Luke 23:1-5

Scripture:  Luke 23:1-5 “Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

Observation: Next stop: Pilate.  The last group of accusers didn’t have the legal authority to sentence anybody for anything. For that they needed the government. Enter Pilate, the highest ranking local Roman official.  So, the religious leaders bring Jesus before Pilate with the charges and expect Pilate to accede to their wishes and to condemn Jesus. But the problem is that Pilate doesn’t really find any serious crime. Certainly, none that would warrant a death sentence.  Even as the accusers are pleading with him-the passage uses the term “urgently.” At this point Pilate can see the true motives of the religious leaders. Yes, the accusers might have an issue. Yes, Jesus might be trying to upset the religious status quo (which is exactly what he was doing) but there just was no evidence of a crime warranting death.

Pilate at this point is looking at Jesus and seeing him as a guiltless man.  This is quite an observation when we realize that is EXACTLY who Jesus was! As the Son of God Jesus was guiltless and sinless. Pilate was likely not thinking in that context at that time. He was likely concerned with his own political self-interest, and how his actions would look to his own superiors. But, he had it exactly right!  Jesus is the only sinless man who ever lived.  He was fully God and fully man, guiltless and without sin.  Pilate saw Jesus, but he didn’t really see him.

We can be that way too sometimes. We see Jesus but we don’t really see him. We know of him, but we don’t really know him.  We can look at Jesus through the lens of society and what the world teaches about him and fail to realize who he really is.  Jesus was God made man. He has been through all the trials, temptations, and suffering that we go through, and emerged sinless. Since he has “been in our shoes” he knows what we feel and can intercede for us with our Heavenly Father.  The book of Hebrews tells us this:

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Hebrews 4:14-16

Application: Do we remember that Jesus has shared in our suffering? Do we remember that Jesus is our eternal savior and everlasting God? Do we know that he is interceding for us in the heavenly realms?

Prayer:Dear Jesus help me to never forget that you are my Lord and Savior.  Help me to remember to trust in you as I face trials in my life, and to remember that you have already overcome the world. Amen.

 Jack Wells