Who’s in Charge Here?

Text: John 18:28-40

As you read through this passage it is easy to think the chief priests or Pilate are the one’s in charge. As is often the case, appearances can be deceiving when it comes to what God is doing,

We can learn a lot from Pilate. It was suggested that Pilate was more like a modern-day prison warden than what we think of when we hear the title governor. Does thinking of Pilate as a prison warden change how you see his exchange with Jesus?

Think about it, if you were in Pilate’s position, how would you take Jesus’ proclamation “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom” and “my Kingdom is not of this world”? If honest, you’d probably think he was a lunatic.

Wouldn’t you?

In verse 37, Jesus told Pilate “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” And what was Pilate’s response? “What is truth?”

Pilate was a Roman. His worldview was not shaped by Scripture. It was shaped by his Roman culture. Much like modern day America, Roman ethics were utilitarian. Whoever was in power pretty much got to define right & wrong, good & evil.

Think about it. When Pilate said Jesus wasn’t guilty of any crime, he meant Roman crime. The Roman’s couldn’t care less about things like blasphemy. We could probably make the same argument for the chief priests, but that will have wait for another time.

Pilate represents every person you encounter who doesn’t share your love for God, His Word, or His ethics. Like Pilate, sometimes they may have power to do you harm. Can you and I be as gracious as Jesus? Regardless of how the situation looks and from a practical standpoint may be, are we capable of trusting God is in control and want nothing less than His will be done in and through your life?

That’s a tough question. One we’re unlikely to know the answer to unless our life is threatened for how we answer. My prayer for myself & you is that we will have counted the cost and choose to trust Him, just as Jesus did, no matter how it might play out.