Lent Midweek - The Praetorium

+INJ+

He had the power to free Jesus. But he didn’t.

His name was Pontius Pilate. You speak his name every time you confess the creed; you cannot escape him. His name is cemented in the confessions of the Church.

But why?

Well, one of the reasons is quite simple: Pilate’s name reinforces the historicity of the Lord’s Passion.

Pilate is a real man who served as governor of Judea, and his name is written in the books of history. But like all leaders, he’s human, and by all accounts, Pilate was known to be a weak leader.

If you were to take a step back this evening, you can see how he wrestled within himself but ultimately gave in to the demands of the crowd. He had to be fearful when the crowds said,

“If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.”

But no amount of symbolic handwashing would free Pilate from his role in sentencing Jesus to death upon the cross. It does not work that way, and it was his words that rendered judgment upon Jesus.

And yet, here we are, back to the importance of words again.

The accusation against Jesus is that He is perverting or misleading the nation. Or that He is misleading the people.

And so, what does Jesus have to say regarding these accusations?

The Gospels say, “He answered not a word.”

It’s crazy; for the third week in a row, we travel with Jesus through His arrest and trial, and He answers not a word against the false accusations.

Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to crucify you, and I have power to release you?”

While Pilate is speaking here of earthly power and authority, one must remember the words of Jesus spoken this night as He says, “You would not have any power at all over me unless it had been given to you from above.”

But Jesus also said in John chapter 10,

No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10:18)

And so, why is Jesus silent throughout His Passion, even before Pilate?

For you. For the love of His Sheep, He is obedient to the will of His Father, so far as to take your place upon the cross and to lay down His life that you may live with Him eternally.

Now, there is great truth in the Proverb that says,

            Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
                        and those who love it will eat its fruits. (Proverbs 18:21)

Throughout this Lenten season, Pilate has rendered Jesus guilty and sentenced Him to death upon the cross. We have heard the crowds shout, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” The High Priests have arranged for false witnesses to speak about Jesus, while Peter used His lips to deny His Lord.

Our journey has revealed in many ways how,

Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (Proverbs 18:21a)

But we must also see how Pilate, the crowds, the High Priests and false witnesses, and even Peter are a reflection of our hearts and the words of our tongues as well.

Have you attempted to wash your hands of a particular situation in life? Failing to give aid to the falsely accused? You are Pilate.

Do you struggle with using your words for selfish gain, twisting the truth to help your position? You are the High Priests and false witnesses.

Is it hard for you to confess Jesus before your fellow man? You are Peter.

In all these ways, you join the crowds in yelling, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!”

And so it happens: Jesus is sentenced and led to the cross for you.

He takes your place.

As the Apostle Paul writes,

For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Or as Martin Luther wrote,

“That is the mystery which is rich in divine grace to sinners: wherein by a wonderful exchange our sins are no longer ours but Christ’s and the righteousness of Christ not Christ’s but ours.”

What a wonderful gift! Christ Jesus remains silent, even to the cross, to take your place, your sin, and your death into Himself and, in return, to grant you His forgiveness and life.

This is called the wonderful or great exchange. He takes your death and gives you His life.

He gives you His life.

So confess His life as you speak the Creeds of the Church, do not permit the inner turmoil of the heart to sway you, but confess with your tongue the name of Jesus - for in this name is the fruit of forgiveness and life everlasting. +INJ+