The Gospel for Tuesday, February 24, 2004
John 18:28-38
They then led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was now morning. They did not go into the Praetorium themselves to avoid becoming defiled and unable to eat the Passover. So Pilate came outside to them and said, ‘What charge do you bring against this man?’ They replied, ‘If he were not a criminal, we should not have handed him over to you.’ Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves, and try him by your own Law.’ The Jews answered, ‘We are not allowed to put anyone to death.’ This was to fulfil the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way he was going to die. So Pilate went back into the Praetorium and called Jesus to him and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘Do you ask this of your own accord, or have others said it to you about me?’ Pilate answered, ‘Am I a Jew? It is your own people and the chief priests who have handed you over to me: what have you done?’ Jesus replied, ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. As it is, my kingdom does not belong here.’ Pilate said, ‘So, then you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is you who say that I am a king. I was born for this, I came into the world for this, to bear witness to the truth; and all who are on the side of truth listen to my voice.’ ‘Truth?’ said Pilate. ‘What is that?’ And so saying he went out again to the Jews and said, ‘I find no case against him. -- The New Jerusalem Bible
A Study
The story built up around Jesus' "trial" by Pilate sometimes portrays Pilate as a sympathetic figure, as here. In truth, Pilate was far from it. Pilate's reputation was well deserved for his viciousness, pettiness, and arbitrary cruelty to the captured residents of Judaea.
John, however, in his complete disgust with the Jewish religious elite, goes so far as to make Pilate look as if he has been taken advantage of, just to make the Jewish opposers look even worse.
The three synoptics portray Jesus as standing silent before Pilate. John, on the other hand, has Jesus making thoughtful answers to Pilate's sarcastic questions.
We have no knowledge as to who [if there was one] was the witness in Pilate's court who recorded this exchange. It may have been reported by a sympathetic courtier, or it may have been entirely made up to fit the situation, either contemporaneously or at some later date. We have no real means of knowing. We do know that the religious elite were intent on silencing Jesus to keep him from stirring up trouble and provoking Pilate's punishment on them. Jesus had frustrated every effort they had taken up until this moment. The only silence that was going to work, they thought, would be Jesus' death.
A Reflection
Is it important to me what actually happened inside the Praetorium? No. Was it important to Pilate? When he, after his own death, faced Jesus as Judge, it probably was, in the most dreadful of ways, even though he was but a minor instrument in how the events played out for all of us to murder Jesus so that He could pay our debts for breaking the law.
No wonder new Christians get their heads spun around when we try to help them understand why we believe the way we do!
When I boil the ocean of what I think we know, and what others tell us, and what I read anew, this story reduces to, "I believe in God the father ... and in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord, who ... suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.... On the third day he rose again and is seated at the right hand of God ....He will come again to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end."
I have not deduced the Apostles' Creed on my own, but I am witness to it. As a scientist and engineer, I cannot offer an alternate theory on which I should proceed with my life. For mercies tendered and comfort given, my Lord Jesus deserves my allegiance, obedience, and worship.
7:22:47 AM 
|
|
