Jesus is Essential
John 19:6–9: Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
The familiar hymn “When I Survey the Wond’rous Cross” helps us realize afresh the price that Jesus paid for us, but we must not confuse sentimentality with true spiritual emotion. It is one thing to shed tears during a church service and quite something else to sacrifice, suffer, and serve after the meeting has ended. We do not simply contemplate the cross; we carry it. For the third time, Pilate announced, “I find no fault in Him!”
The crowd might well have shouted, “Then why did you have Him scourged?” Pilate’s actions belied his words. He was a weak-willed man who, like many politicians, hoped to find a happy compromise that would please everybody. Cowardice is defined as “to know what is right and not do it.” The religious leaders were not at a loss for a powerful reply: “We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” This statement is not found in the other Gospels; however, it fits right into John’s purpose in writing his Gospel. 1
Walking with Jesus
Do you “coward” to the popular voice of the culture or do you “stand” for Jesus? Explain.
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31
Cowards do what is best for them; Courageous do what is right before God.
Praying
Lord, teach me to forsake my feelings, and to live by faith and not by the applause of others.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
