Monday Meditation: His Final Days, Part 5: A surprising story
If I were concocting a narrative to convince the world to follow an unknown deity, it would read much differently than this one.
For starters, I wouldn’t depict a pagan, idol-worshipping governor as the one who saw nothing wrong with this god while his own people, God’s chosen, clamored for his death.
Instead, I’d show how evil reigned in the hearts of the godless while the religious folks begged for what’s right.
I’d depict this savior as a conquering, all-powerful hero, not a silent, defenseless victim.
But believers today know the events recorded in today’s passage only set the stage for God to do what he had in mind all along. Jesus knew it too, which is why even though he could have called legions of angels to rescue him, he simply waited for the inevitable to happen.
Death would come soon to Jesus, with suffering beyond imagination. But God’s power would not be quenched. We’ll see that in this space in coming weeks.
For now, let’s imagine Jesus standing before that seething crowd. Let’s look at Pilate, protecting himself by sending another to his death. Let’s consider that things don’t always work out the way a storyteller would imagine. And let’s thank God for his faithfulness and his providence, even when we can’t possibly see how he’s in the events of today to accomplish his ultimate will.
Read: John 19:1-16
Pray: Help me see what you’re doing in my life, Lord, even though the story I’m writing isn’t at all the one I wanted to tell.
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