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John 19 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

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  Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
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  Testament. In each episode, we take just a
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  few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New Testament,
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  exploring the truths God is teaching us through His Word and
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  expanding our view of who He is. Before you listen, make sure
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  you've gone straight to the source, either by reading
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  today's chapter of the Bible yourself or listening to today's
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  read along episode in this podcast feed.
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  If you haven't done that yet, feel free to pause and do that
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  now. When you're ready, let's dive
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  into God's Word together. In John chapter 19, we read the
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  fourth and final Gospel account of the crucifixion of Jesus
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  Christ in the custody of Pilate. Jesus is mocked, scourged, and
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  physically and verbally abused multiple times throughout this
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  ordeal. Though Pilate indicates that he
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  can find no guilt in Jesus, he is however, swayed by the Jews.
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  They cry out, crucify, crucify. And when Pilate tries to hand
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  Jesus back over to the Jews for them to do with him what they
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  please, they answer saying we have a law, and by that law he
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  ought to die because he made himself out to be the Son of
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  God. Pilate is struck by an even
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  greater fear of the people. He can see and hear that they
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  want to see Jesus killed, and eventually he relents to their
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  wishes. At first glance, it would appear
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  that the Jewish leaders in the Roman government have ultimate
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  authority in Jesus arrest and trial.
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  It would appear that they have the upper hand, that he is
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  subject to their will and to their power.
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  We know, and the Bible makes very clear, that this is not the
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  case. Listen to the exchange between
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  Pilate and Jesus in verses 8 through 11, after the Jews have
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  called for the death of Jesus. It says.
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  Therefore, when Pilate heard this statement, he was even more
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  afraid, and he entered into the praetorium again and said to
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  Jesus, Where are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer.
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  So Pilate said to him, You do not speak to me.
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  Do you not know that I have authority to release you, and I
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  have authority to crucify you? Jesus answered, You would have
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  no authority over me unless it had been given to you from
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  above. For this reason he who delivered
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  me to you has the greater sin. Pilate tells Jesus that He is
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  the one in authority. He has the power and the
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  jurisdiction to release Jesus or to order him to be crucified.
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  Jesus understands the deeper truth, though.
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  The human political authority that Pilate possesses has been
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  granted to him by God. Romans 13 one, in telling us to
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  submit to governmental authority, says this.
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  Every person is to be in subjection to the governing
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  authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and
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  those which exist are established by God.
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  There is no authority except from God.
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  God granted Pilate his position. He allowed him to have political
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  power. The authority he possessed was
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  not earned or owned, but on loan from the omnipotent God of the
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  universe, the very God who stood before him in human form, Jesus
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  Christ. Proverbs 21 verse one says the
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  King's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord.
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  He turns it wherever he wishes. God is over all things.
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  He possesses the ultimate power and authority over all
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  governments, leaders, and nations, as He possesses it over
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  every molecule of his creation. So why make this distinction?
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  Why does it matter whether Jesus has the authority or Pilot does
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  in this moment? We know he's going to the cross
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  either way. Well, it matters immensely
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  because if Jesus is the ultimate authority, and he is, then his
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  life is not being taken from him.
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  He's not surprised by this outcome.
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  It's by design. It's by choice.
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  He is laying down his life. This is an execution, yes, but
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  more than any other execution could ever be, this is a
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  sacrifice. The King of the universe is
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  laying down his life for the very ones who are trying to take
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  it from him. This is our Savior, and this is
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  his love. That, as Romans 58 says, But God
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  demonstrates his own love toward us, and that while we were yet
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  sinners, Christ died for us.