PILATE MARVELLED... + DAILY DEVOTION + Friday, March 23, 2012

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012

Mark 15:5  “Pilate marveled…”

SCRIPTURE READING: MARK 15:1-14

 ¹And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

 ²And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.

 ³And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.

 ⁴And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.

 ⁵But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

 ⁶Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired.

 ⁷And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.

 ⁸And the multitude crying aloud began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them.

 ⁹But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?

 ¹⁰For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.

 ¹¹But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.

 ¹²And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?

 ¹³And they cried out again, Crucify him.

 ¹⁴Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.

REFLECTION:  After a long night of emotion-driven deliberations complicated by a lack of evidence and corroborating witnesses, the Jewish Council agreed to press charges against Christ in Pilate’s court.  The trial would need to be hurried along as the Passover Sabbath Day began at sundown. No one was to be left hanging on a cross on that high and holy day.

Christ was bound and escorted by Caiphas the High Priest and a mob zealots to the Praetorium, the courtyard outside Pilate’s Court. Had the Jews actually entered Pilate’s designated Court they would have been rendered unclean and unable to attend Passover services.

Pilate, the Roman Pontius was summoned to hear the charge against Jesus.

The High Priest stood authoritatively in his official garb.  The Mitre on his head was adorned with a gold band that was emblazoned with “HOLINESS UNTO JEHOVAH.” 

It must have all seemed surreal to Pilate. Standing before him were people who religiously observed the Sabbath, who kept themselves separate from Gentiles so as to not be defiled, and who presented themselves as the “Holiness Unto Jehovah” crowd.  And these were the people shouting, “Crucify Him!”

And then there was Jesus.  He was pushed into the court that his accusers would not enter.  He had no Mitre and no religious garb to prove His authority. He had no emblem engraved with “Holiness Unto Jehovah,” to advertise His spirituality. The evidence of His holiness was within Him.  The world has not changed.  We are still divided into pretenders or possessors.

Pilate marveled at the inconsistency of the Jews.  They called for the best to be crucified, and the worst to be released.  Their pride and prejudice rendered them blind to the truth about themselves and about the Christ.

Pilate marveled at the complacency of Christ.  Christ knew that his fate would not be determined by the will of men. He stood before the Highest Court.  He had settled it before, “not my will, but thine be done.”  His case was in the hands of a God too good to do wrong and too wise to make a mistake.

And before Christ was finally ordered to Golgotha, Pilate marveled at the innocence of our Savior.  Washing his hands before the Court, Pilate declared, “I find no fault in Him.”  And neither do I.

Is it our vice or our virtue that makes men marvel at us?

PRAYER: Father in Heaven, Your thoughts are not our thoughts.  Your ways are far higher than our ways.  You are the perfect in all your ways.  You are worthy of our highest praise.  Open our eyes to see ourselves as you see us—as we really are.  Open our minds to understand your will.  And  open our hearts to love your will.  Search our hearts and sanctify every vestige of pride and prejudice out of our hearts.  We thank you for your sacrifice.  In the name of Jesus, Amen. “Our Father, which art in heaven…"