The Gospel According to Matthew
Question of the Day: Chris and I can't be there today because we are working over at Lake Junaluska Camp meeting this week. Have you ever gone to camp meeting, and if so what was a favorite memory.
READ: Matthew 27: 11-26
Jesus Before Pilate
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus[b] Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered.
22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
So Jesus stands before Pilot. He was brought there because the council of the Sanhedrin had to have the sentence they had given him confirmed and executed. Ellen White writes, "After condemning Jesus, the council of the Sanhedrin had come to Pilate to have the sentence confirmed and executed. But these Jewish officials would not enter the Roman judgment hall. According to their ceremonial law they would be defiled thereby, and thus prevented from taking part in the feast of the Passover. In their blindness they did not see that murderous hatred had defiled their hearts. They did not see that Christ was the real Passover lamb, and that, since they had rejected Him, the great feast had for them lost its significance."
Wow, they were putting their Savior to death, but couldn't go inside for fear of being "defiled."
What do we avoid, or where do we not go for fear of being "defiled?"
I know we don't think of it in the same way, but can we be accused of avoiding certain places or people because we don't want to be influenced?
Or do we avoid places because we don't want to be "of the world?"
This week here at Camp meeting and I was listening to a presentation, where the presenter spoke about, "us and them". About the walls that we make and the boundaries that we set between "us the saved, or the clean," and those the "unsaved or the unclean."
How do we make sure that we don't do that that we don't sit outside the walls while condemning Jesus to the cross?
Do we condemn him to the cross? I'm sure our answer is NO! Absolutely not! We are Jesus followers.
These people were blinded by their hatred. When we start hating groups of people or individuals we condemn Jesus to the cross.
Is that too strong a statement?
If in Matthew chapter 25 Jesus himself says, "If you have done it unto the least of these you have done it unto me," then let me ask it again. Do we condemn Him to the cross?
Is it possible that we condemn Him to the cross all the while doing our best to keep ourselves "clean?"
Moving on, Ellen White writes about Jesus standing before Pilot, "Pilate looked at the men who had Jesus in charge, and then his gaze rested searchingly on Jesus. He had had to deal with all kinds of criminals; but never before had a man bearing marks of such goodness and nobility been brought before him. On His face he saw no sign of guilt, no expression of fear, no boldness or defiance. He saw a man of calm and dignified bearing, whose countenance bore not the marks of a criminal, but the signature of heaven.
Christ's appearance made a favorable impression upon Pilate. His better nature was roused. He had heard of Jesus and His works. His wife had told him something of the wonderful deeds performed by the Galilean prophet, who cured the sick and raised the dead. Now this revived as a dream in Pilate's mind. He recalled rumors that he had heard from several sources. He resolved to demand of the Jews their charges against the prisoner."A young friend of mine was out with some friends when they all started doing some things they should not have been doing. They were stopped by the police and then interviewed and parents were called. While talking with my young friend away from the others the police officer looked at her and said, "what are you doing here? You don't belong here. I can tell by just looking at you that you don't belong here."
If we were accused, if we were before Pilot, would he know that we didn't belong there?
Why was His face, His continence so different?
Have you ever known anyone that just glowed?
Have you ever known anyone that just spread Jesus even without speaking?
If you stood in front of Pilot what or who would you reflect?
Pilot not knowing what to do said, "Jesus or Barabbas?" Jesus or Barabbas? No question right? Jesus or Barabbas?
Who was Barabbas? What had Barabbas done?
In Desire of Ages Ellen writes, "The Roman authorities at this time held a prisoner named Barabbas, who was under sentence of death. This man had claimed to be the Messiah. He claimed authority to establish a different order of things, to set the world right. Under satanic delusion he claimed that whatever he could obtain by theft and robbery was his own. He had done wonderful things through satanic agencies, he had gained a following among the people, and had excited sedition against the Roman government. Under cover of religious enthusiasm he was a hardened and desperate villain, bent on rebellion and cruelty."
Hmmm....
Jesus or Barabbas?
Today do we choose between Jesus and Barabbas?
Jesus or Barabbas, was choosing between the counterfeit or the real deal. Do we ever have to choose between the counterfeit or the real deal. Do we ever have to choose between what we know is right and the counterfeit?
I found it interesting that Barabbas believed that if he stole it it was his. Does that sound like anyone else?
Jesus or Barabbas?
This week I have been cooking for 7 teenagers 3 meals a day, plus an endless supply of snacks and shopping. At the same time I am trying to be surrendered and eat what I should. It has been a struggle. A simple one you might say, but at times when everyone around me was eating my favorites, cookies and cheetos, and cake, etc. etc, it has been a real battle. For the past month, the struggle had not been quite this intense, but this week..... well, I battled. This week I had to choose, to either surrender and eat as I know He wants me to, or to ignore and choose the "counterfeit" food.
Jesus or Barabbas?
The next time I face the struggle I will think, "Jesus or Barabbas".
This seemingly easy choice is not so easy some days.
This is a tough passage. I want to be a Christ follower, not a Christ condemner! I want to choose Jesus and not Barabbas! I want to be someone that when looked upon they see a continence that speaks of Jesus and His unexplainable joy! Who am I? I am a Christ chooser, a Christ follower, a Christ reflector, by the grace and transformative power of Jesus Christ!
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