What I Have Written

John 19:22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

For me this has been a Lent of evolved thinking about Pontius Pilate.  I have looked more closely at his role in the Passion of the Christ than at any other time in my life.  And the result has been an evolution in my thinking of his role.  He was for many years a villian. He was blamed for killing my Jesus.  His act, as bad as it may seem even after all these years was what was required to fulfill the will of God.  He was an instrument of God’s will.  I am not making any excuses or apologies for Pontius Pilate.  What I am doing is to look at his role in a different light.  As the Roman ruler of the area at that time, he delivered cruelty on a routine basis. Living under Roman rule was not a pleasant experience if you were a conquered people. And yet God chooses to use anyone to fulfill his will. The Old Testament is filled with examples of this concept.  What I find interesting, and the basis of this devotional are Pilate’s words captured in John 19:22. Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”  He is standing firm by what he as directed to be written on the sign over the cross of Christ. He is not backing down.  He is standing strong.  And his true purpose, lost in time, is eluded to in several verses of scripture.  He suspects the chief priests of being jealous of Jesus and they have brought Him to Pilate to be eliminated. Pilate’s wife cautions Pilate to have nothing to do with Jesus because of what she experienced in a dream.  Pilate asks Christ if He is a king and receives confirmation that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world.  And to answer all the above Pilate has a sign made to remind all who come to view the crucifixion that Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews.  A bold statement then, and a bold statement now.

            You and I are also called to make that very same statement each and every day of our lives.  1 Corinthians 16:13 reminds us to Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  We often encounter those in the world that wish to silence our declaration of Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews.  Some will go to great lengths to attempt to suppress what we hold to be the Gospel and the truth.  As believers we need to stand firm by our convictions and we also need to share that truth in love with others.  Angry words will not win hearts. But sharing the love, and words of Christ will.  We need to stand our ground and not back down when we declare our faith. It is one good take away from how Pontius Pilate acted during the Passion Week.

Prayer: Lord we are often called be be a strong witness for You. Our world would shut us down to hide from the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. Help to share the right words when they are needed. Help us to stand firm in our convictions, Amen