It is time.
No more delay. No more waiting. No more wondering. The time is now and the moment is upon you.
What will you do?
After a night of literal torture, Jesus stands before Pilate. Pilate knows he has done nothing wrong. Even Pilate’s wife begged him to have nothing to do with this Jesus because of a nightmare she had. Pilate questions Jesus, almost begging him to saying something – anything – to help himself. But Jesus’ answers are short and to the point: he was born to be and is King and nothing anyone says can change that.
Pilate was nearly beside himself with anxiety. He wanted nothing to do with condemning an innocent man to death. But there was nothing to do, it was execution or nothing. If it was between the death of this man and a potentially bloody (and embarrassing) riot, there was no contest.
So, the answer to the prayer Jesus prayed just a few hours before became clear. The cup would not pass, but God’s Will would still be done.
At this great distance of person, time and culture, we cannot tell what was on Jesus’ mind at that moment. All we know is this: he did not, until the last, give up on his mission. Whether it was blessing the thief crucified next to him, making sure his mother was taken care of after this death, or invoking God’s forgiveness on the bloodthirsty crowd, he stayed true to his calling until he breathed his last.
There is all manner of evil and cruelty today. People kill others for sport. Politicians fan hatred and division. Desperate people roam the world looking for a place of safety, peace and plenty. Human beings victimize one another and seek admiration for doing so. Children are subjected to appalling depravity. Taken together, it is little wonder some want to abandon hope and join in with the madness.
What will you do?
Blessings,
Robert
