There are so many different plot lines to follow in the crucifixion story. So many different places where, if you will listen you can hear God speaking. There are so many people in the story you can identify with.
There is one person in the story whose struggle seems so real. (Other than Jesus.) Of course, there's Peter and John, Jesus' mother, the Jews, and the other disciples.
But the one who stands out to me the most is Pilate.
He was a man before his time. This is why many of us can identify with Pilate.
Pilate knew what the day was. He knew that men were to be crucified and that he was going to pull the switch. He just didn't know that he was going to have the final say so for an innocent man to be murdered.
Pilate was forced into a situation he wanted no part of.
A situation we all are placed in.
The acknowledgement of who Jesus is. Only he didn't have a lot of time to figure it out. And he found himself in the middle of the greatest story ever told.
Jesus had come into his reality without welcome and the internal struggle was fierce.
The exchange between Pilate and Jesus is timeless. The two had an argument. No, not a fight, but a conversation that centered around something that people are still arguing about today.
What is truth?
I wasn't there and the Bible doesn't say this, but I can imagine that Jesus spoke calmly and kindly to Pilate. He already had the cup that he was to drink from in his hand. He had embraced his death for us. This is what he said to Pilate, "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's response?
Something very familiar to us today.
"What is truth?"
Pilate had an internal struggle about what is truth. Since Jesus walked into his reality, the struggle only intensified. But that's what Jesus does to people. He creates a tension that only he can release. He is the truth to be reckon with. Much like the crucifixion story, you either accept him as king or you reject him as a criminal.
Good Friday's readings:
- Isaiah 52:13-53:12
- Psalm 22
- Hebrews 10:16-25
- John 18:1-19:42
That's more reading than the previous days, so if you only have time for one go with John.
Who do you identify most with from the crucifixion story? (Oh and this time, Jesus is the wrong answer.)
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