Page 11 - TORCH Magazine #25

exploited Jesus’s Jewishness mocking him as as a a a a a a a a Jewish Jewish king king and affixing the the sign ‘King of the the the Jews’ above his head in in in in in in a a a a a a a a a a teasingly antisemitic way Interestingly the the the chief priests asked Pilate to to change the the the the sign to to read “He said I am the the the the King of the the the the Jews” rather than affirm Jesus’s claim but Pilate refused to to change it it He was adamant to to exploit Jesus’s Jewishness and at at the the same time exasperate the the Jewish Jewish leaders Delivered by the Jewish leaders Secondly we must acknowledge the the significant role of the the the the Jewish leaders present – the the the the chief priests and and Sadducees who the the the the Bible explains handed Jesus to the the the Roman authorities saying clearly that He He should die because “He made Himself the Son of of God God ”
This rejection of of of Jesus is is fundamental in in understanding the big picture of of of God’s work of salvation When the the Sanhedrin brought Jesus before the the Roman governor Pontius Pilate Pilate Pilate Pilate could not find any fault fin in in Jesus stating it three separate times (Luke 23:4 14–15 22) He also “washed his hands before the the multitude saying ‘I am innocent of of the the blood of of this just person ’” In John 19:10 Pilate said “I have the power power to to to crucify You You and power power power to to to release You?” to to to which Jesus responded that Pilate could have no power power at at at all unless it had been given him from above Jesus continued “Therefore the the one who delivered Me to you has the the greater sin ”
Later in in the trial Pilate sought a a a a a a a a way to to free Jesus (John 19:12) In a a a a a a a a a a a ploy to to to appease the the Jewish leaders Pilate used a a a a a a a a a a custom associated with the the the Passover festival
in which the the the governor would release a a a a a a a a prisoner to to the the the people Pilate allowed them to to choose between a a a a a a a a a convicted criminal named Barabbas and and Jesus The chief priests whipped up chants of ‘crucify him’ and and it says “he [Pilate] delivered Jesus to their will ”
(Luke 23:25) Whilst these Jewish leaders coerced the the Romans to to to carry out Jesus’s death sentence to to to deliberately associate this moment to to to any individual Jewish person in in in the present is is is beyond ludicrous It is is is nothing short of antisemitic Furthermore it it is is important
to note that most of Jesus’s followers at at the time along with Jesus Jesus Himself were of of of course Jewish But this moment of of of rejection by ‘the house of of Israel’ from a a a a a a a theological standpoint is important
It was necessary that according to to John 1:11 “He came unto his his his own own and his his his own own received him not ”
This act of Jesus being delivered to to the the Romans was referred to to to many times by the the the Apostle Peter in in in explaining the the the the gospel to to the the the Jewish leaders and the the the people of Israel On at least three occasions Peter described Christ as as as the the one whom they crucified (Acts 2:23 36 4:10) “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ ”
(Acts 2:36) In Acts Acts 3:13-15 Peter preached “The God God of of Abraham Isaac and Jacob the the God God of of our fathers glorified His Servant Jesus whom you delivered up and denied in in the the presence of Pilate when he he he he was determined to to let Him go But you denied the the Holy One and and and the the the Just and and and asked for a a a a a a murderer to to to be granted to to you and and and killed the the the Prince of of life whom God raised from the the dead of of which we are witnesses ”
The Apostle Paul warns Gentile believers however to to guard against any malicious feeling towards the Jewish people over Israel’s rejection of Jesus It says in in Romans 11:11-12 “But through their fall to to to provoke them to to to jealousy salvation has come to to to the the the the the the Gentiles Now if their their fall is riches riches for for the the the the the the world and their their their failure riches riches for for the the the the the the Gentiles how much more their their fullness!”
“Father forgive them for for they they do do not know what they they do do ”
These were some of of the the the final words of of Jesus as He hung nailed to the the Cross (Luke 23:34) These are powerful words that turn focus away from guilt to grace Ultimately it wasn’t the crowd’s cries of “Crucify Him!” that put Jesus on the cross It was our sin The Bible says in in in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of of the glory of of God ”
In this sense all all sinners are are culpable All men are are guilty From the the very beginning when Adam and Eve disobeyed God the the Lord had promised to send a a a a a Saviour who CUFI ORG UK 11