No Broken Bones

Posted on by korgrocker

“It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was Passover week). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their dead bodies could be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.) These things happened in fulfilment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and “They will look on the one they pierced.””
John 19:31-37 NLT

A factual account from John, providing an insight into Jewish religious culture. The Jewish leaders wanted to avoid having the gruesome sight of men, still alive, but in the process of death by crucifixion, hanging on crosses on the Sabbath, the following day. So the custom in those days was to hasten death by breaking the legs of the people involved, so that they could only hang by their arms, which would accelerate death from asphyxiation. The unfortunate two thieves were dealt with in this way, but John’s account records that Jesus was already dead. To make sure, the Roman soldier speared Jesus, and blood and water flowed out of the wound, something that has been confirmed as being medically accurate for a recently deceased person. Once again, John then reminds his readers that Scripture has been fulfilled, with prophecies from Psalm 34:20, “For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!” and Zechariah 12:10, “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died“. 

As an aside, modern communion services often allude to Jesus’ sacrifice and His body broken at Calvary. But this isn’t factually correct because none of Jesus’ bones were broken. A better way is to thank God for how Jesus gave Himself for sinners. 

We pilgrims always stay close to Jesus on the Cross, reminding ourselves of the time when He selflessly and deliberately chose to die, taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of mankind, so that through Him we will receive forgiveness. Before the Cross, the ground is level, with no one able to claim better treatment than anyone else. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And we can only marvel at the audacity and success of God’s gracious salvation plan. The devil was defeated that day and he can never prevent a sinner saved by grace from entering God’s presence. He can never anymore wield control over those who believe in Jesus. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We fall on our knees and worship the Saviour of the World, Your Son Jesus. Amen.

It Is Finished

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfil Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
John 19:28-30 NLT

The crucifixion account in John’s Gospel lacks the other details contained in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, but John recorded the way Jesus finally died. The Scripture that Jesus fulfilled was in Psalm 22:15, “My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead” and Psalm 69:21, “But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst”. There was nothing more that Jesus had to do, to complete His mission to Planet Earth. He had done everything that His Father in Heaven had asked of Him. Even on the cross, Jesus could remember the Scriptures and the prophetic words uttered in Psalm 69 would resonate with Him. But it was more than coincidence that there was some sour wine available, because it was used, when mixed with gall, to provide a little pain relief to those being crucified. On its own, the sour wine would have provided a little alleviation of thirst, and perhaps would have extended the time of consciousness for the dying. Jesus tasted the wine and then called out the timeless three words, “It is finished”. He finally then “gave up His spirit”. 

Jesus made it clear in John 10:17-18 that He had the power to allow Himself to be killed but would also return to life. “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded“. Back in the Garden during His arrest Jesus reminded the disciples that He could call upon a large number of angels to protect Him, but He didn’t and what followed, right through to His final words, demonstrated Jesus sacrificing His life voluntarily. Without His death there would be no resurrection. Without His willingness to take on the sins of humanity there would be no salvation and eternal life with God.

John’s account told us that Jesus “gave up His spirit” when He died. His dead body remained on the cross but His spirit went elsewhere. There are an intriguing couple of verses in Peter’s first epistle – “So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood” (1 Peter 3:19-20). What that is all about I’ll leave to the theologians, but the point is that, although His body was of no use any more, Jesus’ spirit was alive and well. And so it is with human beings. After death our spirit lives on and dwells somewhere else. Paul referred to it as being “unclothed”. Will believing spirits end up in the “many rooms” or “mansions” that Jesus taught His disciples about? Perhaps, but it is clear that the place for spirits after death will either be in “Paradise” (read the account of the thief on the cross next to Jesus, a sinner saved in his final moments) or in prison, like the people who died in the flood. Also worthy of mention is the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, where the Rich Man ends up in torment, and the poor man “in the bosom of Abraham”. Spirits after death go to one of two places that we can refer to as either Heaven or hell. 

Of course, we pilgrims know where we are going. We have no doubts. But many around us are like lemmings, heading for destruction over the cliff of death. Once beyond life, there is no going back. We pilgrims have a mission and we mustn’t give up spreading the Good News about Jesus.

