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by Precarious Yates.
Narrated by Artificial Intelligence, Jenny.
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Just before Jesus went to the cross, a very poignant conversation took place. Pilate wondered why Jesus should be crucified and interrogated Him.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
When Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you king?” Jesus seemed to be evading the question. What He said and didn’t say tells us a lot about Him. At first, Jesus answered with a question. “Are you asking because you want to know, or because others have said it?”
Jesus seemed to be drawing Pilate toward belief with a question like this, as if asking, “What is it that you want to know?”
Then Jesus told Pilate how kingship in His Kingdom really works. He is YHWH. He can claim kingship however and whenever he wants. He didn’t claim it here. His kingdom is not of this world, and He wouldn’t take it by earthly means.
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.
When Pilate pressed Him and asked Jesus again if He was a king, Jesus told Pilate, “You say that.”
Then Jesus gives a response that at first would seem to be a right turn down a rabbit trail, but Jesus is letting us know, through this conversation with Pilate, what His life mission is.
“I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone who loves the truth will receive my words.
Jesus must have struck a chord within Pilate’s heart because he responded with, “What Is Truth?
In the silence that followed, Pilate stared at Truth Himself, and could not see Him for who He was.
Still, Pilate was reluctant to execute Jesus.
With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.
He offered to release Jesus. The crowd shouted for Barabbas. Barabbas was someone who took part in an uprising or rebellion. Barabbas means “son of the father.”
The embodiment of truth and the Son of the Father stood condemned by the people. While the beloved Son was condemned to die, the rebellious son received a second chance. While those prone to lie shouted for Jesus to be killed, the One who is Truth stood resolute in His willingness to die for them.
What is truth?
Jesus said that His life mission on earth was to testify to the truth.
What is this truth that Jesus testified about?
By His life, His works, His death, and His resurrection, Jesus testified of the truth that:
- God loves us.
- God loves us far more than we realize.
- God has made a way for us, and will continue to make a way for us.
- Yes, there is something fundamentally wrong about the way life is in this fallen world.
- Yes, God is able to transform us so completely that we can partner with Him to turn that wrong around.
- God will bring healing.
- God will restore us to our original design.
- God will tell our story from His perspective, and we will see just how perfectly He can cause all things to work together for good.
- God will give us eternal life in Jesus.
- The forgiveness extended is absolute and final.
- God is for us … and if God is for us, who could ever be against us?
- We are loved so much that YHWH stood resolute to redeem us even in the face of betrayal after betrayal after betrayal.
You are loved!
About the Author:
Precarious Yates has lived in 8 different states of the Union and 3 different countries, but currently lives in Texas with her husband, her daughter and their big dogs. When she’s not writing, she enjoys music, teaching, playing on jungle gyms, praying and reading. She holds a Masters in the art of making tea and coffee and a PhD in Slinky® disentangling.
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