November 3, 2023

Authority Is Limited

(Some information may be too graphic for small children)

“So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’” John 19:10 (NASB)

            When I was young, my parents took me to Dachau. Dachau is the site of a former Nazi WWII, Concentration Camp. It housed thousands of Jews who were sentenced to death during the end of WWII. At 12 years old, it left a striking image in my mind. During our camp tour, we went into the gas chamber rooms where thousands met their death. The chamber still had scratch marks on the walls from the victims. The chamber was constructed after German soldiers nearly ran out of ammunition executing Jewish prisoners. Some trees had to be cut down because of the damage to the limbs from hanging their victims. After that, we went to the oven buildings where the bodies were cremated after the victims were murdered. As we exited the camp after a pretty traumatic day, I saw a sign that faced inward to those who went to work each day from the camp. It read Arbeit Macht Frei. Translated from German, the sign reads, “Work Sets You Free.” Obviously, the prisoners were never to be set free. Their captors had no intention of releasing them. They had total authority over their lives and deaths. Later in WWII, many prisoners were set free by their liberators, the American Army. Many survived these camps only to remember the atrocities of their captors. Their captors didn’t have the ultimate authority they thought they had... they lost in the end.

            “Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You? The word “authority” is exousia which means to have ruling authority. The authority of Pilate was limited. He still had someone he reported. He didn’t have the ultimate authority as Jesus in front of Pilate. Pilate ultimately reported to Caesar. His authority might have been able to kill those who opposed him, but he was still limited to someone who oversaw his authority. He thought he had authority, but also realized the limitations. Borchert says, “Pilate’s answer to Jesus’ lack of response reminds one of a dictator who sees his empire on the verge of collapse and cries out defensively ‘I have power!’ Of course, like Hitler of Germany he could kill a Bonhoeffer, or like Milosovic of Yugoslavia and others he could thunder that he was in control. But the die had already been cast not only for Jesus’ death but also for Pilate’s ultimate removal from office.”[1] Pilate must have known by now his career was about to end when he sentenced Jesus to crucifixion. If he didn’t keep the Jews happy, they would appeal to Caesar, and he wasn’t too popular with him at the time.

            I can’t imagine those who walked in those death camps knew what was about to happen. After a short time, they found out. As each soul walked their final steps, some walked in horror. Some might have walked in perfect calmness knowing they would see their Master and Savior that day. Bonhoeffer’s imprisonment and execution occurred a few weeks before the camp was liberated. He knew what was coming. To his end, he continued to reject the lies of the German leadership with God’s Word. The Germans who brought his death had no authority. He was going to meet his Savior and King who could grant him eternal life in His Kingdom.
 

[1] Borchert, G. L. (2002). (Vol. 25B, pp. 252–253). Broadman & Holman Publishers.