Wednesday in the Word...John 18:33-40...the pickle of your life

The "pickle" of life continues with our passage today.  The only great thing about this "pickle" is that getting "tagged" by one of them is blessing rather than a curse.  You want to get tagged out in this "pickle" by a certain one of the players.  Pilate will have an intimate conversation with Someone he really doesn't know and Barabbas will watch that Someone take his place on a cross.  This is one of those times I wish I could have a conversation with Barabbas after he was released.  Did he just respond like Pilate and walked away from Jesus or did it change his life forever?  I guess we won't know until we get to heaven. 

Today's Wednesday in the Word covers John chapter 18 and verses 33 through 40 which read,

v.33 - Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

We move into a tremendous conversation between Pilate and Jesus and Pilate and the Jewish leaders.  The Jewish leaders have given Pilate no clear evidence against Jesus.  Pilate commences to find out what all the "hub-bub" is all about.  Maybe it is that Jesus claims to be King of the Jews or that is what the religious leaders are claiming He has said.  It matters in the Roman world who assumes the position of king and anyone who would go against that position.  Anyone against Caesar was quickly done away with so maybe this Jewish man claiming to be their king, not the king of Rome, was why they were so upset.

v.34 - Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?"

Jesus answers the question with another question which is common for Him to do.  He did this with Annas and the man who struck Him earlier in the chapter during the pre-trial.  Jesus was asking for them to bring forth witnesses but none at this point were presented.  Now Jesus takes the same measure with Pilate and questions whether he has come to this conclusion because of investigation or just relying on what the others have said.  

Jesus knows the answer to His question but He requires an answer from Pilate.  Jesus asked the disciples, "But who do you say that I am?"  We are required by Him to answer the question of who He is individually and personally.  No one can answer this question for us.  Remember Romans 10:9-11 "... that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.'" 

How will the great Pilate respond?

v.35 - Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I?  Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?"

Pilate was a Roman and not a Jew.  These matters mean nothing to him except to keep the peace in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival.  A report back to Caesar of unrest in the region could cost him his job.  Pilate wants this to go away so he puts Jesus in the hot seat.  Jesus apparently must have done something wrong for the chief priests and the whole nation to deliver Him over to the Romans.  Pilate is clueless to who Jesus is.  This Man who stands before him has feed thousands, healed thousands, raised people from the dead, walked on water, calmed the seas, and driven out demons.  This Man is the talk of the countryside, his countryside that he is suppose to be governing over.  Some of our world are very clueless to who Jesus is.

v.36 - Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm."

There are two kingdoms.  Jesus was saying, "If 'this' were it then 'this' would not be happening."  But "this" is not it.  What we are experiencing right now is not everything.  It actually came into existence because of Him and it will be totally remade because of Him.  This "in-between" time and this earthly focus is too narrow for Jesus' kingdom.  Kingdoms of "this" realm use force to get their way but Jesus' kingdom supersedes "this" realm and the battle of all time will be won by Him on the cross and three days later, the empty tomb.  I can't imagine Pilate understanding what Jesus is saying in its totality.

  

v.37 - Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a King?"  Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king.  For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

All Pilate heard was Jesus claiming to be a king or even questioning if Jesus was saying He was.  Jesus was saying "My" kingdom and "My" servants.  Sounds like what a king would say.  When the wise men from the East came to see Jesus as a baby, they asked Herod the Great, "Where is He who is born King of the Jews?"  Jesus came specifically to testify to the truth and He is the truth.  He came as Emmanuel, "God with us."  Those who acknowledge God, the One who is to be repented, confessed, submitted and obedient to will hear the voice of Jesus.  They will perceive that Jesus is God.  

Jesus came as a king like King David who started as a shepherd who would go about physically seeking and saving his lost sheep and bringing them back into the flock.  Jesus, the better King, would start as the Shepherd spiritually seeking and saving His lost sheep and bringing them back into the fold of God's family.  He would suffer to do this.  But Jesus is a greater King than David for King David died to be raised in the resurrection of dead in the last days.  Jesus died but rose again and will return again not to suffer but to reign over a new heaven and earth.

v.38, 39 - Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, "I find no guilt in Him.  But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews?"

I don't think Pilate got it.  You can almost picture him asking this question but not waiting around for an answer.  He is like the seed that fell on the hard path and was swiftly scooped up by the birds.  "The" truth was standing before him but he did not recognize Him.  He did not hear God's voice through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Pilate's verdict was that Jesus had not done any crimes against the state of Rome.  But, and this is a big "but", to keep the peace about this, Pilate falls back on a tradition they made with the Jewish people to show how "great" they were.  A ceremonial pardon was given at the Passover Feast of one of the Jews being held prisoner as a "kindly" Roman gesture.  It seems that this one who has no guilt would be a good candidate.

Pilate is in a pickle.  On one side is Jesus and on the other is the opinion of the people.  The opinion of the people is tied to his position in the state.  Please the people and the peace will bring me security in my position.  Please my conscience about Jesus as being without guilt will bring me possible demotion from Rome and unpopularity with the people.

It is the same pickle today.  On one side you have Jesus and on the other you have the world.  If you go with the world then it will seem easier because you just go along with whatever the world is saying and you travel down that broad road that leads to destruction.  If you go with Jesus then you are called to a life of surrender and submission to Him.  His followers deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow after Him.  It is a narrow gate and path of difficultly but it leads to eternal life with Him.  You are in a pickle and the question is, "Who will you get tagged by?"

v.40 - So they cried out again, saying, "Not this Man, but Barabbas."  Now Barabbas was a robber.

This last verse is truly amazing because we sometimes say, "He died on the cross in my place" but Barabbas could look at the One who was going to do this.  Jesus died between two thieves, criminals, or robbers and that third center cross probably had Barabbas' name on it.  In Matthew's gospel account, Pilate brings out a known criminal who had killed others and Jesus who he could find no guilt.  This surely should be a slam dunk to end this discussion.  The people will go with the release of Jesus over the release of Barabbas.  But, Pilate is wrong.  The crowd, egged on by the chief priests threatening any not going with them to be banned from the temple, called out loudly for Barabbas over Jesus.  

This lets you know how strong the voice of the people and of this world is.  When you hear God's voice, you will also hear the cries of the people to stay right where you are.  Before you is the evil of this world and the goodness of the Savior, which will you cry out?  One will get you perks in this realm but the other will provide a place with Him in the next realm.  Will you listen to His voice over the voices of this world?  

Adam