Good Friday marks the day that Jesus went to the Cross for the sin of humanity. I invite you, in the next couple of days, to spend sometime before the Lord and meditate on His sacrifice for us. John 18 and 19 show us Jesus’ march towards the Cross. In this devotional, I point out two passages from these readings for self-examination and meditation. However, there are many passages that the Holy Spirit can use as He speaks to you about Jesus’ sacrifice.
Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” John 18:33-36
The question, “Are you the King of the Jews?”, can be asked with varied tones for different reasons. The Magi came from a great distance to find the King! Others came hungry and thirsty for the truth seeking to find the Messiah. Nicodemus came in the night to find out more about this teacher. He was not content with other people’s report about Jesus, but he wanted to know the truth for himself. On the other hand, Pilate did not care about Jesus’ identity. He only cared about his political ambitions and was trying to find out what the Jewish leaders had against Jesus. Pilate was not hungry spiritually!
Jesus ceased the moment and asked the most important question in Pilate’s life, “Are you speaking for yourself…?”, in regards to His identity. This was an opportunity for Pilate to slow down and examine his beliefs, but he missed it. Pilate was only repeating what he had heard from others. Do you speak about Jesus from your own convictions? Or is it something you have heard from others?
Sometimes, we can be guilty of being parrot-like, and we repeat what we have heard from others without examining our own convictions about the truth. Some Christians are part of a system, that expects the right answers, so they acquiesce to what others expect of them. At times, we expect our children to be programmed and to only speak the right things. Does this mean that our children really believe the truth?
Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all. John 18:36-37
Finally, Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth?” That is the crux of the issue. We are in a age that many people do not believe in universal truth. They believe truth to be the figment of one’s imagination. What is truth? What does truth mean to you? Does your truth line up with the Bible or do you try to fit the Bible to align with your views? Do you believe Jesus is the truth? How does truth change the way you live your life? Did you learn the truth from others or do you have your own personal experience with the truth? Is Jesus your King?
