Jesus and His Choice to Die
I am amazed at the interaction between
Jesus and both Pilate and Herod in Luke 23.
Herod wanted to see Jesus because He wanted to see a sign. Pilate – being a Roman – would have been
naturally interested in seeing some supernatural display as well. If Jesus wanted to prove to either of these
men that He really was the Son of God, he more than likely had a willing
audience! He could have done some
supernatural display and not only proven His identity but also that He was
worthy of being followed. One little
supernatural display and He could have gotten out of it. He had a ready-made audience!
But Jesus does not. He doesn’t for two very good reasons. First, God had called Him to die. God had not called Him to set up an earthly terrestrial
kingdom; God had called Him to die. A
supernatural display at this point would thwart God’s plan, and that would be
sin. So Jesus does nothing; well, Jesus
does nothing but die, that is.
But there is a far deeper understanding
here than simply “follow the plan of God.”
If Jesus were to give some grand supernatural display, then Herod and
Pilate might follow Him. But they would
be following Him for all the wrong reasons.
They would be following Him because He would have the ability to rise up
in power and gain control. They would be
following Jesus for what temporal things Jesus could offer them through some
supernatural display.
Jesus – and God – is not interested in
being followed for temporal reasons.
Jesus and God are not interested in our worship when the reason we are
worshipping them is because of what we want in this world. God wants our worship only when it is based
on our genuine relationship with Him.
God wants the worship of a people who acknowledge their sinfulness and
realize that God’s forgiveness and His gift of eternal life with Him is far
more significant than any temporal gift that He might give to us.
In the end, Jesus gives Pilate and
Herod the same choice we all have.
Follow the crucified Lord and receive the forgiveness of your sins. Mock the crucified Lord and receive all that
the world has to offer. But it is a
decision that is based on faith – or lack thereof – not some supernatural
display of power.
In many respects, think about the
disciples. When they were called they
came because of what Jesus said, not what He did. True disciples follow the call of the Lord to
come and die to themselves rather than the human desire to tap into some
supernatural power to be used for temporal means.
Pilate
Luke’s Gospel appears to give Pilate a
“pass” on guilt, but we shouldn’t be too quick to make that determination. The emphasis in the text is that “the people”
shouted for Jesus’ death. Remember that
Pilate has gathered together not just the religious elite but also “the
people.” Granted, the religious elite in
Jerusalem had no doubt stirred up the people against Jesus. But it is nonetheless the people who do the
shouting.
The symbolism is profound. The people – humanity – shout for Christ’s
death. When human nature is left to its
own devices it rejects Christ. But human
nature can be swayed by human leadership to not just reject Christ but to
denounce Him and call for the death of God.
That is what Luke is saying here. Luke is not commenting so much on Pilate’s
innocence but rather on the ability for human nature to be so roused up against
God so as to cry for the death of God.
That is the thirst for blood against God that Jesus knew was about to
begin. And so it has. Human nature is easily pulled into an all-out
rebellion against God.
Path to the Cross
The path to the cross is filled with
lament and scorn. The soldiers grab
Simon of Cyrene and force him to carry a burden that is not his to carry. Women and other followers lament over Jesus’
condemnation. One criminal cries out a
selfish plea to Christ to be saved.
It’s amazing how close – literally –
one can be to the moment of salvation and still be a self-monger, eh?
Another criminal laments over Jesus’
unjust trial and execution. As human
nature reveals its true ugliness, the follower of Christ has no reason to
continue in celebration. Human nature is
ultimately something to be mourned.
Then Jesus dies.
He dies.
A righteous man who didn’t deserve to
die, who did nothing but speak truth on this world, who did nothing but show
love – even tough love to the Pharisees, who wanted nothing more than to reveal
God to humanity … He dies. I know that
such an act is an act of love and it is salvation come to mankind. But does this not also evoke anger? Not anger at the Romans – or even the Jews –
but anger at me! He dies for me. He dies because I needed Him to die. Thanks be to God, wretched man that I am.
The Only Way to Live
And as Jesus dies, He shows the only
way to follow Him. He shows the only way
to live. He shows the way out of the
self-loathing that comes with the true recognition of why Jesus had to
die. Jesus says, “Father, into Your
hands I commend my spirit.” Jesus shows
that eternal security is only found in the hands of the Father.
You won’t find eternal security in
books on magical fiction and teenage paranormal romance. You won’t find it in technology. You won’t find it in the love of any other
human being. You won’t find it in “being
a good person.” You won’t find it in
education. You won’t find it in
wealth. You won’t find it in
entertainment. You won’t find it in
popularity or popular people. You will
only find eternal security when you die to yourself and commend yourself to the
Father. You will only find true eternal
security when you give up your human aspirations and your human choices and
instead pursue the ways of the Father.
Even in death – especially in death! –
Jesus points us to true life.
Whoever does not take up his cross and
follow Christ is not worthy of Christ. [Matthew 10:38]
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