Dear Christian friends:
It is terrible if a person is condemned and sent to prison
for a crime he did commit.
Our text tells of a greater tragedy. Not a mere innocent man,
but the holy Son of God. Not mistaken justice but deliberate
and planned. Pilate knew and the Jews knew Jesus was innocent.
But as we study this terrible deed more closely we know that
Pilate and the Jews are not alone in condemning Jesus. All the
motives of the Jews and Pilate are still working today in the
hearts of men hatred, prejudice, false accusations, envy, and
dishonesty.
These sins join men today to these men of 2,000 years ago.
These wicked motives also work in our hearts and lives. We must
constantly fight to keep them under control. So again we ask
Were You There When He Was Condemned?
First He was condemned by the Church. Now also the state
condemns Him. Pilate, the Roman governor admitted power to
free or kill Him. Pilate tried to escape His duty by washing
his hands. Pilate condemned Jesus because He didn't want to
disappoint the Jews.
If he disappointed them it may cost him his job. Pilate was a
coward. And because He was a coward He condemned the innocent
Son of God.
Have you ever been a coward and failed to defend Jesus or the
truth? You have? You were there with Pilate in condemning Jesus.
Pilate was not the only government to condemn Christ. For 300
years the Roman emperors condemned and crucified, burned and
fed Christian to the lions.
Today the red communist governments condemn Christ and his
followers. By laziness and indifference towards our own
government we may allow wicked men to get control of our own
government. If by such carelessness we let wicked men get
control of our government all the honest things that Christ
wants will be destroyed and that will hurt the church and the
work of Christ's kingdom.
Without thinking we may become guilty of condemning Christ
and the things He wants. This should remind us not to be
silent at anytime or do nothing, because by our silence and
doing nothing we give help to all who wish to condemn Christ.
Next Tuesday you have the duty and right to vote for good and
honest government. Study the men and issues carefully and then
go and vote. If you stay home and do nothing you will be
helping the crooks to get control and Christ's cause will be
hurt.
Look again here and you see also the common people joining
with the government to condemn Christ. Pilate washed his
hands of Jesus' blood and the people shouted: "His blood be on
us and on our children." Truly a terrible thing they said!
Why? The chief priests and elders of the Jews went around
persuading the people. They let others do their religious
thinking for them. Common mistake. Jesus warns against it.
Once he asked: "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And
then asked them, "Whom say ye that I am? (Matthew 16:13&15)
We must know Him ourself and not only listen to what a few big
shots may say or think. The Bible is our authority and proof,
not man's word, but God's.
Christians sometimes believe a certain thing because parents
or church or pastor teach it. The teaching may be correct, but
teachers are not the foundation of faith. Our religious thinking
or faith must be established solidly on the real foundation, the
writings of the Apostles and prophets, and God's Word.
Remember the common people in Pilate's court condemned Christ
because they listened only to men and failed to study the
Scriptures.
Thus if we fail to read our Bible and study as we do in Bible
Class we may listen to other men and ignorantly condemn Christ.
When we look back and see how little we read and study our
Bible, we must confess that we often are ignorant and therefore
are in danger of ignorantly condemning Christ.
We must honestly confess that we were there when Pilate the chief
priests and the Jewish people condemned Christ. If we don't confess
it; He cannot be our Savior. But if we confess our sins, He is true
and will forgive us all our sins. Then we can say with St. Paul:
"He loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Here we see Jesus get condemned so that we can escape God's just
condemnation against us. We are the ones worthy of condemnation and
damnation, but here we see the Holy Son of God patiently suffer that
without complaint for us and all men.
How can we explain this wonderful love? We can't it is beyond our
understanding. But we ask, "Can we make up for our sins that hurt
Him so very much?" The answer is No! You never can. He has made
good for us or paid for us. We will always be indebted to Him.
But there are ways we can show our thankfulness. First watch and
pray that we do not condemn Him again. Second, be patient and
forgiving to those who criticize and condemn you and judge you
wrongly or unjustly. General Robert E. Lee's answer to the
president of General Whiting. The Christian like Jesus when he
is condemned falsely will not seek revenge and condemn back.
Also we can show our love to Jesus by defending others who are
unjustly condemned. That is the real test of our love for Christ,
namely our love for others. No matter how much you say you love Christ
it means nothing until you prove it by loving other people. If
you don't love people, you don't love Christ either. Jesus loves
people! The same way you will, if you really know and love Him.
So as we see Jesus condemned for our sins, let us love Him
and try to be more loyal to Him and all men.
Amen.