1. What stood out to me from this chapter?
These two chapters flow seamlessly together to tell the story of Jesus' arrest, trial, crucifixion, death and burial. This is the fourth gospel I have now gone through, and this is the fourth account of this part of the story I have read recently. It's not fun. It's hard to read how cruel the leaders were to Jesus, how hard-hearted they were towards God, and how persistently they persecuted him. It was not a pretty picture. In fact, it's safe to say that it was the darkest day in history. There have been others, but putting the Son of God to death seems to top them all. Despite the fact that it was his plan to allow himself to be killed, it was still the sin of all people that he bore on the cross. It's easy to see the ugliness in the people who were plotting against him and shouting "Crucify," but it reminds me that there is an ugly part of me (my sinful nature) that I still need God to take away and transform.
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
Pilate wrote a sign above Jesus that said "The King of the Jews." The Jewish leaders didn't like it, because they wanted it to say, "This man claimed to be the king of the Jews." But Pilate refused to change it. While here on earth Jesus talked a lot about his kingdom and the Father's kingdom, but he doesn't directly claim to be the king. However, in Revelation 17:14 and 19:16, Jesus is given the title of King of Kings and Lord of Lords that he deserves.
3. What does this mean for my life?
On the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas and deserted by the other disciples, he was denied by Peter, one of his closest friends. I think about Peter a lot, how he made bold claims to follow Jesus to the end and fight for him at all costs. Still he ended up denying Christ three times. I feel like that sometimes. I am bold about my faith in Christ at times, and other times I may shy away from sharing it. I want to be not ashamed of the gospel, as Paul says in Romans 1:16, but I am thankful that Jesus even uses someone like Peter to grow the church.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
My biggest question is, "Did Pilate really believe in Jesus?" In this account, it seemed like he almost became a believer in who Jesus was, but felt powerless to do anything besides sentence him to death. Still, he was the one who had to make the decision, and he caved into the pressure of the crowds.
Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!
In Christ,
Dan
image from http://globible.com/images/gallery/easter/31.jpg
I also find it so amazing that Pilate gets it right when over Jesus he writes "The King of the Jews." I always wonder if Pilate ever really got it, you know? He is such an interesting character in all of this. I hope he did! I also love 19:35 where John writes "This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account; it is presented so that you also can believe." He writes things like that often, which is good to remember- we can trust these things because real people saw it!!!
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