“No, not him!”
-John 18:40a-
(Read John 18:28-40)
The scene is remarkable. Jesus Christ standing in front of Pilate. The Roman Prefect just wanted all of this to go away. Jesus was brought to him because the religious leaders who secretly questioned him could not put him to death.
But Pilate saw nothing wrong with Jesus, no crime, no insurrection, no danger. Calling upon the Jew's own tradition, he had the right to free a prisoner for Passover. So, he would make it easy. Pilate speaks . . .
“I find no basis for a charge against him. 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?'” The question presupposed the answer, but their answer was not what he expected. “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!”
Incredibly, just a few days earlier, the same people cried out with palms in hand and cloaks in the dirt. The thundering shouts of a thousand “Hosannas” echoed off of those sunny Jerusalem walls. But now, encouraged by their crooked religious leaders, the people’s words of condemnation cast a sinister shadow.
“No, not him.”
“How could they?!” we cry. But we know the world today does the same. Our Lord gives us the most wonderful words of encouragement on how we are to live, but we say, “we know better, give us something else!”
For example…
-So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. -(Genesis 1:27)
The world cries out …
“No, we are not made in the image of God, we know better than Jesus."
“No, not him.”
-Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)
The world cries out …
“No, it can’t really hurt to look at that woman lustfully, we know better than Jesus.”
“No, not him.”
-“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (This includes all authority) -Exodus 20:12
The world cries out …
“No, we don’t like our parents, or our teachers, or law enforcement, so we won’t listen. We know better than Jesus.”
“No, not him.”
-Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
The world cries out …
“No, we need to lose sleep and worry on our own, we know better, we don’t need Jesus.”
“No, not him.”
You say it too. So do I.
Where in your life do you say “No, not him”? Lent is a time when we reflect upon who we are, and what Jesus did for us.
Whoever denies Jesus is condemned.
…whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:18-21)
BUT I have really good news for ALL of you today!
Jesus died for you, for me, and for the whole world! Jesus said that whoever believes in him is not condemned.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned (John 3:16-18)
THANKS BE TO GOD!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I ask for your forgiveness today. I praise you one minute and then in the next minute, I deny you. I am sorry. Please forgive me, renew me, and lead me so that I may delight in your will for me and walk in your ways to the glory of your Holy Name!
