Subscription Lists
God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
I looked out onto the street, I saw a mob of people heading to my palace. “Oh, no. Here comes a crowd of soldiers with that man Jesus. A lot of the Jews follow Him.”
They could not enter my palace; if they did the Jewish Law would say they were unclean. Then they would not be able to partake of their Passover Feast. I had to go out to them. If I didn’t take care of this properly, my superiors in Rome would send someone to replace me and I would have to go back to Rome or worse.
These people did not care about this man Jesus. In my conversation with him, he said this was the reason he was born. He said he was a king and he was here to testify to the truth. This stunned me, I found myself asking, “What is truth?” I found no reason to charge him. I did not find him guilty of anything of which the crowds accused him.
I offered to let him go in exchange for another criminal. It was the custom for the governing authorities to release one being held in custody. The crowd said no, they wanted Barabbas, a rebellious thug, freed. I had a job to do. If I let Jesus go, it would mean my post. I’d get called back to Rome and would be at my superior’s mercy.
I had no choice. I ordered this Jesus scourged. The soldiers mocked him and his claim. After they mocked him. I brought him out before the crowd again. The moment the chief priests and the scribes saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” I declared I found no charge against him—in my sight, he was innocent. I told them they could take him and crucify him themselves. I wanted no part in this.
Those Jews were hard to deal with; they wanted this Jesus dead. They claimed they had a law saying he must die because he has claimed to be the Son of God. I went inside again and questioned this Jesus. He chose not to answer. His not speaking frustrated me. He seemed unconcerned even though I had the power to either let him go free or crucify him. He told me any power I had, came from above. And those who had handed him over were guilty of a greater sin.
I tried very hard to give him back to the Jews but they didn’t want him. They wanted him crucified. I had no recourse. I had to do as they insisted. I believed he was speaking the truth- he was the Son of God. During these proceedings, my wife sent a messenger to me. She had experienced a sleepless night. Her message to me was not to bring harm to this Jesus.
Three times I told the Jews of Jesus’ innocence. I couldn’t understand why these people wanted to kill him. But, they could make trouble for me with my superiors in Rome. I was desperate, I HAD to do as the crowd wanted.
Rate it:
Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "God's Words For US" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.