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by Sandy Shaw
In Luke Chapter 23 and at verse 24, Pilate caved in, and gave the people what they wanted. He is so weak. He is so spineless. He has no moral backbone, and just goes along with the critics of Christ Jesus and with the crowd.
In reality, it was not Jesus who was on trial. It was them! Jesus is going to the Father, admittedly by a very painful route, but it was essential. The sacrificial lamb has to be slain.
Pilate's pathetic actions, and Herod's rage, and the evil plans of the religious leaders, cannot stop Jesus Christ from fulfilling the will of the Father and doing His Saving Work.
You cannot stop Jesus. You cannot stop God.
Having read of the trial of Jesus Christ, in Luke 22,23, we read on at verse 26, which describes the crucifixion, and it is the cross which lies right at the very heart and core of our faith.
That political weakling, Pilate, gives way to the demands of the people, and anxious Herod must have this rival king killed, and the Jewish leaders want this troublesome Jesus out of the way, and then, things can return to normal.
But, that can never be, after a man has met Jesus Christ. After you have been confronted by the Lord Jesus Christ, a man can never be the same again, no matter how that man might react, by receiving or rejecting.
There are consequences, good and bad, wonderful and tragic. We have a man like Peter, or a man like Judas.
When you meet Jesus, it can never be as though you had never met Him.
The physically exhausted Jesus is led away to be crucified, along the narrow compacted streets of Jerusalem, and across the busy thoroughfare to the hill.
It has been a long 24 hours, very long, for Jesus.
He has been teaching, breaking bread and sharing that cup at the Passover Meal, praying and wrestling and struggling and battling in the Garden amidst the olive trees. Jesus has been betrayed, arrested, denied by one of his key disciples, put on trial, taken here and there, mocked, ridiculed, scourged and now they compel someone to carry his cross.
This is not very pretty. How did people ever come to present it as being respectable and dignified, like His birth? Why does man want to dress things up, and have them appear nice? Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, and now the real purpose of it all is about to be evidenced to the whole world who wishes to know and understand.
There are three most helpful words we use when leading people around these significant places in Jerusalem. They are Gethsemane, the Gabbatha (or Pavement) and Golgotha.
In Gethsemane, Jesus Christ prayed. At the Gabbatha, Jesus was on trial before Pilate, and today you can visit and walk on the very same excavated pavement slabs in the Via Dolorosa on the north side of the city of Jerusalem. And, on Golgotha Jesus Christ was crucified and shed his blood to wash away all our sin.
Those of you who preach and teach, take these three words beginning with the same letter and your people will remember what is so central and vital. Present your people with facts about Jesus Christ. Allow them to be confronted by the gracious loving rescuing and saving Christ. When we do our work, the Holy Spirit does His!
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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