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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion Friday, March 19, 2004 The Trial: We All Get in on The Act |
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FRONTLINE DEVOTION FOR FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2004, by Fritz Foltz
Bible text: Mark 14:53 - 15:15
During the Passion humans put God on trial. They arrested him, drew up charges against him, arraigned him at a preliminary hearing, and then brought God to trial.
The Jewish leaders charged Jesus with claiming to be the Messiah. When they take him to Pilate, they put this in terms Romans could understand. They charge Jesus as a king of the Jews. In other words, Jesus was charged and executed for being exactly who he really was: God’s person for whom the world waited, the Lord on whom we all depend for our redemption and salvation.
But the Jewish and Roman leaders saw this in political terms. Messiahs and kings started revolutions and overthrew governments. That meant trouble for them. They would lose their protection. They lose their prosperity. They would lose their power.
Jesus was dangerous. He might very well destroy the temple and all the old customs. In their eyes he might pervert the people. Jesus was dangerous. He might very well proclaim a truth that did not agree with that proclaimed by the Roman emperor. In their eyes he might be an enemy of the people.
Human nature is strange. One of the most important things we should teach our children as they grew older is that the founders of Western Civilization, Socrates and Jesus, were both executed for speaking the truth. Both were executed as enemies of the people.
But it was not only the leaders who thought Jesus dangerous. By the end of the trial everybody gets in on the act. The crowd begins yelling and almost turns the trial into a lynching. If the leaders do not want to speak the truth, the crowd does not want to hear it. “Execute him”, they call. In an effort to regain control, Pilate offers to include Jesus in the annual political release designed to placate the people during Passover. He will release one political prisoner.
The name Barabbas means “son of the father”. “Bar” is “son”. “Abba” is “father”. The crowd can elect for release either one barabbas or the other barabbas, either one son of the father or the other son of the father, either a man of peace or a murderer, either a man of truth or a man of lies, either God or mammon, either the true god or a false god. And the crowd chooses the false rather than the true God. They return a verdict of “guilty” against God and scream for his death. “Crucify him!”
The crowd represents us. We humans continue to put God on trial. We are constantly judging Jesus. We constantly reject him when his truth would forces us to change our minds. We find him guilty when we need an excuse for not following him. We judge him guilty if he does not give us power, let us have our way. We judge him guilty if he does not give us prosperity, let us have what we want. We judge him guilty if he does not give us protection; keep us safe and happy and healthy all the time.
“Why not?” we ask. “Why can’t we have it all? You are guilty, if you do not act like god is supposed to act, if you do act like the God we want”.
And Jesus remains silent, just as he did at his first trial. For after all, he has already made his case. It is now for us either to accept or reject him.
Let us pray: Loving Father, Grant us your Holy Spirit that we might give our hearts to your Son. When it is either/or, overcome our fears, pour your love upon us, and help us choose wisely. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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