Dear Lord. We thank You for sacrificing Your life so that we could receive forgiveness for our sins. We worship You today. Amen.

The Loved Disciples

Posted on by korgrocker

“Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.”
John 19:25-27 NLT

We know four of the people standing by Jesus as He was crucified – three women, Mary, Jesus’ mother, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene, and John the writer of his Gospel and Revelation, and the man who was the disciple who Jesus loved. We know of course about Jesus’ mother, but little is known about Mary Clopas. Tradition has it that Clopas was a brother of Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather, making his wife, Mary, a sister-in-law of Mary, Jesus’ mother. And then we have Mary Magdalene who is mentioned several times in the Gospels. She was one of the women who travelled with Jesus and helped support Him and His ministry from her resources, so she was probably a wealthy woman. We see her again at the first Easter morning. 

The poignant scene that day was Jesus dying slowly and extremely painfully on the cross but able to look around. He saw His mum standing there with the other women and at least one of His disciples. But what a tragedy for Mary and her Son. Mary had warning of a dark day ahead when she met a Spirit-filled man called Simeon in the Temple, baby Jesus in her arms. Simeon prophesised, “As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35). Was the event now before Mary the culmination of that prophetic word thirty or so years before? But Jesus referred to His mother as “Dear woman” and went on to make arrangements for her after His death, by asking His friend, John, to take His mother in. A question to be asked was where were Jesus’ other brothers and sisters? Could they not have looked after Mary, their mum? But we read that from that day, John took Mary into his home. In other words he assumed the responsibility for looking after her. No Social Security or government safety net in those days. Mary was indeed blessed.

John was one of Jesus’ closest companions, and, although John is not named as “the disciple He loved”, theologians have eliminated anyone else who it could have been. John was effectively Jesus’ best friend, and throughout the ministry years John witnessed the miracles, the Transfiguration, and eventually in his twilight years, was given the visions that became the Book of Revelation. 

Are we disciples who are loved by Jesus? Of course we are, because that was why Jesus went through all that He did that day at the Place of the Skull. For God so loved the world … rings in our hearts as we consider our relationship with Jesus. But John had a special relationship with Jesus at a time when He walked on this earth as a human being. Our relationship with Jesus is spiritual, but that does not mean He cares any less for us. In fact, we know that He is now seated at God’s right hand, interceding for us. Just for a moment, write down all the things that Jesus has done for us. I can list all the big things that He has done in my life, but what about all the small things? They are countless because we probably don’t know half of what Jesus as done for us. He loves us and we love Him, with all that is within us. But we love Him as John wrote – 1 John 2:5, “But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him“. 

There’s the challenge for us pilgrims. We love Jesus of course, but we show our love for Him by being obedient to His commands. How do we fit in doing all that we must do for Jesus with all the other things on our busy agendas? We work for a living. We have families and homes to look after. But Paul wrote, “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17). That’s a good start – it was Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, who apparently had a sign over her kitchen sink that said, “Divine services held here three times daily”. We do what we do as to the Lord. Jesus knows how busy we are and He has the resources to help us when the going gets tough. There are those who are called to “full time ministry”, ministers or missionaries, but in a sense we are so called, whatever our vocation.

We are loved disciples. John might have been the first, but countless people through the generations since can claim the love of Jesus and how it has transformed their lives. From his perspective as being the one who Jesus loved, the old apostle John wrote, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). As we serve others we express our love for God.

Dear Father God. We love you and worship You today. Amen.

The Seamless Robe

Posted on by korgrocker

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.”
John 19:23-24 NLT

Many representations of Jesus on the cross always seem to have the addition of a piece of cloth to preserve His dignity but the reality was that people crucified in those days were stripped of their clothing. This was apparently done to add to their shame and humiliation. Jesus apparently had five garments, because the four soldiers each had something, and that left the seamless robe, for which they cast lots. This was a method of determining by chance who should win a certain prize – imagine casting a dice and the highest score wins. The seamless robe was a valuable commodity to the impoverished soldiers and the winner probably sold it on to supplement his meagre wages. Today there are claims from several places about where it is now, but none able to be reliably verified. We wonder about the origin of the Seamless Robe, and there is a tradition that it was woven for Him by His mother, Mary, but we don’t know for sure, and the Robe has disappeared into history.

