John 18

So much drama and irony in this chapter. You would think Jesus is powerless during this event, but the Bible notes how Jesus willingly submits to His arrest. V4 says Jesus knew it was going to happen and even still, He volunteered, showing He was in control, not a victim. Jesus didn’t helplessly go to the cross, but deliberately. 

Another irony in this chapter is that it highlights those who are in power, but reveals they are all actually powerless and shameless. The Jewish leaders charged Jesus on the ground of blasphemy. Yet, Jesus says that he openly taught in the synagogues/temples and that anyone who heard Him would be able to attest to this (V 20). However, because the Jewish leaders had no legal authority to carry out an execution (V31), Jesus was reframed as a criminal. After the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to the High Priest, they brought Him to Pilate, essentially under the guise that He was claiming to be King (V 36-37) so that they could find a way to exercise execution. From there, we see that Pilate sidesteps the truth. Pilate finds no basis to charge Him with execution, but he chooses self preservation and he caves to showcase his authority. Somehow, a religious problem turned into a political crime..
 
Lastly, we see Jesus is the one on trial but the Bible exposes everyone else but Him. Peter falls under pressure, the Jewish leaders are manipulating justice, and Pilate compromises the truth knowing that there were no criminal grounds for execution. How ironic that Jesus was unjustly crucified so that others/we could be justified? While the earthly “kingdom” uses brute force, coercion, deflection/self-preservation, Jesus shows us that the real kingdom is anchored in truth, sacrifice and a deep, deep love. 

May we all love more. 


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