Read John 19:12-15. Circle the word(s) that stand out to you. What is the Lord saying to you?
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.
“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
Reflections on the Word.
There are some situations when it is a “lose-lose” proposition. It’s a no-win situation and we don’t want to be responsible for the decision. We want to defer the decision to others and let them take the responsibility of the consequences.
Pilate’s hand was forced. He had to decide quickly given the frenzy state of the crowd and the possibility of riot or worse insurrection. So, he deferred the decision to the crowd, or so he thought. “But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered” (NIV).
Was freeing this innocent man whom Pilate declared as their king worth the risk of a riot and the disdain of the Jewish leaders? Pilate really believe that Jesus was their king or someone greater, or did he want to confront the religious leaders on their belief of who Jesus was?
The chief priests gave a unified resounding answer, “We have no king but Caesar.” Pilate knew that their loyalties were not to Caesar as their king. The Jewish nation despise the occupation of Rome, but the chief priests despised Jesus even more. They wanted him dead! They declared that they would rather have Caesar rule over them than this man. A man who had only done good things for Israel. I wonder if Pilate had the question in his heart and mind, “Why do they hate this man so much?”
In our world, we are given two choices as to who will be our ruler: Jesus or “Caesar.” Many people would choose “Caesar” over Jesus no matter their age, ethnicity, social-economic status, education, or political affiliation. They would declare “God” being dead over the possibility of His existence. It’s having a mindset of anything other than Jesus. While people can compromise with “Caesar,” be assured that Jesus won’t compromise with us!
What are our reasons why we want “Caesar” or Jesus to rule over us? What are our objections to one or the other? Is this world better than Jesus or is Jesus better than this world? Who or what would you declare as your king? An honest answer to these questions reveals much about ourselves and how we live our lives. Take a moment and give serious consideration to these questions.
-Kingston