Jesus Before Pilate
Devotions on John 18:28-40
Monday–Jesus Before Pilate
“They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement” (John 18:28).
In the middle of the drama of that first Holy Week, the Jewish leaders demonstrated a natural human inclination. They attempted to keep themselves “holy” by keeping themselves separate. They did not consider condemning an innocent man to death to be detrimental to their purified state. The chief priests and other members of the Sanhedrin were more concerned with avoiding the filthy Roman gentiles and the unclean riff raff like Jesus. Their actions exemplify the stark contrast between popular religion and the teachings of Jesus.
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, writes, “Though he was in the form of God [holy], did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself….” (Philippians 2:6-7). Instead of being holy, Jesus got involved—became God incarnate. This is a central part of the good news of Jesus. Not only was Jesus involved in life, but through the person of the Holy Spirit, God continues to be involved in our lives and in our world.
Celebrating what God has done and following Jesus’ example, we who have been made holy by God’s grace now get involved. The sick still need to be healed, the hungry still need to be fed, and the poor still need to have the good news shared with them.
Lord, we thank you that our calling is not to be holy, because you have already made us holy. Rather, you command us simply to love. Amen.
Tuesday–Jesus Before Pilate
“’What accusation do you bring against this man’” (John 18:28-40)?
For the last three years, Jesus had lived his life in love. He had healed the sick, cast out demons, fed the hungry, cleansed the lepers and reached out to Gentiles and women. Through his ministry and loving words and actions, lives had been transformed. As Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, no one spoke a word of thanks giving or praise. The chief priests and other Jewish authorities could only come up with a couple of people to bear false witness against Jesus, declaring that Jesus threatened to destroy the temple.
These proceedings were a kangaroo court; the outcome was a forgone conclusion. Jesus would die. They also demonstrate another human trait. We have a propensity for putting people down, rather than to compliment them and build them up. In his explanation to the eighth commandment, Martin Luther writes, “We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors …. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them, and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.” (Luther’s Small Catechism, Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, 2016, p. 22).
God speaks well of us—even with our failings. God calls us beloved and children of God. We are invited by God to follow God’s example in our relationships with the people around us. We can honor God in our lives by speaking words of encouragement, praise and love, while at the same time sharing God’s love and grace with others.
Open our eyes, Lord, so that we see the good rather than the bad in others, and let our words reflect what we see. Amen.
Wednesday–Jesus Before Pilate
“’Are you King of the Jews’” (John 18:33)?
Bob was an opinionated man. Whenever he found an article on Facebook that supported his opinion or put down those who disagreed with him, he would share it. He never checked to see if what he shared was true or not. As a result, Bob, spread many lies. Lindsey used several social media sites to attack and bully people. She’d write a put down or a lie on the timeline of a person she didn’t like. Soon others would share the lie or add their own derogatory words to the comments. All too quickly people were hurt and lives were irreparably harmed.
Pilate needed a reason to justify executing Jesus. The Jewish authorities had told him that Jesus claimed to be the king of the Jews. If Pilate could get Jesus to admit that he thought he was the King of the Jews, then Pilate could execute Jesus for treason. Pilate wasn’t really looking for the truth but, instead, he was trying to act on a rumor. Injustice, rather than justice, was the result of his actions.
As followers of Jesus who live in the twenty-first century, we have powerful new tools to share love and stand for justice. Unfortunately, these new tools can be just as powerfully used to spread hate and injustice. We are proclaimers of the good news and purveyors of God’s grace and love, wherever we are and whatever we are doing. The challenge before us to assure that our words and actions reflect this truth.
Lord, make us conduits of your love and grace and keep us from being pathways that spread the world’s lies and hurt others. Amen.
Thursday–Jesus Before Pilate
“My kingdom is not from this world” (John 18:36).
In theory theocracies sound like a good idea. Wouldn’t it be great if God were the head of our nation and if everything we did was based on scripture? We imagine that such a government would be one of love, justice and peace. It hasn’t worked out that way, though.
