Complete Submission Unto Death

FRIDAY

Judas was hung up on some silver. Peter quieted his soul with a nap.

But not Pontius Pilate. He was wide-eyed — and baffled.

He must have wondered, “Why would these dirty Jews want Barabbas freed instead of Jesus?”

As much as their choice reflected their motives, Pilate’s confusion reflected the motives of Jesus.

Jesus made an eternal impression on Pilate. Pilate questioned Jesus. And Jesus answered Pilate with a lethal combination of authority, submission, and expectancy.

By Pilate’s every measure, Jesus was not guilty of anything.

Pilate agreed to release one prisoner, Barabbas, in accordance with Jewish feast-time custom.

Barabbas was convicted of having killed a man during a rebellion against Rome. The high priests wanted him back because he was willing to do the work of fighting against Roman oppression that they expected their Messiah would do.

It’s ironic that Pilate, a Roman governor over Judea, would set free a Roman-killer, Barabbas, at the behest of the Jewish crowds.

At one point in his encounter with Jesus, Pilate became “more afraid.”

Out of fear and out of wanting to please the crowds, Pilate released Barabbas.

Yet out of reverence, upon sentencing Jesus to crucifixion, Pilate inscribed on Jesus’ cross:

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

The chief priests demanded he reword it as a claim, not as a fact.

Pilate responded, “What I have written I have written.”

They had no choice but to accept a compromise: call him what you want so long as he’s dead.

But Jesus was not there to compromise.

He was there because the Kingdom of God was at hand.

And His rule and reign would not come without complete submission to God’s will.

A submission that would make an eternal impression. A submission that could and would cause a Roman prefect and a Roman centurion to acknowledge Jesus as the true Son of God.

A submission that would bear fruit for eternal life — a victory for a people who could never win it themselves.

FRIDAY