Lenten Daily Devotional - Day 30 - Tuesday - 3/19/13

Devotional Scripture:  John 18:28-40

Devotional Thought:

"I find no basis for a charge against him." - John 18: 38

I once wrote a paper about Pontius Pilate back in my college days at Texas Wesleyan University (a very long time ago).

I wrote that I felt sorry for him.  I still do.

Here was a man who was smart enough . . . and powerful enough . . . who had all the right connections and influence . . .  and was politically adept enough to be the governor of a particular region of the mighty Roman Empire.

When this man said "JUMP!" . . . you were already in the air asking, "is this high enough?"

Actually, it would have been . . . "is this high enough, sir?"

Pilate asks Jesus the question, "Do you think that I am a Jew?"   

This is indeed a very interesting question from the man who had the type of job that required the "boss" to be an expert on the customs, politics and religion of the people he was governing. 

I believe that Pilate knew the entire event was a set-up.  "I find no charge against him."

He even goes out and tells the Jews that very thing . . . and as a result, he has the beginnings of a "staged" political riot on his hands.

What to do?  Stand up for the rights of a man who was not even a Roman citizen, or give the crowd what they wanted.   For Pilate, the situation may have had "no win" written all over it.

Turn Jesus over and debate with the Jewish leaders some othe day about "truth," or call for a Centurion and have his men "physcially" disperse the crowd during the time when there just happened to be more people in Jerusalem than at any other time of the year?

This is one of the those "rock in a hard place" type moments that all leaders must face at one time or another.

Faith sometimes requires us to make difficult choices in our lives . . . choices that can lead to confrontations.

As you continue to clear away and make straight your path to Easter . . . you may yet have such choices to make, or perhaps those choices have come already. 

Faith is not easy.  Doing what is right is not easy.  

Remember, Jesus had a choice, and he chose the cross.

What choices are you willing to make between now and Easter . . . which is only 11 days away?

God's grace still amazes me . . . ><>