John 19:7-12

John 19:7-12 The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

The account of Christ's crucifixion reveals the essence of God's unfathomable love for his fallen creation: God's hands of mercy allow wicked men to bind Jesus; take him before Pilate; choose him for death over Barabbas; humiliate, scorn, and beat him. God's hands led Jesus to the slaughter to make a way where there was no way for mankind's redemption at greater cost to the godhead than we can comprehend. Neither the Jews nor the Romans killed Jesus. The ineffectiveness of Christ's earthly mission did not result in his demise. Father God gave his Son to save sinners. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9) Jesus in total obedience to his Father made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he (Jesus) humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:7-8) Our human understanding of love falls short: we do not understand God's love. We do not hold long in our hearts what know to be true: God is light. God is love. (1 John 1:5 & 4:8) Because of his great love for us, while we were lovers of the darkness and haters of his love, He was loving us and planning to send the Light of Heaven into this dark world. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10) God did not love us for what we were doing or what we could do: He loved us because He made us in his image and said it was very good! He longed not only to restore fellowship with his creation, but to adopt us into his family as his beloved children. We know the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:5-6 KJV) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1) This is grace love, God's love.

Through the eons of time, Father God held redemption close to his heart. The promised Messiah spoken of in numerous Old Testament prophesies stood willing as the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world (Revelation 13: 8) to go when the Father set his grace plan in motion. For example, Psalm 22 begins by foreshadowing Christ's agony on the cross and ends with his victory over sin for all people: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him — those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn — for he has done it. (Verses 1 &28-31) Likewise we see a clear foreshadowing of Christ's atonement when Isaiah sees the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Knowing he is unclean, Isaiah says, “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” A seraph touches his lips with a live coal from the altar, saying, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” Then Isaiah says in faith: I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (See Isaiah 6:1-8) We see a loving God continually seeking lost sheep, needing a Shepherd: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day." (Ezekiel 34:11-12)

Outside of God's mercy, mankind stands guilty for Christ's death, for we all have sinned, gone our own way, set upon doing our own will. Pilate, a powerful Roman ruler with soldiers to command, thought he reigned over the affairs of men on that day. The ultimate power did not lie in his hands: Pilate could not restrain treacherous mankind. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above." God's will encompassed the circumstances involving Pilate and everyone else. Yes, specific people and groups stood guilty of creating or taking part in situations and choices leading to Christ's death. They represent the players on the stage of life: Pilate, religious leaders, scribes, teachers of the Law, sarcastic soldiers, even the onlookers; but all of these persons were instruments in the hands of the God of the universe who ultimately controlled each scene, the entire tableau. He knew how they would choose and used their choices for his divine purposes. God's eternal will was done that day. For the joy that was set before him of seeing creation restored to fellowship with the Father, Jesus endured the cross because of God's great love for us. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, willingly bore the weight of our sin and shame that we might walk uprightly as sons and daughters of the Most High God. Now He is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, making intercession for us, perfecting us through the power of the Holy Spirit. (See Hebrews 12) Had God desired to stop the events of that day, He could have stayed the execution of his precious Son. He could have stretched forth his hand and said: Enough! But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5) allowed his lovely Son to go to his death on the cross because the story had a power ending. Up from the grave Christ arose! He arose in victory because God is Light and Love! Salvation remains his eternal grace gift. Walk in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit today, standing tall and strong through faith in him. Let his strength be your strength; let his love be your love. He is Lord of All; let him be Lord of YOU!