One thousand years ago, the Holy Roman Empire was an attempt at a theocracy. It has been said that it was neither holy nor Roman. It certainly wasn’t a government of love and peace. Recently, ISIS attempted to establish their version of a theocracy and the results were death and destruction. Today the religious right tries to force their understanding of God’s kingdom on their fellow American citizens with similar disastrous results. Women are denied the ability to make health choices, gays are denigrated as sub-human, pedophiles are supported because of political agendas, and guns are justified as a “God given right.”
God’s kingdom is not like earthly kingdoms. God’s kingdom is located in the lives of God’s followers. The Holy Spirit moves within the lives of God’s people, changing them into God’s image and enabling them to bear the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience …. Responding to God’s overwhelming grace by faith, these changed and empowered people (you and me) change others and spread God’s kingdom, by sharing God’s love and by serving those in need.
Lord, we are your kingdom. Use us to spread your kingdom to others. Amen.
Friday–Jesus Before Pilate
“For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth” (John 18:37).
For thousands of years, God tried to communicate a simple truth: God is a God of love. The Lord used history, scripture and prophets to proclaim this truth. Yet, people didn’t get the truth. Rather than perceive God as a God of love, they understood God to be a being of hate. They blamed God for natural disasters, wars and complained the God was distant and not interested in the problems and their sufferings. God was bad and not good.
Jesus is the clearest expression of who God is. In Jesus, we clearly see that God is a God of love. God is a God who loves us so much that God becomes one of us. God’s love drives God to heal the sick, cast out demons, feed the hungry, still storms and include the marginalized and rejected. Jesus had one goal when he took on human flesh. He wanted once and for all to communicate the truth that God is a God of love—a God who wants a loving relationship with God’s creation.
The truth is plain and simple. God is a God of love. Yet, the truth is so hard to convey. Most of today’s young people see the God portrayed by the Christian Church to be a God of judgment, hate and exclusion. As followers of Jesus, we assume Jesus’s purpose and make it our own. Now, we live so that others may know that God is love. It is a simple truth, yet it is so challenging to live it out in our daily lives.
May our words and actions, Lord, clearly proclaim that you are a God of love. Amen.
Saturday–Jesus Before Pilate
“Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37).
Our lives are filled with a cacophony of voices—of messages telling us what we should do. These instructions come to us from newspapers, television, radio and, of course, the internet. Some internet companies have tried to help us deal with all of the messages that we receive. They filter them so that we receive only the messages that we like to receive—those that agree with our perspective. If we’re CNN, junkies we won’t receive any Fox News and visa versa.
Listening to God’s voice and hearing the truth, works in much the same manner. We focus on the channels through which God speaks to us. We read the Bible and open our hearts to its truth. At times, we sit quietly in prayer and meditation, listening for God’s voice. We can also hear God voice in the counsel of our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we seek to hear God’s voice, God will speak to us, and as John writes in his gospel, “We will know the truh and the truth will make us free” (John 8:32).
Open our ears, Lord, so that we may hear you and the truth you have to share with us. Empower us to live in the freedom that the truth brings. Amen.
Sunday–Jesus Before Pilate
“They shouted in reply, ‘Not this man but Barabbas’” (John 18:40).
Eduardo listened to his pastor’s sermons and heard many times how the Lord asks people to forgive others. A friend had badly hurt Eduardo, by her words and actions. Though it had happened some time ago, Eduardo really didn’t want to forgive the person. The Albertsons had been talking about taking steps to simplify their lives so they could increase their giving to needy causes. They talked a lot but never got around to taking action. The changes were difficult and the joy of giving didn’t outweigh the comfort of their lives.
Some of the crowd on Friday morning, the ones who cried that Jesus be crucified and Barabbas released, might have been the same people who welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem on the previous Sunday. Their passions and allegiances were easily swayed. Truth be told, we’re a little like them. We want to follow Jesus, but for one reason or another we end up choosing Barabbas. The amazing thing is, Jesus still loved those people who rejected him and called for Barabbas to be released. In the same manner, Jesus loves us even when we make poor decisions and wander away from him. The love never stops.
Lord, thank you for your steadfast love. Move within us so that we will always choose to follow you and do your will. Amen.