November 4, 2023
The Sin Is In The Root
(Some information may be too graphic for small children)
“Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.’”
John 19:11 (NASB)
I have seen some in my lifetime who were brutal to others. Some eventually ruined people’s credibility, and reputation. It started though, with bitterness, which led to a hatred of the person. Along the way, the accuser enlisted others who would be able to help in their quest to condemn the person, but the root was one person’s hatred for another. In the end, many were enlisted to be a part of the accuser’s group. Later they found that they didn’t know much about why they helped the person destroy another. They believed what they were told, and acted hostilely to the person for no reasonable action. Later, they realized that it wasn’t such a good idea for them to join such a quest, and regretted their actions. Pilate would soon find this out when the emperor would remove him. The emperor was a paranoid man who too acted brutally.
“You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above;” All of Pilate’s power came from the same source as Jesus’s; it was God. Comically, Pilate was only a judge over the trial because God allowed it. He was part of the plan of God for mankind’s salvation. MacArthur says, “Jesus’ statement here indicates that even the worst evil cannot escape the sovereignty of God. Pilate had no real control (vv. 10,11), yet still stood as a responsible moral agent for his actions.”[1] Even after Jesus endured such a beating (worthy of death to the average person), He stood in complete control in front of Pilate. “… he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” Even though Pilate capitulated to the demands of the Jews, he was not the source of what Jesus spoke of here. Commentators vary on who shared the burden of the death of Jesus. I believe there was one spirit operating at the time which openly recruited help to facilitate their desire. The source of the entire false trial went back to the ones who started it all; the Jews under Satanic influence. Perhaps Caiphas had some responsibility as well, along with Pilate, but the root of the trouble came from the evil intents of the Jews who hated Jesus. Lenski says, “Even at this critical stage when the question had turned to one about the judges instead of one about the prisoner, Jesus compels Pilate to see the truth. Jesus’ word, however, has a deeper object. It reminds Pilate that he and his power are on trial before the divine tribunal itself, the judge whom none can deceive. More than that. Jesus here pronounces the divine verdict upon all his wicked judges. Pilate, the judge, is now judged by a greater judge. Another than Pilate has ‘greater sin,’ and that means that Pilate’s sin is next in greatness.”[2]
Under the worst circumstances known to man, Jesus stood tall before His accusers. He endured it all for one reason. To save mankind. His death would be the perfect sacrifice God would need to forgive all and redeem them back to Himself. Until now, mankind’s sins were only pardoned. Now they would be washed away as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). No more would mankind be separated from God. It became an open invitation, through the bloodshed of the Perfect Lamb. Your sins are forgiven when you confess and repent, no more to be remembered.
[1] (MacArthur, John, 1997)
[2] Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). (pp. 1266–1267). Augsburg Publishing House.