“Pilate said, “So you are a king?” Jesus responded, “You say I am a king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” “What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.
John 18:37-38 NLT
We are fast approaching the pivotal point that night where Jesus’ future was decided. Pilate’s assessment of Jesus’ innocence was correct in the court of earthly law in force at that time. Pilate was used to seeing revolutionaries who had a clear record of guilt and much evidence against them. Or thieves and robbers, convicted through acceptable testimonies. But the Man Jesus had no evidence that could convict Him, because there was none. He was the King of the Jews, a title soon after affixed to His cross of execution. He was the King of a Kingdom not of this world. And everything that Jesus said was truth, because that was who He was. Truth personified. There was no other period in history where there was such a clash of kingdoms. The worldly kingdom of the Roman Empire, strong and unforgiving. The religious kingdom based on the Law of Moses but almost skewed beyond recognition by sinful human practices. And the Kingdom of God, the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. In that febrile environment, something had to give, and in worldly eyes Jesus was the problem but also, as we know, He became the solution to the sins of mankind. However, in worldly eyes, it was a solution that was the biggest miscarriage of justice this world has ever seen.
We pilgrims have read and re-read the Easter story. We stand as a fly on the wall, looking at Pilate’s dilemma. We stand in the baying mob calling for Jesus’ death. We stand poignantly with Jesus hearing the “not guilty” verdict, a verdict that He knew was the right one for the worldly court but the wrong one in terms of God’s plan for mankind. But ultimately we stand in the knowledge that the “not guilty” verdict would have been the wrong one for our salvation. Jesus was not guilty on His own account, but God’s plan was that He would take on my guilt so that the verdict over me would be “not guilty”. And that applies to all of us pilgrims, who have fallen to our knees in repentance before His cross. We were all guilty in the Heavenly court. We were all heading for a lost eternity. But along came a Man who, before the Judge, said that he would take the punishment due to me so that I would be “not guilty”. What a Saviour!
Dear Lord Jesus. You took on to Yourself the sins of mankind, past present and future, so that we would live with You forever. Thanks You. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 