Lent Day 32: Not to Be Blinded (John 18:38b-40)
Lent Day 32
Not to Be Blinded
John 18:38b-40
38b ...Pilate said this and then went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"
40 They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
♢ Pilate had asked Jesus, "What is truth?" and then he left without waiting for an answer, going outside to where the chief priests and the crowd were.
In his conversation with Jesus, Pilate realized that Jesus was not a sinner. Therefore, he concocted a scheme to save Jesus, trying to use the Passover tradition of releasing a prisoner to free the innocent Jesus. Pilate, as a judge, had conducted the interrogation objectively and impartially. And he was convinced of Jesus' innocence. Then, without needing to consult the group of chief priests, he should have released Jesus. That was the proper conduct expected of him as the Roman authority governing the region. However, he failed to fulfill his duty. Perhaps he failed because he was trying to curry favor with the influential figures of the region he governed.
The crowd chose Barabbas, who was a criminal. There was no reason for the chief priests to choose him, nor any reason for Pilate to release him. The crowd chose a criminal over Jesus simply because of their evil intent to have Jesus killed. Pilate made the wrong choice to release a criminal in his attempt to gain favor with the powerful.
It was evil hearts that blinded them from seeing the truth. Are we too, at times, blinded from seeing the truth because of our own wicked hearts? There are too many unkind things in our daily lives that blind us. Let's be vigilant against the evil things that cover our eyes.
♧ God, help us to discern and remove the evil things that blind our eyes! Let us see the truth with clear eyes! Holy Spirit, lead us into truth! Amen.
Not to Be Blinded
John 18:38b-40
38b ...Pilate said this and then went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"
40 They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
♢ Pilate had asked Jesus, "What is truth?" and then he left without waiting for an answer, going outside to where the chief priests and the crowd were.
In his conversation with Jesus, Pilate realized that Jesus was not a sinner. Therefore, he concocted a scheme to save Jesus, trying to use the Passover tradition of releasing a prisoner to free the innocent Jesus. Pilate, as a judge, had conducted the interrogation objectively and impartially. And he was convinced of Jesus' innocence. Then, without needing to consult the group of chief priests, he should have released Jesus. That was the proper conduct expected of him as the Roman authority governing the region. However, he failed to fulfill his duty. Perhaps he failed because he was trying to curry favor with the influential figures of the region he governed.
The crowd chose Barabbas, who was a criminal. There was no reason for the chief priests to choose him, nor any reason for Pilate to release him. The crowd chose a criminal over Jesus simply because of their evil intent to have Jesus killed. Pilate made the wrong choice to release a criminal in his attempt to gain favor with the powerful.
It was evil hearts that blinded them from seeing the truth. Are we too, at times, blinded from seeing the truth because of our own wicked hearts? There are too many unkind things in our daily lives that blind us. Let's be vigilant against the evil things that cover our eyes.
♧ God, help us to discern and remove the evil things that blind our eyes! Let us see the truth with clear eyes! Holy Spirit, lead us into truth! Amen.