There was no reason or justice in Jesus’ trial. Pilate himself recognises this. The whole sequence of events leading up to Jesus’ death was propelled by a force entirely opposed to both reason and justice. On the one hand, many of the people had convinced themselves that Jesus was going to give them what they wanted: political independence. They wanted Jesus to help them gain control of their own realm. But Jesus did not come to serve their agendas, and this left them bitterly disillusioned with him. They were furious. On the other hand, many of the Jewish leaders, particularly the upper priestly classes, saw Jesus as a threat to their hold on authority. These leaders thought he was starting a rebellion that might bring the Romans down upon them and many of them held their positions by Roman patronage. This is why they were so eager to show their loyalty to Caesar (vs. 15). Jesus was clearly a man of great authority, and this unsettled them because they were competing for control of the realm. It was all about the desire for control. Both these groups of people were right in one sense. Jesus had come to draw all his people under his authority. The primary force that compels people to reject God is the desire to replace God with themselves. We like to be in control. People resent God’s absolute claim on them and will therefore defend and fight vehemently against God for control over their lives. This is what we see happening here.
Yield your life over to God.
Read John 18:28-19:16
