What a beautiful journey through the word this morning... Starting out with the last few chapters of Hosea, living through the peaks and valleys of the Lord's relationship with Israel, it was what I needed. Then jumping to where I'm at in John, the end of Jesus' time on earth. Where I started the journey was with Jesus - after preaching beautifully to his disciples - He looks up to heaven and prays for them, his followers... "for I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me."... "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one." He prayed for them. Read it sometime..
Then He prayed for you, and for me.. for "all believers".
"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one..." Read the prayer, it's awesome, and for those who believe, pleease join me in feeling the power of a prayer lifted specifically for me, by my Jesus. On our behalf, he brought our case before the Father, and we are free to enter into unity with Him, in His kingdom.
So he prays... then follows his betrayal, his being led before the high priest, and then to Pilate. I want here to posit that - by what I read in John's account - Pilate wasn't that bad of a dude, in fact I'd say he's sitting up in heaven with our Lord right now just lovin life... Here's what I read..
When he first receives him from the Jews, he questions seriously this mans guilt, he even tries to give him back. When all attempts fail, he questions Jesus himself. Jesus at one point describes his "kingdom" that awaits, at this Pilate proclaims "You are a king then!"... jesus replies "you are right in saying I am a king" ... "... for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
I think Pilate took this to heart, because he follows with "what is truth?" A serious question I believe...
Next what happens is my favorite..!. we're not told what Jesus' response to him was about truth, but in the next sentence Pilate goes out and basically says "hey, I don't see any reason why this man should be killed, but I'll let you choose one last time and decide between this guy - the "king of the jews" and Barabas, one badass criminal, which to kill"
They choose Jesus, and Pilate gave him over to be crucified. See, I believe that in Jesus' defining truth to Pilate, part of that was understanding what Jesus had to do. See back in what I read earlier, in Jesus' prayer for us, he answered this question for us, it's awesome.!.. "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is the truth."
I don't think it's any coincidence these two uses of 'truth' were put so close to eachother. See, Pilate confronted this truth in this moment we're not told the details of, the moment when Jesus shared with him Truth. But Pilate leaves changed... he will insist on Jesus being recognized as the "King of the Jews". He encountered all truth we are given in the word.. it's life.. and he stood to defend it's recognition, accepting his King's fate, understanding the weight & importance of this event.
So then Pilate when he's about to give him over to the Jews finds out that Jesus apparently is also claiming to be the Son of God.. when you read it it's almost like the record screeches, he stops on a dime turns around to jesus & says "hold up... you're the Son of God too??!" He believed his truth, and now he asks Jesus "where do you come from?" Jesus' answer is perfect, and it says Pilate's response is that he from then on "tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting."
What happens next I think is truly fascinating, and I'd never caught it before.. stick with me. Pilate goes to Jesus, gets him and brings him out in front of the people where he (pilate) would sit on "the Judges seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement" This seems significant only because of what Pilate would say. Addressing the people, he says "Here is your King." he then asks "Shall I crucify your King?" Twice recognizing this man's title. Their response, "we have no king but ceasar".. Pilate got it, he proclaims "HERE IS YOUR KIIING, DON'T YOU GET IT?!!".. His being crucified needed to happen. Pilate however believed in Jesus' innocence, and believed His truth, proclaiming Him as his "King". Against the will of the people, he will then insist on there being a sign above Jesus' head which reads "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." In Latin, Aramaic & Greek... for ALL the people to know, He is King. And when challenged, pilate's last recorded words are "I have written, what I have written." A strong statement by a strong man who knows and is living out the Truth he was recently exposed to.
So, that's what I learned from Pilate. And bringing it back to Hosea, as Israel would go in and out of affection for their Maker, the words of The Lord for his people are this, that in and out of trouble, "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lilly. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon... I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me."
And on that note, goodbye :)
Oh.. if you made it that far, do yourself a favor and listen to this guy, Jordan Frye, his new album is on spotify and is pretty awesome..
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