“When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” (John 19:6-7 KJV).
Pilate the Roman governor of Judaea, went through the process of brutally scourging the Lord Jesus Christ to satisfy the religious Jews’ demand to punish Him. His aim was perhaps to gain their sympathy to avoid having the Lord crucified as he found Him to be an innocent Man. And, yet even as the Lord was mangled and beaten to the bones, the crowd still called for crucifixion, orchestrated by the religious priests. That’s how dangerous religion is, as seen in history’s dark crusades, movements, inquisitions, forced conversions and other religious malpractices. Here, blinded by their man-made doctrines, they called to crucify the Lord. This sadistic process of punishment on the cross was not only harrowing, but also designed to prolong the agony of pain and embarrassment into a days-long ordeal. What the religious crowd seeks here is not just death penalty, but a hateful, ugly death.
It is true that the Lord Jesus claimed to be the Son of God – and He is. The miracles and signs He performed validate His claim. He is who He said He is, the Creator of the universe. “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3 NIV). They accused Him of blasphemy for declaring the truth of who He is, disregarding the signs that were manifest. He transcended time by the sign of turning water into wine in seconds (John 2:7-8). Wine needs time to ferment from the sap of grapes and fruits, and not from water. The Lord Jesus transcended space by healing the centurion's son from a distance (John 4:49-53).
Now, in His risen glorified state, He is with us always in the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, we’ll never be alone, we’ll never be without help, and we’ll never be in want, as we believe and depend on Him in all things. We have His promise: “......... “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”” (Hebrews 13:5b-6 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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