“Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” “Take him yourselves and crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.” The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.””
John 19:5-7 NLT
Why were those days so cruel, with such a form of execution that combined unending and endless torture that only came to an end when death arrived? Why not a simple and quick method that would achieve the same end? And why such a sentence for someone who makes a claim, any sort of claim, about himself? Were those people of Jesus’ time, the Jews and their leaders, a particularly unsophisticated and bestial people placing no value on a human life? Of course, we 21st Century people, would never behave in such a way. Or would we? People today are just as wicked and evil as the Jews who were shouting “Crucify Him” two thousand years ago. The same devil. The same sin. We only have to open a media news report to find just how bad people are. And the sobering question is, would we too have shouted “Crucify Him” as we stood there in the Jerusalem crowd?
In 1 Peter 2:22-24 we read, “He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed“. Why didn’t those Jewish leaders just leave things to God for Him to deal with them, because, as Peter wrote, doesn’t He deal fairly with people? But human beings demand justice in this life, as most think little about the life to come and the final judgement. Human justice is flawed when it comes to things about God. But humans cannot and mustn’t stand in God’s place casting judgement on fellow humans in cases where only God can see the truth and decide fairly.
Around us there are many strident voices demanding “justice” that aligns with their particular ideologies. Church history is littered with stories of people being condemned for “crimes” that are imagined or superstitiously derived. The cruelties didn’t end at Calvary and we soberly consider the fate of those caught up in the Inquisition in the Middle Ages, or the deaths of the Covenanters. But today in our hearts, cruelties are still prevalent. We look at another person who has done us wrong, even inadvertently, and anger and thoughts of punishment rise up within us. And every time we sin we are in danger of crucifying Jesus all over again. We read in Hebrews 6:4-6, “For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame“.
We pilgrims are dedicated followers of Jesus. There is no turning back for us. The journey before us may not be easy. There may even be times when we think that the road is too tough. But there is only one way into God’s presence and that is through Jesus. There will be many temptations on the way, trying to draw us up some cul-de-sac or other. Little voices may whisper in our ears that just once won’t really matter. But, as Jesus did, we look ahead resolutely to what is before us, and as we do we see the glow of Glory appearing on the horizon. For believers in Jesus, a new dawn is coming.
Dear Father God. You are the new dawn in our lives, reality in times of human cruelty. We pray for the opportunities to share Your love and grace with those around us. And we pray for all those in a place of leadership, that they will come to know You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 