Dear Faith Family,
If we are going to make running into Jesus a regular habit, as we encouraged one another to begin to do last week, it might be a good idea to consider what we'll do when Jesus shows up and shows off. While the "WWJD" bracelets got us thinking about what Jesus would do, the real question of faith is, what will I do with Jesus? But I guess "WWIDWJ" doesn't quite roll off the tongue in the same way!
As Chaz led us to consider on Sunday, the first thing we must do when we encounter Jesus is make a judgment call. Playing off of C.S. Lewis's famous "Liar, Lunatic, Lord" trilemma, Chaz encouraged us to answer the question Jesus asked His apprentices, "Who do you say that I am" (Matt. 16:13). Do we judge the Jesus we meet in Scripture and throughout our day as mad man, a bad man, or God? Jesus wouldn't let His friends dismiss Him as sage, teacher, or prophet; He doesn't let us either.
Let's say for the sake of argument that you say Jesus is Lord, is God. He's more than a voice like Jimmy Cricket trying to steer you in the right way, and He's more than a wise man providing you proverbs and principles by which to stay on the way. Jesus is, as He said, "I am" (Jn. 18:5,6,8). Okay. Now what? What do we do when "I AM" shows amid the tensions of our daily duties? Now, that is the question Pilate's story (Jn. 18:28 - 19:16) confronts us with!
As Chaz walked us through on Sunday, the story shows Pilate literally judging Jesus, working his way through the possibilities of Jesus' lunacy and deception to the potential of His other-worldly personage. However, Pilate's story isn't told to walk us through this universal experience with the living God, but rather to confront us with the universality of the human response to Jesus we judge.
Pilate is like us. He sees resolution to issues through power and truth as convenient to the moment and a good life as a matter of practical decisions. To a person like us, it really doesn't matter who we judge Jesus to be; what our conviction compels us, "From then on Pilate sought to release him" (Jn 19:12). What matters is, will keep what we have or will we give our lives for His?
Pilate ran into Jesus amid his daily duties, judged Jesus rightly, and chose to keep his life rather than risk what was his for the sake of Jesus. Ultimately, like us, the external pressures and internal desires outmuscle the spirit within, and we end up "washing our hands" of what Jesus is doing in this place of ours.
Perhaps Pilate's plight was inevitable, destined to deliver Jesus over to the death that changed the world; after all, Jesus said his crucifers "knew not what they do" (Lk. 23:34). Perhaps Pilate's plot was not finished, maybe his journey of faith not concluded, after all, he is venerated as a saint in the Coptic Church. Regardless of how we view the person, Pilate, and the role he played, his most detailed (literally) run-in with Jesus compels us to consider: What will I do with Jesus? Just a warning: doing anything other than "washing our hands of this" (Matt. 27:24) will cost us more than we thought, though we'll gain more than we can imagine.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
(Matthew 16:25)
Love you, faith family! God bless.