Lent Day 35: Who is your king? (John 19:12-13a,14-16)
Lent Day 35
Who is your king?
John 19:12-13a,14-16
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.
◇ Pilate, unable to find any sin in Jesus, wanted to release him, but the chief priests and their followers cried out for his crucifixion. They argued that Jesus deserved to die according to the law because he claimed to be the Son of God. Hearing this, Pilate became even more afraid and went back inside the palace to question Jesus further.
Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. He wanted to release him, but the crowd was relentless, shouting for crucifixion. They even threatened Pilate, saying that releasing someone who claimed to be a king was an act of disloyalty to Caesar. Ultimately, Pilate caved into their pressure and handed Jesus over to be crucified, despite knowing his innocence.
Pilate served the emperor and chose to turn a blind eye to the truth to show his loyalty. If word got out that he was disloyal, his position and life would be at risk. To him, what the emperor thought was more important than the truth because Pilate served the emperor.
Who do the chief priests and their followers serve? Who is their king? Is it God? Or is it the emperor? To them, their king is not God. It is themselves. On the surface, it seems like they do everything to keep the law, to follow God's will. It appears as though God is their king.
However, we know well that their talk of the law is to satisfy their own desires, and their claims of following God's will are to maintain their power. Who is their king? Their king is none other than themselves. The law and God are merely tools for their own ends.
Who is our king? Who moves our hearts? For whom does our heart beat? The one who moves our heart is our king. The one towards whom our heart is directed is our king.
Holy Spirit, grant me faith and love so that I may always serve the Lord as my true king.
Holy Spirit, always lead me in truth. Amen.
Who is your king?
John 19:12-13a,14-16
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.
◇ Pilate, unable to find any sin in Jesus, wanted to release him, but the chief priests and their followers cried out for his crucifixion. They argued that Jesus deserved to die according to the law because he claimed to be the Son of God. Hearing this, Pilate became even more afraid and went back inside the palace to question Jesus further.
Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. He wanted to release him, but the crowd was relentless, shouting for crucifixion. They even threatened Pilate, saying that releasing someone who claimed to be a king was an act of disloyalty to Caesar. Ultimately, Pilate caved into their pressure and handed Jesus over to be crucified, despite knowing his innocence.
Pilate served the emperor and chose to turn a blind eye to the truth to show his loyalty. If word got out that he was disloyal, his position and life would be at risk. To him, what the emperor thought was more important than the truth because Pilate served the emperor.
Who do the chief priests and their followers serve? Who is their king? Is it God? Or is it the emperor? To them, their king is not God. It is themselves. On the surface, it seems like they do everything to keep the law, to follow God's will. It appears as though God is their king.
However, we know well that their talk of the law is to satisfy their own desires, and their claims of following God's will are to maintain their power. Who is their king? Their king is none other than themselves. The law and God are merely tools for their own ends.
Who is our king? Who moves our hearts? For whom does our heart beat? The one who moves our heart is our king. The one towards whom our heart is directed is our king.
Holy Spirit, grant me faith and love so that I may always serve the Lord as my true king.
Holy Spirit, always lead me in truth. Amen.