OUR LORD IN THE HANDS OF SINNERS

After Jesus had been arrested, He was put through trials in front of the  leaders of Israel and the Roman Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. Trying to appease the crowds who were calling for Jesus' death, Pilate ordered that He be flogged.

 Then, a crown of thorns was put on His head and He was draped in a royal robe so as to unrelentingly mock Him. They also struck Him on the face.The passage in John 19 verse 3 - 4 goes like this;

They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 

This grisly scene revealed a hateful, unseeing  attitude that was the exact opposite of a simple childlike faith. 

Faith in Jesus is understood to be accepting Jesus on the merits of hearing the good news of His provision for our salvation and feeling the truth of His words resonating in our hearts and thus believing in Him without even having seen Him. 

However, the text here  illutrates an attitude that was the exact opposite of faith. 

After Jesus had been subjected to harsh mistreatment, Pilate finalized the representation of Jesus with the declaration that he could find no basis on which to charge him.

So even though they saw Jesus in real life, hailed Him as king, and even placed a crown and a royal robe on Him and heard Him being publically declared to be without fault, the minds of men could not believe in the One who was sent to save all mankind.

Let us earnestly believe in our Lord who endured humiliation and brutalization at the hands of men who mocked him for being who He really was;

The King of Israel and Saviour of the world.

Amen.