Pearls from the Cross 92

Pilate is considered a man who didn't act responsibly when Jesus was given to him by the Jews. When he talked with Jesus, he immediately understood there was no basis or reason to crucify him. When he heard the Jews say, "He claimed to be the Son of God" (In Verse 7, Chapter 29 from Luke), he was even more afraid to kill Jesus. He took Jesus out with the crown of thorns and went out to the crowd and asked, as in verse 15, "Shall I crucify your king?" For that, the chief priest answered, "We have no king but Caesar." How pitiful it is. It was very true that the people of God were led by blind men who can't see the truth before them. They denied Jesus the king and crucified him. And they willingly surrendered to Caesar, who is their real oppressor and enslaving them. I wonder what these priests were reading when they read about the prophecies on the Messiah. They had their own idea about redemption and wanted to have their own way in getting their Messiah, not the real Messiah. In the Old Testament, we can see the people of Israel rejecting God to be their king and wanting a man to rule them as a king. They wanted to be a normal nation ruled by a man, not a supernatural nation ruled by God. What do we desire today? A normal life ruled by our own wishes or a life supernaturally submitted unto the King of Kings' rule? Only there lies the real freedom. Are we still saying the one who is ruling the world is the king of our lives, like how the Jews then said? By saying so, we are subjecting ourselves to bondage and slavery. Are we letting Jesus be our king? Are we opening our eyes to the word, to the prophecies, and are we meditating and reading it to understand the truth in it? Or are we simply letting our own small understanding, egos, or self-desires drift us away from God? It is of no use for the priests to be priests if they are not able to recognize their true king. Even when they denied God, Pilate wrote, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," over the cross of Jesus. Pilate refused to change it as he was asked to change, as Jesus claimed to be the King of Jews. God even used Pilate to proclaim that Jesus is the King of Jews. May we not wait to hear from our enemy Satan to reveal that Jesus is the real king. But may we willingly submit unto His kingship.

Dear God, be the king over our lives. We confess that we have no king over our lives but Jesus, the Lord alone. May we have open eyes to see your glory. May we have a clear vision to see your plan for us in faith. May we never willingly submit under any worldly power (that is from the evil one) when you are our king. May we live a life of freedom by submitting under your rule. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.