To us pilgrims, does this, or any other religious artefact, really matter? There are a plethora of items including bones that litter the Christian world, and they connect people with God. Our churches here in the UK are full of statues, stained glass windows and so on that seem to help bridge the gap between God’s world and ours. High Church and Roman traditions add various items to their liturgies, such as incense and bells, all to help the congregant. At the other extreme, Protestant reformers cleared out such artefacts from their meeting places and worship services, instead simplifying the liturgy to little more than themselves and the Bible. But the question is, when do the artefacts become idols?

We pilgrims are God-worshippers and we do not necessarily need any items such as the Seamless Robe to help us in getting close to God. His door is always open. At any time we can communicate with Him in prayer using natural conversation without the Christian jargon that is so easy to select, the “thee’s” and “thou’s” and other words that some have called the “language of Zion”. But there is an invitation from Jesus always hanging in the air – Matthew 11:28-30, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light”. Isaiah 55 starts, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!” And the Bible ends with an invitation – “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life” (Revelation 22:17). We respond as John did, ” …  Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20b). ‭‭

Our Father in Heaven, God Himself, sent Jesus to his world to be humiliated and killed so that mankind, you and me, would be able to be His children and end up with Him in Heaven for all eternity. Do we believe that? Do we live that truth in our daily lives? If not, then it saddens God and impoverishes our lives. But even then, His door is always open for a repentant sinner. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38-39, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord“. Nothing indeed! No Robe required.

Dear Lord Jesus. When we consider what You endured that terrible day, we shudder. But with gratitude in our hearts we worship You today. Amen.

Jesus, the King of the Jews

Posted on by korgrocker

“And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it. Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’” Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.””
John 19:19-22 NLT

Before he vanished into history, Pilate had a last shout. It was customary to say something about the person on the cross and the notice on Jesus’ cross read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”. And, more, it was displayed in three languages, extending its message to all the visitors in Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Pilate posted the sign and insisted it stayed on Jesus’ cross in spite of the protestations of the Jewish leaders. He knew the truth about Jesus, and the reason why the Jewish leaders wanted Him dead. But Pilate refused to change the sign and said to the leading priests, “what I have written, I have written”. The scene on that fateful day was of a Man hanging and struggling on a cross with a sign saying who He was, clear for all to read. What did the visitors to Jerusalem make of it all? There were no mass communication opportunities in those days, so the background to the crucifixion would have been whispered and discussed amongst the visitors and residents, and the Jewish leaders would have probably been rushing around promoting their official version to all who would listen. 

As we pilgrims know, Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, but in the sense that His was a spiritual Kingdom, not the one the Jews were expecting. They were desirous of a kingdom that would be strong, self-governing and free of the hated Roman occupation. They harked back to the glory days when Israel was prosperous and able to subdue any attempts by neighbouring countries to conquer it. Through their leaders, the Jews thought that they had the spiritual side of the lives sorted because they followed the law of Moses and in any case, weren’t they children of Abraham? And that was the issue. Jesus came with a message of hope and love from a Heavenly Father desirous to renew the relationship with His children. 

Do we pilgrims know Jesus as the “King of the Jews”? Before a King we bow and respect, considering Him with awe and worship. But are we a little too flippant sometimes in our relationship, treating Him as a friend rather than as a King? Do we give Him the due to which He is entitled? The world was created through Jesus, as we read in John 1:2-3, “He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him“. How can we not consider Jesus with reverence? 

Dear Lord Jesus. We worship You today, in reverence and awe. Amen.

The Crucifixion

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they nailed him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.””
John 19:16-19 NLT

Time stopped still that day when Jesus, our Lord, was crucified. A clash of two kingdoms changed the relationship between God and His creation for ever. The devil was rubbing his spiritual hands with glee, thinking that he had finally dealt with his problem – Jesus of Nazareth. Nothing more could Jesus do now, once He was dead, or so the devil thought. The Pharisees were also feeling a great sense of relief because the thorn in their sides, Jesus, had been eliminated. They were back to being the top dogs again. No more threats to their authority. But in Heaven, God looked on, in sadness because of what was happening to His Son, but secure in the knowledge that His plan for the salvation of mankind was finally coming to its climax. There is, and has been, no other religion where people put their god to death. And yet, when that happened, Christianity was established, and it has become the biggest religion this world has ever seen. 

