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Devotionals
"Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." John 19:11
At first these words that Jesus spoke to Pilate seem very strange. Jesus tells Pilate that his role in His crucifixion is not as bad as that of Caiaphas. "Caiaphas," Jesus tells Pilate, "is the greater sinner, even though you have made the final decision in this matter." This really is an unexpected judgement on the Judean Governor.
On the surface it seems that Pilate was the one that was most culpable for Jesus' death. After all, it was Pilate who passed the sentence. It was Pilate who chose the means of execution - the cross. He even tried to wash his hands of the whole thing. But, the Lord Jesus seems to be saying that there comes a certain point in wickedness when things are beyond the control of man. The seed that has been planted will surely sprout and grow into a tree. So here, standing before Jesus, Pilate found himself standing under that tree. He was now heir of the sinful decisions of those who had gone before him. No longer was it possible for Pilate to put a stop to this national sin. It would have taken a miracle to put a halt to the murder of Jesus.
"always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." 2 Cor. 4:10
In today's antiseptic, anesthetized society, the thought of continually handling and dwelling on the death of Jesus would no doubt be considered unusual - unhealthy even. Some would surely ask, "How can bearing His dying in my body bring life to me? Wouldn't that rob me of energy? Wouldn't it cause me to always look back and never forward? Wouldn't that cause me to become so consumed with heaven that I am of no use here on earth?" The simple answer is, "No," for this is no ordinary death that Paul is describing. When Jesus died it wasn't the passing of earth to Heaven, but rather the coming of Heaven to earth.
"Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." John 19:11
At first these words that Jesus spoke to Pilate seem very strange. Jesus tells Pilate that his role in His crucifixion is not as bad as that of Caiaphas. "Caiaphas," Jesus tells Pilate, "is the greater sinner, even though you have made the final decision in this matter." This really is an unexpected judgement on the Judean Governor.
On the surface it seems that Pilate was the one that was most culpable for Jesus' death. After all, it was Pilate who passed the sentence. It was Pilate who chose the means of execution - the cross. He even tried to wash his hands of the whole thing. But, the Lord Jesus seems to be saying that there comes a certain point in wickedness when things are beyond the control of man. The seed that has been planted will surely sprout and grow into a tree. So here, standing before Jesus, Pilate found himself standing under that tree. He was now heir of the sinful decisions of those who had gone before him. No longer was it possible for Pilate to put a stop to this national sin. It would have taken a miracle to put a halt to the murder of Jesus.