Scripture
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. (John 18:37-40 ESV)
Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will. (Luke 23:20-25 ESV)
After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. (John 18:37-40 ESV)
Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will. (Luke 23:20-25 ESV)
Devotional
Pontius Pilate was the governor of the Roman province of Judaea from 26-36 AD. He played a pivotal role in the crucifixion of Jesus. It was Pilate who gave the final order for Jesus to be crucified.
After being tried by Caiphas, Jesus is handed over to Pilate for sentencing. Their interaction is fascinating. Pilate wants to know why Jesus is before him, what he has done, and who he is claiming to be. They discuss the Kingdom of God and the nature of truth. Pretty immediately though, we see Pilate as a man who is most interested in avoiding controversy and protecting his image.
He turns to the crowd and indicates that he finds Jesus to be innocent. But the demands of the crowd are too intense. They want Jesus crucified, and they’re going to make sure Pilate follows through. He gives the crowd a choice—release Jesus or Barabbas (a guilty criminal). The crowd chooses Barabbas, and the order is given that Jesus would be crucified.
Pilate saw Jesus as a question to be avoided. But what he didn’t realize is that Jesus is the defining answer.
We all have a little bit of Pilate in us. We live in a world that wants to avoid the truth of Jesus, and far too often, we join in with them. Here are a few ways we avoid Jesus:
We avoid Jesus when we don’t know what He said.
When we look through the scriptures and the things that Jesus said, we can see a common theme. Jesus talked A LOT about the Kingdom of God. His primary focus was His Kingdom. In a world that looks to status and position, Jesus came to establish a different Kingdom where grace and truth reigned above all. He came to establish a Kingdom that is completely different from the world we live in.
We avoid Jesus when we don’t know what He did.
We live in a culture where truth is relative. There is no such thing as absolute truth. People regularly use the phrase, “my truth” to represent what they believe to be true. But Jesus is something different. Jesus is THE TRUTH (John 14:6). And when we find real truth, there is only one result. Truth doesn’t bind us up. Truth sets us free (John 8:31-32).
We avoid Jesus when we don’t know who He claimed to be.
Many will say that Jesus was nothing more than a great moral teacher. Others will refer to him as a prophet. But it is clear from the words of Jesus that He claimed to be nothing short of Lord, the Son of God, who existed from the beginning and will reign until the end (John 1:14; 8:58; 19:7). He truly is the Word made flesh who came to dwell among us and rescue us from our brokenness.
We cannot make the same mistake Pilate made. We cannot avoid Jesus. We must face the truth of who he is, fall at his feet, and worship him.
After being tried by Caiphas, Jesus is handed over to Pilate for sentencing. Their interaction is fascinating. Pilate wants to know why Jesus is before him, what he has done, and who he is claiming to be. They discuss the Kingdom of God and the nature of truth. Pretty immediately though, we see Pilate as a man who is most interested in avoiding controversy and protecting his image.
He turns to the crowd and indicates that he finds Jesus to be innocent. But the demands of the crowd are too intense. They want Jesus crucified, and they’re going to make sure Pilate follows through. He gives the crowd a choice—release Jesus or Barabbas (a guilty criminal). The crowd chooses Barabbas, and the order is given that Jesus would be crucified.
Pilate saw Jesus as a question to be avoided. But what he didn’t realize is that Jesus is the defining answer.
We all have a little bit of Pilate in us. We live in a world that wants to avoid the truth of Jesus, and far too often, we join in with them. Here are a few ways we avoid Jesus:
We avoid Jesus when we don’t know what He said.
When we look through the scriptures and the things that Jesus said, we can see a common theme. Jesus talked A LOT about the Kingdom of God. His primary focus was His Kingdom. In a world that looks to status and position, Jesus came to establish a different Kingdom where grace and truth reigned above all. He came to establish a Kingdom that is completely different from the world we live in.
We avoid Jesus when we don’t know what He did.
We live in a culture where truth is relative. There is no such thing as absolute truth. People regularly use the phrase, “my truth” to represent what they believe to be true. But Jesus is something different. Jesus is THE TRUTH (John 14:6). And when we find real truth, there is only one result. Truth doesn’t bind us up. Truth sets us free (John 8:31-32).
We avoid Jesus when we don’t know who He claimed to be.
Many will say that Jesus was nothing more than a great moral teacher. Others will refer to him as a prophet. But it is clear from the words of Jesus that He claimed to be nothing short of Lord, the Son of God, who existed from the beginning and will reign until the end (John 1:14; 8:58; 19:7). He truly is the Word made flesh who came to dwell among us and rescue us from our brokenness.
We cannot make the same mistake Pilate made. We cannot avoid Jesus. We must face the truth of who he is, fall at his feet, and worship him.
"Pilate saw Jesus as a question to be avoided.
Jesus is the defining answer."
Brett Ferguson
Go Deeper
As a church, we've been walking through the Last 24 Hours of Jesus' life for the past several weeks. Watch the full message below.