Crucifixion was the most brutal and painful death human beings have ever devised for another human being. But the cruelty displayed that day in the “Place of the Skull” is still present in people’s hearts today. It wasn’t just a phenomenon of the Roman occupation of Israel. We may not crucify people today but in people’s imaginations horrible things take place. But there is a warning out there for all people, believers in Jesus or not. Romans 2:16 (AMP), “on that day when, as my gospel proclaims, God will judge the secrets [all the hidden thoughts and concealed sins] of men through Christ Jesus”. Ecclesiastes 12:14, “God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad“. ‭‭

Anyone who uses social media apps will know the nasty things people say about each other, with public people, celebrities or politicians, receiving the most abuse. They may not physically crucify them but the anger and venom in their posts expose the blackness of the evil in their hearts. One day such people will face the Judge to give an account of their keyboard activities.

The writer to the Hebrews Epistle wrote about those who started on their Christian walk, believing in Jesus, and experiencing all the good things He had for them, but who fell away from the faith and returned to their old ways of life. In Hebrews 6:4-6 we read, “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”. Heaven forbid that this would describe one of us pilgrims!

We pilgrims soberly reflect on what happened to Jesus. We mourn about what He went through, but we know what happened next. Our grief will turn to joy as we see the birth of the Way, the Christian faith.

Dear Lord Jesus. We read what happened to You and we recoil from the pain that You suffered. But we’re so grateful that You suffered and died for us. You took onto Yourself the sins of the world, and the punishment that we deserved. And somehow we look around and see our circumstances in a different light because of You and all You went through. Thank You Lord. Amen. 

Day of Preparation

Posted on by korgrocker

“When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!” “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!” “What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back. Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away.”
John 19:13-16 NLT

The common belief is that the Passover festival took place on the Jewish Sabbath, and that forms the basis of our Easter weekend when we Christians assume that Jesus was crucified on what we have come to call Good Friday, with the Jewish Passover being the following day. This then means that Sunday is the first day of the Jewish week. But according to the Jewish calendar, the day of Passover could have been on a Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. This year, 2024, Passover took place on April 23rd, which was a Tuesday. Another fact about Passover is that the Day of Preparation ends at sundown. Theologians disagree about which day of the week Passover took place when Jesus was crucified because it is not totally clear in which year it took place, but in the end we do know that Jesus was crucified on the Jewish Day of Preparation, hence the unseemly haste in which the Jewish leaders wanted to complete their terrible deed. 

A Day of Preparation is not just a Jewish religious phenomenon. In business terms, presentations are prepared for meetings and sales pitches. When we go on holiday, we prepare for the event, booking tickets and packing suitcases. We examine flight or train timetables and select the best options. As we come up to retirement, we prepare for the increase in leisure time, or at least should do. Very importantly, our young people prepare for their exams by spending hours going through previous exam papers and swotting up on the exam material. But in spiritual terms, the need to prepare for anything is less obvious or expected. Of course, the preacher will prepare a sermon and the worship team will prepare the songs or hymns and practice where needed. But what about those who come to church, those in the congregation? I suspect that many people, including me at times, miss out on the blessings of God because we haven’t prepared our hearts in such a way that we are in a place to receive all that God has for us. And then there is the importance of being prepared in case someone asks us one day about how we became a believer in Jesus. 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect“. Jesus warned His disciples about being prepared. Matthew 24:44, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him“. And we know what happened to the five young women who were unprepared and who brought insufficient oil for their lamps, as Jesus told in the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25). 

It is important that we pilgrims prepare our hearts before we move into the day. Many call a time of morning prayer and Bible reading a “Quiet Time” but I prefer to call it a time of preparation. How can we honestly face the hassles and struggles of the world without having first touched base with our Heavenly Father? How do we know what He wants us to do in the day ahead if we haven’t first asked Him for directions? And then stayed long enough to hear His answer? But it is a dangerous thing to do, to ask God what He wants us to do this day. We might hear something that totally upsets our plans. There was a day when a man called Ananias received a vision and we can read about what happened next in Acts 9:11-19. It goes without saying that Ananias must have had a prepared heart beforehand. 

