Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

Jesus is standing before Pilot; it is early in the morning. Jesus was kept awake all night being spat on, slapped and insulted by the temple police and the spiritually blind religious leaders.  When they hand Jesus over to Pilot, they stand outside his quarters so that they would be able to eat the Passover later on when the sun went down (John 18:28). Little did they know that the son would go down earlier than usual, about 3pm that afternoon, and would not rise until three days had passed!

Pilot asked Jesus what turns out to be questions that brought conviction to his spirit.

Pilot: “So you are The King of The Jews?”

Jesus: “Do you ask on your own or did someone tell you about me?”

Pilot: “I am not a Jew am I, it is your own people who’ve handed you over to me as a criminal so what have you done?”

Jesus: “My kingdom is no of this world, if it was my followers would be fighting to keep me from being arrested.”

Pilot: “so you are a king?”

Jesus: “If you say so, but it is for this reason I was born, this is why I came into the world, to testify to the truth, and everyone who belongs to the truth, listens to my voice [including you, implied].”

Pilot: “what is truth?”

Jesus had said earlier to his followers, you will know the truth and the truth will make you free (John 8:32).

Being face to face with Jesus sent shivers down Pilot’s back. He did everything he could to avoid putting Jesus to death. He had him tortured, ridiculed, stripped naked and totally humiliated by the soldiers. And he knew what he was doing, killing an innocent man was wrong! But it was Passover and the Lamb of God had to be slaughtered to fulfil the plan of eternal redemption.

Today, what questions do you want to ask Jesus? And what answers do you think he would give? Can we say like John, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, mine included!” (John 1:29).