Musings From the Gospel of John – Number 56

The Scripture verses covered in this post are from John 19:12-15 NASB, which read as follows:

“As a result of this, Pilate made efforts to release Him; but the Jews shouted, saying, “If you release this Man, you are not a friend of Caesar; everyone who makes himself out to be a king opposes Caesar!”

Therefore when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement—but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Look, your King!” So they shouted, “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 except Caesar.”

It’s interesting to note how the exchanges between Pilate and the Jewish leaders evolved. Originally the Jews demanded that Jesus be put to death because they considered Jesus had committed blasphemy, by calling Himself the Son of God and equal with God. Leviticus 24:16 refers. As the Roman Governor of Judea, Pilate was bound by Roman custom or agreement, to respect Jewish law. But now, the thrust from the Jewish leaders changes from the religious charge, to a political charge, which the Jewish leaders accomplished by drawing attention to the fact that anyone who makes themselves out as being a king, ultimately opposes Caesar. This shift would not have been lost to Pilate, because now his own loyalty to Caesar, was actually being called into question by the Jewish leaders. The Jewish leaders knew exactly what they were doing.

Pilate then had to decide between pressing his own personal sense of what was right, or putting himself in danger of accusation from Rome. Interestingly enough, Pilate does not give in at this point, but makes yet another plea to the Jewish leaders to look at their King. The Jewish chief priests respond by stating “We have no king except Caesar.”

This is not the first time that the Jews have rejected God as their king. God’s original intent, for Israel, is that God Himself would be their King, but the Jews rejected God being their King and asked to have one of their own, designated as their King. 1 Samuel 8 NASB refers. Please take the time to read this chapter in 1 Samuel. I find it kind of ironic, that during the time of the promised Messiah’s visitation, not only do they reject Jesus (God in the flesh) as their King, but the chief priests voice their allegiance to Caesar as being their sole King. And if one takes into account what happened in the past and then reads between the lines, the chief priests, speaking on behalf of the accusing Jews, were not far from the truth that they spoke. And then, after the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, many Jews did come to believe in and trust in Jesus, as their Messiah and the Son of God, but the nation of Israel, as a whole, under the continuance of the prevailing chief priests, still rejected Jesus. One – two – three times the Jewish nation as a whole, said no to God as their King. I find that indeed noteworthy.

More to follow.

Worthy is the Lamb! Blessings!