We pilgrims are children of God, and what child doesn’t look to his or her Father for encouragement, love, and the resources for the day ahead. But if we don’t spend time with Him, then how will we ever be effective as a Christian, effective in our own personal lives or instrumental in ministering in the lives of others? Let’s prepare our hearts today in the presence of Almighty God. After all, only He has the Words of eternal life. 

Dear God. Our spirits are willing but our flesh is weak. Please help us to get into routine of being prepared before we start the day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Judgement Seat

Posted on by korgrocker

“Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders shouted, “If you release this man, you are no ‘friend of Caesar.’ Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.” When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha).”
John 19:12-13 NLT

Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of any crime. He knew how popular Jesus had become with the people. He discerned that the Jewish leaders were extremely jealous of Jesus and were afraid that their positions of religious authority were being undermined. He knew that Jesus was no political revolutionary intent on overthrowing the occupying Roman forces. But Pilate was in a bit of a bind. Jerusalem was overloaded with crowds of people present for the Passover celebrations, and the last thing he wanted was a riot to take place, which could happen if the Jewish leaders stirred everyone up. If Jesus was so popular with the people though, why did so many call out for Him to be crucified? We can only assume that the devil was behind much of the mayhem, because if there was anyone who could destroy his hold on Planet Earth it was Jesus. 

The Jewish nation was a problem for Pilate and particularly all their religious customs and festivals. Pilate didn’t care one bit for the Jewish religion and their blasphemy laws. He didn’t have a good track record with the Jews and Luke recorded an incident in the Temple. “About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple” (Luke 13:1). But here Pilate was faced with a potential riot over a Man who was innocent, and, to add to his woes, the Jewish leaders pushed a button that reminded Pilate of the vulnerability of his position, should news reach Rome that he failed to deal with a Man who claimed to be a King, superficially competing with Caesar, even if such an analysis was untrue. So Pilate sat down on the judgement seat outside his headquarters but he was never going to be allowed to release Jesus, even if it meant that he lost face and self-respect. 

But as we pilgrims know there is a judgement seat coming, before which everyone will have to appear; well, that is, everyone whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We can read the account of John’s vision in Revelation 20:11-13, 15,“And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. … And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire“. A grim scene I think we can agree, and a day will come when Pilate and the Jewish leaders will have to stand before the Man they crucified “to be judged according to what they had done”. There are those who claim that this event could never happen because how could a God of love send people to hell. But they fail to realise that we live in a moral universe and there will have to be a final reckoning to balance the scales of justice. God is a God of love but also of righteousness and holiness and justice. His love was expressed through the event that Jesus was facing into – His substitutionary death that took on the punishment for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to face the Great White Throne and the Man sitting upon it.

Jesus’ mission was clear. We all know John 3:16 off by heart – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. We pilgrims believe in Jesus so we have nothing to fear, and one day will be in God’s presence enjoying eternal life with Him.

Dear Father God. It is an awesome thought, to have to face the wrath of the Living God. We thank You for Jesus and all He did for us at Calvary. Amen.

The Greater Sin

Posted on by korgrocker

“When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?” Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.””
John 19:8-11 NLT

Pilate was out of his comfort zone. Here was a Man who claimed to be the Son of God and who had just been flogged at Pilate’s order. But he was a superstitious man and when the mention of a “god” appeared in the context that he faced, then he became frightened. Pilate claimed to have the power to either release or crucify Jesus, but Jesus rightly pointed out to him that Pilate had no authority of his own other than what was given him by his superiors back in Rome. The Jews were a troublesome lot to Pilate and the constant threat of unrest and rebellion was wearing him down, particularly as there had been previous times when negative news about Judaean civil unrest had finally filtered back to Rome. So Pilate was not just afraid of the events panning out before him; he was also afraid of the consequences if news of the baying mob outside reached Rome. Pilate was not a nice man at all though, and his political skills seemed to be non-existent. On several occasions history records events when he unnecessarily provoked the Jews.

