 There it is; we can no longer ignore it. Jesus admits He is King. Just not of a kingdom generally recognized. Poor PIlate…he was forced to deal with Jesus on a subject he didn’t understand and didn’t want to deal with. He came right out and asked Jesus, “I’m not a Jew, I don’t understand how your system works, are you really the king of the Jews?” Jesus didn’t deny His kingship but explained it was a kingdom of another world. He said “ I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” There is an important truth that transcends this world and if we listen, we will find it. Pilate, like so many, couldn’t be bothered. He threw up his hands and asked, “what is truth?” And, walked away. 

🙏🏼 Lord, God…there is nothing true apart from your Son, Jesus. He doesn’t just “tell” the truth; He “is” the truth. He is also the only access to you and eternal life (14:6). You promise, if I listen, I will understand. Give me ears to hear what you Son wants to say to me today. In His name I ask this, amen.

 John 18:28-32

Jesus Before Pilate

Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

😇 If this wasn’t so tragic, it would be hilarious. In pursuing their most venal goal…kill Jesus, they masqueraded as most holy and righteous. It’s what people do. It seems part of our broken nature is Pharisee. It’s a bad look. In spite of it, Jesus loves us and died to forgive us. 

🙏🏼 Lord, God…I know my tendency to pretend I’m better than I am. Please remind me, you know everything about me so there’s no pretending with you. Thank you for accepting me in spite of myself and I ask your Holy Spirit to teach me how to live truthfully and humbly before you and others. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

John 18:19-24

“The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?”

😇 The world hates the truth. I’m not sure why, but I suspect it’s because the world hates anything it doesn’t understand or, disagrees with. And, God is not happy with it because He is…by nature, truth. The Apostle Paul tells us, in the first chapter of Romans, “Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them—his eternal power and divine nature—so that people are without excuse.” The truth is plain to see if we pay attention and Jesus boldly proclaimed it. When Jesus didn’t cower in fear, before the high priest, he was assaulted for His impertinence. You see, the world demands we respect their version of truth rather than God’s. Jesus didn’t bend to their demands and neither should we. 

🙏🏼 Lord, God…by the power of your Holy Spirit, give me the strength to tell the truth…always…regardless of the cost. I am reminded, “for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).” Make me bold and fearless. Make me like Jesus. In whose name I pray, amen. 

John 18:17

“The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”

😇 Peter followed, at a distance, to see what was going to happen with Jesus. He was curious. He was also frightened. When he was asked if he was a disciple of Jesus. He denied it…he knew that could put him in jeopardy. We all have this natural desire to avoid conflict so Peter’s response is understandable, in human terms. But, we are not just human, we are a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) meaning we have God living in us. We get no particular credit for being bold in our faith among sympathetic listeners. The test is…can we be bold in the face of dangerous opposition? Jesus said “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you (Jn 15:18, 19).” It explains why 95% of Christians have never shared their faith with an unbeliever; it’s scary. Better buckle up…it’s a hard ride but, that’s one reason God gave us His Holy Spirit. Be bold out there!

🙏🏼 Lord, God…I confess I’m not always as bold as I should be. Forgive me for the times I’ve failed to acknowledge you before unbelievers and fill me with the power of your Spirit today so I can faithfully proclaim my faith when you present the opportunity. Amen. 

 John 18:12-15

“So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.”

😇 “Expedient: convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral.” Expedience only concerns itself with the quickest way to achieve intended results. It’s why people lie, cheat and steal; they have a result in mind that they want to achieve as quickly and conveniently as possible. I remember, when I was young, stealing ten dollars so I could buy my sister a birthday present; a laudable intent with an immoral strategy…expedient but not prudent. For Caiaphas, the political unrest that Jesus was causing (people were beginning to view Jesus as their King) was untenable; the Roman occupiers recognized only one king; Caesar. In order to forestall a likely brutal crackdown that could result in hundreds of deaths, Caiaphas decided to get rid of the problem by killing Jesus. Of course, Caiaphas did not entertain the possibility that he was fulfilling prophesy…he was only trying to minimize the political chaos. He did the expedient thing (killed a man) for the wrong reason.

🙏🏼 Lord, God…The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But you search all hearts and examine secret motives (Jeremiah 17:9). I confess, this is who I am unless I carefully seek your heart and your will before I make my plans. I don’t want to be expedient, I want to be obedient. Assert your Holy Spirit in my life today and lead me in paths is righteousness. In the name of your Son, Jesus, who died for my failures, amen.