Today’s passage is Luke 23:13-25. Jesus is taken to Pilate who finds him not guilty of any crime. Because Jesus is from Galilee, Pilate sends him to Herod, who also finds Jesus not guilty, and sends him back to Pilate. Pilate tries to free Jesus three times but he’s shouted down by the crowd who demand crucifixion for Jesus and the release of Barabbas, a convicted criminal. Pilate reluctantly agrees.
Why are Jesus’ defenders those in the highest authority, Pilate and Herod?
Why does the crowd ask for Barabbas and not someone lesser?
“He misleads the people” (14)
In today’s passage it is Pilate who accuses Jesus’ accusers.
He says they have lied about Jesus because both he and Herod find no substance in the accusations.
For Pilate, the heaviest charge against Jesus is that he mislead the people.
That crime belongs to the chief priests and rulers of Jerusalem who have mislead their people for centuries.
That crime belongs to Barabbas who mislead his followers into rebellion against the figures of authority.
Jesus mislead no one.
Just the opposite. He lead people to a right relationship with God and each other.
I am a misleader. I think my greatest crime is against myself for it was my pride that mislead me, lead me away from God.
The Lord blessed me with a good mind and a conscience, but I have ignored my conscience and let my mind rationalize my sins.
Today at my school there was trouble with a four year old boy and his five year brother.
They are moslem. They have no routine at home.
They receive no loving discipline.
They do whatever they want and are never corrected.
When they behave at school like that, they are in immediate trouble.
Because we are short-staffed, I had to look after one of those boys, who cried the whole time and kicked the floor.
I felt so sorry for him because his parents are training him for trouble, training him to selfish gratification of every whim that pops into his head.
I looked at this little boy and saw myself selfishly seeking my happiness by demanding my own way.
I saw myself as scribes and chief priests leading me astray.
I disobeyed my parents because I pridefully judged them as so inferior to me that to obey them or seek advice from them was to lower myself.
As a result, I became like the little boy today, demanding my happiness demanding my own way.
My disobedience led me astray.
I mislead myself into adultery and ill-considered marriage and then more adultery in pursuit of worldly happiness that only made me miserable and very unhappy, just like that little boy today.
We had to call his father to come and get him.
Mercifully, my heavenly father came and got me and pointed me to Wooridle.
Application: constrain myself with obedience to God’s rule and pursue holiness not worldly happiness.
Lord, let me seek to know myself through your word and repent of my self-misleading.