But Jesus made an interesting comment about sin. He implied that some sins were worse than others, when He said, “the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin“. But, don’t we understand that all sin is sin, with equal weight before God? Paul obviously thought so, when he wrote, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). God demands absolute holiness and the only way that can be achieved is through Jesus. I always think of God’s perfect standard as being the pass mark in an exam set at 100%. Analysing how sinful someone’s life is might come up with a score depending on how many sins they have committed, the severity of each, and how good they are. So a murderous despotic leader of a country might score 0%. Some politicians might only get to 15%. A minister in the church might be holier and come up with a mark of 40%. A really saintly person might even achieve 60%. I shudder to think where my mark would be. But the important thing about this analogy is that all those who take the exam have failed because they have a mark less than 100%. The Pharisees thought they had achieved 100% through the adherence to the Law and all the rules and regulations that had been bolted on. But in Acts 13:38-39 we read what Paul said during a sermon in Antioch  of Pisidia. “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do”. 

But Jesus still implied that there was a “greater sin”. The person responsible for bringing Jesus before Pilate was the High Priest, Caiaphas. In the end, he was the one who handed Jesus over to Pilate, and one day he will stand before the One he condemned. Caiaphas had the power to send Jesus to the cross, even though it had to be through a Roman governor, but in our moral universe, one day he will be brought to account. But there is only one punishment for sin, as we all know. Sin is sin. 

Thankfully, we pilgrims are blood-bought, forgiven, children of God. We stay close to the cross, believing in Jesus and keeping a clean slate before Father God. And the wonderful thing is that Jesus is interceding for us continually. Our message to the dying world around us, populated with people who have failed the exam, is our testimony of God’s love and grace. 

Dear God. Thank You for Jesus and His sacrifice at Calvary. We worship You today. Amen.

Frightened Pilate

Posted on by korgrocker

“The Jewish leaders replied, “By our law he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever. He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer. “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?””
John 19:7-10 NLT

In those days superstition abounded. Every time something bad happened to someone they looked at things they had done in case one of their many deities had become involved. Perhaps, they thought, they had even offended one of their gods and were suffering the consequences. Adding to his woes, Pilate heard from his wife. “Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night”” (Matthew 27:19). Pilate was between a rock and a hard place. He knew that Jesus was not guilty of any crime, let alone one that would lead to death by crucifixion. Four times he said Jesus was innocent. Herod said He was innocent. And now Pilate’s wife had said the same. When Pilate heard the Jewish leaders say that Jesus “called himself the Son of God”, he was more frightened than ever, because to offend another God by putting His Son to death was just inviting a disaster to fall upon him. 

Even today, superstition abounds. I am writing this a few days after Halloween, a time when evil is celebrated. People dress up as ghosts, witches and in other scary ways, all in the name of “fun”. But there is nothing funny, nothing to celebrate, about the dark forces that have such a huge influence on the world around us. And then there are horoscopes. Someone has estimated that 23% of Americans regularly read their horoscopes, that they find in various media outlets. And then there is astrology and sorcery and so on. Yet, if a person is asked whether or not they are superstitious, they will probably deny it. “Just a bit of fun” they will say. 

Do we pilgrims become frightened of anything? There are natural dangers of course, and a human being is wired to take into account things that will cause them to avoid, or run away from, danger. But there are frightening circumstances that we cannot avoid, things that cause us stress or fear, and God has an answer to that. I love the first two verses of Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea”. In addition to such natural events, there are also consequences for our bad choices that can cause us to be frightened. The list of potential misdemeanours that mankind should be guilty of is lengthy but facing judgement either in this life or the next will surely happen. Thankfully God will be with us wherever we are and in whatever circumstances. Psalm 56:3, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you“. 

Regardless of what is happening, though, are we frightened today? As we reach out to our Heavenly Father we will find peace for our souls. In the context of eternity, we really have nothing to be afraid of, as we stay close to Jesus and His cross. 

Dear Father God. You sent Your Son to lead us out of the frightening world in which we live into one that has no danger in Your presence. Wow worship You today. Amen.