Road to Calvary (IV)

Jesus was betrayed, arrested, and was lead to crucifixion. After Peter's denial, he is brought to Pilate, as he's questioned, but as the Son of God, he did not deny, and told the truth that no one believed. That he was the Son of God. Pilate looked through his records, and it was true, he hasn't committed any crime and did no deserve any form of punishment since our God is pure and sinless. He asked the crowd what they wanted, between Jesus and Barabbus (who was a robber), yet the crowd still wanted to bring down Christ. So Pilate gave in and gave them what they wanted (John 18:28-40).

¹ Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ² The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe ³ and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

⁴ Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” ⁵ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

⁶ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

¹² From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

¹³ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

¹⁵ But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

¹⁶ Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

John 19:1-16

Just as described, Jesus was ridiculed. He was spat on, he was made fun of, and insulted, with a crown of thorns and the purple robe (v. 1-3).

After the bit at the end of John 18, we see Pilate's growth here. He brings Jesus back out to the crowd, saying that he has found NO guilt in him, that he shouldn't be crucified. He's defending Christ! (v.4). Yet the people continue to order for Christ to be crucified. Have you ever thought, "wow if only i was born in that time, i would be able to see this great amazing God", but if you really think about it, what if you were one of thousands that were ordering Christ to be crucified. Can you imagine being in that moment, whether you were apart of the crowd or were against it. Seeing our Saviour beaten, torn, battered. The pain he must go through for us, out of love and grace.

Pilate goes crazy. He drags God back and tells him that he has to power to free him, but this one line that Jesus said was extremely powerful. “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (v.11). Christ acknowledged what Pilate was trying to do, but it also shows God's power. He knows that no matter what anyone may try to do, God's plan will rule and will reign. It was Christ's purpose to be the final sacrifice for us, and His will shall be done. Pilate continues to try and save Christ, and the crowd says that if you release him, you are not a friend of Caesar's.

I had no idea it was going to be like this, but every single post, i continue to see links between the characters as well as us everyday. Judas represented the sinner in us, we will betray and fall short of God's glory. We may also be like Peter, two faced, denying Christ for our own benefit, out of pride or for our reputation. And once again, we can relate to Pilate. The crowd continues to shout at Pilate, and its exactly like the world today. Casear is the "king of The World" and the people are the people OF the World. And we are constantly being told what to do by the media, what standards we should have, how we should live, and it is up to us whether to decide to follow and give in or stand against. Although in the end Pilate gave in and followed the orders of the people, he still had a spark in him that wanted to do the good.

Like I mentioned earlier, that God's plan is so much more perfect and so much more powerful. Although Pilate did want to save Jesus from his death, but I feel like its possible that God made sure that Pilate wouldn't stand against. That he would eventually give in, and bring Jesus to his death because the plan will and must be carried out.

Where do you stand? As Easter weekend starts, instead of thinking about the chocolate you'll get, and maybe a visit from the Easter bunny, take some time to reflect on the pain and the journey Christ went through on his final days on earth. He lived out the truth. He fought for the truth. He was arrested for the truth. He died for the truth. He stood by the truth. He was the truth.

Jesus Christ is the greatest example we should live by that has ever walked on this earth. May he be glorified today and forevermore.

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10

comma,

Today is Palm Sunday. There's only a week before the highlight of the Christian calendar, in five days Jesus will be beaten, tormented and spat on for our sins as he carries the consequences of sin on his shoulders for all of mankind. But in seven days, we will rejoice as he has resurrected from the grave, ultimately showing his power, his love, but most importantly hope.

My devotions the past few days have constantly been saying, "during this time of lent, reflect on...". I think i haven't been taking the time to reflect on his grace, his love, and his sacrifice. During band practice, we did devotionals, and it talked about being in constant communion with Christ. It said that quiet time isn't enough. It was a surprise because i always thought that if i made time to spend with Christ, that would be sufficient. But its much more. Its to be thinking about him, in every moment. Sometimes its difficult, because you're focusing on other things, how exactly do you focus on Christ as well? To quote the devotion,

"the key to friendship with God is not changing what you do, but chaining your attitude toward what you do. What you normally do for yourself, you begin doing for God, whether it is eating, bathing working, relaxing, or taking out the trash." - Rick Warren

There's so much more to this thing we call faith. It isn't just an action where you say "i believe". It isn't just the baptism where you get dunked. There's more. Its a commitment and its a lifestyle. There's more that we live for.

During today's sermon my pastor said something that stuck out to me, "life is a comma, not a period." There's much more after life. What you do in this life determines what happens in the next life. Like the parable in Matthew 25:31-46, it talks about goats and sheep. One will enter heaven because they lived out Christ's life, and one will enter the gates of Hell because they were not representatives of Christ.

This last week of lent, before easter, I hope that i can work harder to reflect and think about God glory, and focus on him more. On his love and sacrifice for me.

²⁷ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; 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

broken, fragmented

Easter is fast approaching, and we have to take the time to reflect on our Saviour's sacrifice. Christ was beaten, battered, spat on, speared, cussed at, all the horrible, painful things one could ever imagine. He bore all that for us. He took on the sin of the world, the sin of mankind upon his shoulders and on the cross. WE were the ones that nailed him to that cross.

He was broken for us. But he made us whole.

Without him, our lives have no purpose, because of God he has made me who i am now, with a reason on this earth, with a specific route and plan for my life. He's given me people who i can be accountable with, people who support and love me. To bind us, unifying us, and making us whole. It is through Christ we have come together. Praise God.

As Easter comes along, think about who he went through for us, and what he has done for us by doing so.

²³ For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread ²⁴ and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-24