“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” (Matthew 27:22 – 23)
Everyday people scream, “That’s unfair!”, “This is unjust”, “This ain’t right!” And they have a point, there are situations in our world that have never been fair, that have never been just, nor have they been right. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” While Bishop Desmond Tutu stated, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Living and growing up in the South, I’ve seen the unfairness, the injustice, and the unrighteousness. However, we must understand as Dr. King and Bishop Tutu, any type of injustice is wrong. It is not just a black/white, poor/rich, and male/female issue. It permeates our societies in every culture, every nation, and every people group. I find it interesting that you can go to the most remote of people groups in the world, and they practice injustice. Why? They are sinful people!
I find our verses interesting this month. As I read through them, I noticed that several days earlier many of these same folks were praising Jesus saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9 – 10) Wow, what a change! I’m sure we’ve never acted like that. (Honestly, I do it every Saturday during football season.)
Poor Pilate, he did everything in his power to release Jesus, but he could not. He realized that crucifying Jesus would be the greatest injustice ever. However, to keep the peace in Jerusalem, Pilate was forced to kill him, but he did attempt to wash his hands of the incident. Unfortunately, the guiltiness of Jesus’ crucifixion is one thing that water cannot wash clean.
As I pondered those verses, I realized that I wasn’t present to crucify Jesus, but I did crucify Him through my sin. It was as though I was in the crowd yelling, “Crucify Him!” It shook me. I was guilty of killing Jesus! Immediately, I asked forgiveness for my participation in His death. I thanked Him for His forgiveness, and I’m not guilty any longer because of Jesus’ shedding of blood and dying for me and all mankind. What a Savior! What a Lord!
As we move through the Lenten season to Holy Week and Resurrection Day, may we not forget that all of us stand guilty of putting Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Nevertheless, Jesus has paid the price of our sin through the shedding of His blood, His death, and His resurrection from the dead. AMEN! May all of you have a great Resurrection Day celebration in your local churches!
Until Next Month,
Bro. Lyle