By: Juliet Constantine
"Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, 'Behold your King!'" (John 19:14)
At first, he could not sanction His death. Jesus did nothing wrong. He found no fault in Him. So, why did these people want their proclaimed King dead? The church leaders would have secretly assassinated Him if they could, if it was in God’s plan for them to do so. They hated the fact that they couldn’t kill Him privily without getting in trouble with their Roman government. They need the approval of the Romans and they knew exactly how to secure it. Even though their Roman Governor, Pilate, wasn’t in agreement with their evil accusation and plot to kill Jesus, his hands were politically ‘tied’. He wanted to save Him, to set Him free, but he thought the price was too high to pay. He could only say to the Jews, “Behold your King! In a selfish move to save face, he sent Jesus to His death!
Corruption is everywhere; although it is more evident in some societies than in others. Persons are favored more because of who know them than those whom they knew. Due to the partiality that exists, goods and services are sometimes not fairly divided or even given to those who need it most. Additionally, favored persons are sometimes placed in positions of trust for which they aren’t worthy or competent. When this happens, there is a certain behavioral code that governed the actions of the favored one. All fairness, decency and honesty take ‘back seat’ without ‘democratic voting rights’ in favor of what is required to be done to keep the position and save face. Corruption corrupts and its reach is far and wide.
And it can be found in our church too! It is possible that the church leaders of Jesus’ day bribed the people to shout: “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” It is unimaginable how five days earlier many of these same persons were a part of the multitude who crowned Jesus King. Many of them shouted “Hosanna!” Yet, five days later, the scene changed. Like Judas, with the bribe money in their pockets, and their unrealized hopes, they eagerly banded with the church leaders to kill Jesus.
Like Pilate, we too have decisions to make that will determine whether we are fair and honest; or if it was what is expected of us in order to keep our jobs; to keep the peace and save face. We too are expected to behold our King; and how we respond will weigh heavily on what we do with Jesus. Will we crucify Him again by the decisions we make against His will? Will we keep silent in the face of corruption because we are afraid that if we speak, we’ll lose all – even our lives? Could it be that we allow corruption to get by because we chose to gag our mouths in favor of a peaceful existence? Pilate could have taken a stand but he was a coward. What are you afraid of? Are you a coward? Oh no! You’re not!
Behold your King! He is counting on you to do the right thing. He is counting on you to stand up, to stand out and to be outstanding. You don’t have to be a governor to stand up. You don’t have to be a church leader to speak up. The only thing required of you is to truly behold your King. He will make all the difference. Now your vision will be: “Not I but Christ be honored, loved, exalted, not I but Christ, be seen, be known be heard. Not I but Christ in every thought and word. Friends, behold your King.
Oh my Father, thank You for the opportunity to see Jesus by faith. By beholding, we have become changed. Please lead and direct us in our decision making and help us not to allow corruption to mold us into its image. Please Father, grant us the courage to stand for You at all cost. Is our prayer in Jesus’ name, amen.
Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)
