David Bahn – Reflections

John 20:14-16

¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.^[c] He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Talk is cheap. People will say the most outrageous things – whether in the heat of an argument, in the throes of a political campaign, the defense of their religious views, in an attempt to get attention, or to just make a dollar. Maybe you’ve been a victim in more than one of those situations. On this occasion Jesus was a victim of false accusations, over-stated assertions, and over-zealous religious leaders.

If you compare Jesus’ words – which are few – with those of the Jewish leaders, (see below) there is a striking contrast. That contrast is not only  in the number of words spoken, but in the demeanor and the clamor-factor of the conversation. While his accusers clamor for Pilate to get rid of Jesus, Jesus himself doesn’t say anything. When Pilate finally does get Jesus to speak, his statement is a confident statement of faith and reality. No accusation, in fact almost a word of consolation to Pilate: Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

But the gravest word of all in this encounter was not the word, “Crucify!”, it was the chief priests’ admission, “We have no king but Caesar.” Stunning. Sad. Sacrilegious. They who were to have been the moral and spiritual leaders of God’s kingdom on earth deny their heavenly King. This was an outrageous statement which should have shaken the Jewish people to the bone. They should have mounted up in rebellion against these false leaders and removed them from their office. God is the King of all creation.

Their denial of the King of kings is perhaps the most remarkable thing that occurs in this encounter. They show that their real problem is not with Jesus, but with the Lord and King of heaven and earth. They are not answerable to him, but to Caesar. Their comfort, security, hope, and path come from Caesar, and he is their greatest good. At least they have the honesty to say it. Many would prevaricate rather than speak the truth so boldly.

The question for me and you is this: who is our king – really? Who is our greatest good? Who do we answer to? From where does our security come? May we ever hold to the King of kings, and his Son, by the power of the Spirit, and not deny him!

John 20:1-16

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” ⁷ The Jews^[a] answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” ¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic^[b] Gabbatha.¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.^[c] He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.