Saturday, November 8, 2014

The Greater Sin


John 19:1-11

So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, "Hail King of the Jews!" and they struck Him with their hands.

Pilate went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him." then Jesus came out, wearing the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!" 

Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, the cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." the Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God."  therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?"  But Jesus gave him no answer. 

Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have the power to crucify You, and power to release You?" Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin."


What Jesus had to endure. And He endured out of love. What we must endure also, out of love, in love and forgiveness.

My mind is focused on forgiveness. Jesus pleaded, as we will see later, with the Father that He forgive those who hated Him and those who were a part of His death. They did not know what they were doing. They did not know or believe that Jesus was Who He said He was as is evidenced here by the Jews.

The greater sin. Here the greater sin was a Jew handing over Jesus to the Roman authority because they failed to believe Him, thought Him blasphemous and wanted Him killed. But there was also a greater sin in Genesis in the Garden, which sin caused this incident to take place. It was part of God's plan of salvation after that Garden incident. Man sinned, has sinned ever since. Will continue to sin...and for that reason Jesus had to die. He had to die by the hands of both Jew and Gentile (anyone not Jewish) that the words all mankind would be fulfilled. (1Corinthians 5:15, Romans 5:8,18, 6:32)

Pilate was guilty because he did not find fault with Jesus yet punished Him. The Jews were guilty because they did not believe Jesus' claim to be their Messiah and they handed Him over for Roman crucifixion. My mind can't grasp the minute details of all this. I know He had to die for my sins and yours. I know that, as Jesus stated here to Pilate, it was the power of God that was bringing all this about and nothing would stop it. It's why Jesus had nothing to say. It had to be. No excuse. God's plan must take place.

When we are looked upon as different because we believe in the gift and power of salvation in Jesus Christ alone, when we remain strong in those beliefs, when we are looked upon as intolerant because we believe what the Word of God says is right and true and believe the sins He points out in His Word are not something we can ignore, we must endure also. We must ask the Lord's forgiveness for those against our beliefs...and for forgiveness when we struggle with their beliefs.

If we do not believe what God says is true, we are His enemies. It's why we need Jesus...to understand what is truth. It's a struggle to constantly remember they know not what they do in regard to those who do not know the truth. It's an area where I need help.

2Corinthians 5:11,13,15,21 - Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ...He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 

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