This year for Passion Week, we focus our attention on the stations of the cross. We will recount the hours leading up to Jesus’ death and pause at 14 key moments of his suffering. By entering his suffering and death, we hope to understand more fully the depths of our sin as well as the immeasurable riches of God’s grace and love toward us in Jesus Christ.
Here is today’s devotional.
STATION III: Jesus tried before the Sanhedrin
Read: Matt. 26:57-68, Mark 14:53-65, Luke 22:66-71, John 18:13-14, John 18:19-24
STATION IV: Jesus Tried before Herod and pilate
Read: Matt. 27:1-2, Mark 15:1-5, Luke 23:1-22, John 18:28-19:15
STATION V: Pilate condemns Jesus
Read: Matt. 27:24-26, Mark 15:6-15, Luke 23:23-25, John 19:16
If there is one thing we can learn from Jesus’ trials before the Sanhedrin, Herod, and Pilate it’s that human religion and government have no need for Jesus. The same is true today. Jesus doesn’t fit neatly within the confines of religion or the systems and structures of government. But Jesus is not merely odd man out or incompatible. He is entirely unwelcome. His rule and reign is a detriment to the pyramids of power that both religion and politics wield over citizens of the world.
This is a common theme in Scripture. The first community that that defies God’s reign is the first family, Adam and Eve. Continue throughout the pages of Scripture and you’ll read about a corrupt society that God destroyed by flood waters. A few chapters later, you discover a city named Babel whose residents engineered a tower for purpose of glorifying humanity and dethroning God.
Psalm 2 echoes this refrain:
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ’Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:1-3).
There are countless other examples from Scripture that point to the humanity’s rejection of their Creator. But perhaps there is none more alarming and incriminating than the descriptions of Jesus’ trials in all four Gospels.
The very Word of God has come in the flesh. The one who created the world and all that is in it, both seen and unseen, has entered into the landscape that he constructed out of nothing. The clearest manifestation of God’s glory had visited them. He announced and authenticated his identity and mission to them through many signs and wonders. And he urged them to repent and believe. But still, they condemned their rightful Messiah and the rightful King to death. Ironically, the one who had come to condemn no one, but to offer them salvation (John 3:17).
And we are no different. Go ahead and read yourself into the story. We’re all there. In fact, here’s the last paragraph restated with “we” rather than “they”.
The very Word of God has come in the flesh. The one who created the world and all that is in it, both seen and unseen, has entered into the landscape that he constructed out of nothing. The clearest manifestation of God’s glory has visited us. He announced and authenticated his identity and mission to us through many signs and wonders. And he urges us to repent and believe. But still, we condemned our rightful Messiah and the rightful King to death. Ironically, the one who had come to condemn no one, but to offer us salvation (John 3:17).
All of us – the religious and irreligious, the political and nonpolitical – are culpable for our rebellion. We are a single, multigenerational society of old world order of God haters. And if not for God’s grace through Jesus Christ, we are in danger of God’s righteous fury. Jesus willingly suffered the consequences not only of your sin, but the sin of the entire world. Add to that, he was the most sinned against person in history. And no one came to his defense. And he didn’t defend himself either, or hurl insults in return for the lies and slander heaped on him. Instead he “continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” so that his sure plan would accomplish its intended results: “by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:22–24).
By the way, Psalm 2 ends with this statement of God’s grace to rebels. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Take refuge in Jesus!