The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – John 19:5-16 (day one)

Join us as Senior Pastor Chris Johnson, Associate Pastor Aaron Hufty, and Associate Pastor Bryan Richardson walk us through  John 19:5-16 in our Winter Re:Verse Series: “The Beauty of Restoration” The Final Days of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

Re:Verse passage – John 19:1-5 (day seven)

“Hail, King of the Jews!”

The actions of the Roman soldiers in this passage makes me believe that this was not the first time they had quelled a “rebellion.” Their actions were swift and rehearsed. Their props were ready and nearby. The goal was to make the “king” appear weak and defeated in hopes that his followers would scatter.

“Behold, the Man!”

Pilate hoped this would be sufficient for the crowd. He thought he could present Jesus as a defeated king. He thought they would have sympathy and be satisfied by Jesus’ scourging. He thought it would end there.

Could it have ended there? Sure… all Jesus would have had to do was claim He was not the Messiah. If He stood before the religious leaders, a defeated king, and admitted His defeat and rebutted His claims, He probably could have been freed. Yet, Jesus stood His ground. He was the Messiah, He is the King and He will not be defeated. The battle has just begun!

PRe:Verse passage – John 19:1-5 (day six)

The King of Moab had commissioned Balam to curse the Israelites, but God wouldn’t have it; instead he couldn’t help but bless them. (Numbers 22-24)

The words spoken in these five verses accomplish the same thing. While the soldiers intended to mock Jesus, they proclaimed him king. While the religious leaders, declared him guilty, Pilate couldn’t help but proclaim his innocence. And when he finally presented Jesus to them, he unknowingly prophesied “Look, here is the man,” a veiled reference to his incarnation.

Jesus is the true Israel; faithful and righteous.

And by his stripes we are healed.

PRe:Verse passage – John 19:1-5 (day five)   What do you notice about Pilate in this narrative?  There is unrest in his actions. There is a frantic undertone to his words. There is tension and angst in his decision making. He is caught in the shallow and unstable influence of the world- his position, his power, and his own wisdom and authority.  A visible case-study for seeking the pleasures and treasures of this world.

“The spiritual man (Jesus) is the free man,  and the man who is committed to the things of this world (Pilate) is the man who is (caught) in bondage”.- R Kent Hughes

Want peace and courage in the middle of tension and crisis?  Want strength and assurance in the middle of hardship?  Look to the Lord!  Seek His perspective and presence!  He promises to help us and walk with us through struggles, pain, and suffering!!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭8‬

Re:Verse passage – John 19:1-5 (day four)

In the passage we read last week, Jesus finally claims his kingship for the first time. “You say correctly that I am a king,” Jesus says. It’s not until this moment that he verbally claims that title. And how does the world respond? We get a glimpse of that this week: they mock him, they beat him, they reject him. The truest king to ever live finally claims his title, and the world can only scoff at him, blinded by sin at the glory before them.

There were times before this when if he had claimed to be king, he would have been carried on people’s shoulders, had the red carpet laid out for him. In the moments where he would have been treated like royalty, he says nothing of his kingship. But now, after having been betrayed, accused, thrown into the hands of an unjust ruler, when no good could come of it, he says it plainly: I am a king.

The soldiers meant only to mock him, but his mock coronation testifies to the truth that he is the one true king, and that his death will actually be his hour of glory. They meant to degrade him, but they unknowingly affirmed his eternal reign. The stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone – here in this very moment.

Re:Verse passage – John 19:1-5 (day three)

“Pilate then took Jesus and scourged Him.”

When did Jesus bear on himself all the sins of the world? The bearing of those sins culminated with his death on the cross. But prior to that, the soldiers mocked him and beat him and tortured him with thorns. Prior to that, Pilate scourged him. Prior to that, he was assaulted about the face in front of the high priest. Prior to that, Peter’s denial occurred within earshot. Prior to that, he was handed over to the authorities in history’s most infamous betrayal. Prior to that, his hometown rejected him. Prior to that, many followers turned away from him. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, says the prophet. When did Jesus bear on himself all the sins of the world? When did he ever not do so?

Re:Verse passage – John 19:1-5 (day one)  Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him.” vs. 4

This isn’t leadership; this is cowardice. We must ask ourselves, however, how often we make similar choices. Making someone else make the call when you know the right thing to do doesn’t get you off the hook. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing, but there are many times when doing the right thing will force us into a difficult position. Pilate was unwilling to put himself in that kind of political maelstrom, and if we are honest his decision is one we make time and time again. Faced with a choice to be ridiculed and hated is never easy, and each situation has nuance, but I would posit that more often than not we choose a path that causes us the least amount of friction. Perhaps we can re-examine Pilate’s choices and prayerfully consider which path to take the next time we are confronted with a choice.

Re:Verse passage – John 18:33-40 (day seven) 

“I find no guilt in Him. But…” vs 38-39

Why the need for the “But” Pilate? If you found no guilt in Him, then why didn’t you let Him go free?  If you thought He was innocent, then why did you offer Barabbas? If He was no threat to your kingdom, then why did you give the people the one person who did try to overthrow your kingdom? Why were you a coward Pilate?

I guess you wanted the easy way out. You thought you could bring Him before the crowd and they would surely choose a king over a criminal. You wanted to do the right thing and not have to suffer the consequences, so you took the cowards way out and continued to cower all the way to the cross. All this because you thought it would cost you power. You knew Jesus was innocent. Why didn’t you stop it?

Leaders do not cower. Leaders do not look for the easy way out. Leaders do the right thing… even if it costs them everything!

Re:Verse passage – John 18:33-40 (day six)

His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. ²⁹ So Pilate, the governor, went out to them…John 18:28b-29a

The Apostle John captures significant drama for us in this narrative. The religious leaders, worried about being defiled, especially in light of the Passover festivities, where unwilling to risk missing out by entering Pilate’s courtyard. This forced Pilate to go out to them several times in the process of questioning Jesus and rendering a verdict. Between chapters 18 and 19 Pilate alternates at least six times between Jesus and the religious leaders.

John is intent on capturing more than drama, but aims to illustrate that Jesus is a whole world problem. He more than a Jewish problem, or a gentile problem; the whole world is intertwined in its culpability. Furthermore, the whole world must respond to the Truth; it has no choice.