Faith

God is in the details was the lesson we learned last time we met.  Today in John 18:33-40 we see Pilate in action.

³³ So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ 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.” ³⁷ 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.” ³⁸ 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. ³⁹ 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?” ⁴⁰ They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Question and Answer

Remember how the Jewish leaders couldn’t enter Pilate’s house so he needed to come out to them.  Well, he didn’t stay outside but rather went to his headquarters calling to Jesus.  “Are you the King of the Jews?”

I wonder why Jesus answered this question with a question.  What point was he trying to make?  His response was “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”  I suppose I could see it as a point of clarification.  Was Pilate truly interested in Jesus or was he just dealing with information he’s been spoon fed.  It’s a good way to make sure Pilate IS thinking through decisions to be made.

More questions

We find Pilate answering Jesus saying, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”

I have to admit, I think Pilate is confounded.  He’s been told by the Jewish leaders, Jesus is a bad man, but not much more detail than that. But really, what has Jesus done?  Jesus answered him though, “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.”

Jesus a King?

Ah, something Pilate could sink his teeth into.  Jesus has just announced he’s from a different kingdom.  That must mean that he’s a king!  That just begs the question: “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.”  Do you note that Jesus doesn’t really answer Pilate’s question?  He doesn’t say “Yes, I am a king.”  He just acknowledges that Pilate says he is a king.  Then he says what his purpose is: to bear witness to the truth.  Truth seekers listen to his voice. 

I love that Pilate asks this question, “What is truth?”  I wish though we could have heard Jesus’ response, instead, we are told that he went out to the Jews and said “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?”  He finds no guilt and yet he keeps him.  He asks the Jews whom they wish released.  They wanted Barrabbas, a robber.

My Connections

First off, for some strange reason, I had this thought in my head that Barrabas was a murderer and a thief.   I guess I was right with the last part eh?  He was a robber (in my mind that means thief) but we aren’t told that he was a murderer.

Second, I can’t understand it.  I KNOW it was ordained. I get that.  But at the same time, I can’t understand why Pilate, finding no reason to hold Jesus, didn’t just simply let him go.  Instead he said, the tradition is that I let one person go at Passover, who would you rather have, Jesus or Barrabas?  I wonder if by bringing Jesus to Pilate for questioning, he, therefore, became a prisoner and subject to the release policy.

Third, do you notice that one of the proofs that Jesus was not of this world is that he allowed himself to be taken by the Jews?  If he was of the world the disciples would have battled.  But they didn’t, in fact, Jesus healed the ear of the one fellow struck with a sword. Proof that Jesus is not of this world (at least his kingdom is not). 

The last time we talked, Peter was busy denying Jesus.  Today we read from John 18:28-32.   We find God is in the details.

28 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. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” 31 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.” 32 This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

You know… this first part of vs 28 I know well.  I know they took him from Caiaphas’ house and brought him over to Pilate.  It was first thing in the morning.   What I didn’t know is this: They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover.  I KNOW I’ve read this before but I don’t remember it.  

I do know from a recent read called Jerusalem’s Queen (review coming later), that the Pharisees were very law-oriented.  To celebrate Passover you needed to be ritually clean.  Gentiles were considered unclean so to enter the home of one would make you unclean, and ergo you wouldn’t be able to celebrate Passover.   To understand more about how all this works I found this helpful resource.

Pilate Came Out

Since the Jewish leaders couldn’t go into the house, Pilate came out, asking them “What accusation do you bring against this man?”

Their response struck me odd.  They didn’t answer him.  In essence, they responded, “he’s a bad guy, so we brought him to you.”

Is it any wonder that Pilates’ response was “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”  He must have wondered why the Jews were bothering him about a “bad man”.

I wonder if he was surprised when the Jews responded that they legally couldn’t kill anyone. “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”  

Then we get this line: This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die. I read that line and two things happen.  First I get chills at the simplicity of that statement.  Jesus is going to die.  Not an easy death.  A Roman Death.  Death on a cross.   That’s how the Romans killed people. 

And second, my wonder at how God carefully orchestrated everything.  He made all the pieces fit together perfectly… even to the words people spoke.  From Caiaphas saying better for one to die, to the Jewish leaders here, and all the other pieces that God put together.   Isn’t it amazing?   God’s love covered all the details.  

Take-away

So what take-away do I have today?   The Jews were mindful of staying pure for the Passover.  It was so important to them.   Avoiding sin.

God carefully orchestrated everything that happened. Do you see how he cared for his son and everything that would happen to him?   He knew what would happen, for he planned it all out.

I look at that and I have to think… this love.  It is this love that calls for our obedience.  Our love that responds to this love.   This careful minding by God, who plans out all the details, he deserves my loving obedience.   Nothing less.  Oh… I find myself called to order when I see his love.  Don’t you?   Doesn’t his love simply blow you away?  Making you want to serve and love him completely?  

Let’s be like the Pharisees then… avoiding sin like the plaque…but doing it for the right reasons with the right attitudes.  Loving obedience to God who loves us so much that he is aware of the very words we need to speak.   Glory be to him.