Pilate Hands Jesus Over to be Crucified

Luke 23:13–25
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To illustrate the principle of substitution, George Sweeting, Chancellor of Moody Bible Institute, told of a series of tornadoes that caused extensive damage in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Nearly 100 lives were lost. Prior to the storm, a man named David Kostka w … More

Substitution

Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but the crowd continued to demand His death; so he sentenced Him to die (vv. 13-25). Today we might say that he did what was politically correct. No doubt Pilate did not want to risk losing his job, and as we have indicated previously, it was a bit shaky. As a career politician, he knew the importance of compromise and he saw Jesus as more of a political threat than as a person with rights and dignity. Keep in mind as you read this portion of Scripture that Jesus was not crucified because evil men decided to get Him out of the way. He was crucified because it was in God’s plan and was an appointment made in heaven that could not be changed (Acts 2:23).

Herod put Jesus through an interrogation but did not issue an official verdict about Him (v.15). He did make it clear that he did not find Him guilty of any crime worthy of death and sent Jesus back to Pilate. Pilate openly said - “I find no fault in this man,” and yet he permitted Him to be beaten and soon condemned Him to die (v. 14). Pilate wanted to be popular and was not concerned about what was right. He was more concerned about reputation than about character.

Barabbas had been part of a rebellion against the Roman government (Mark 15:7). As a political insurgent, he was no doubt a hero among some of the Jews. It is ironic that Barabbas, who was released, was guilty of the very crime Jesus was accused of (vv. 18-25).

Application

I must never look for an easy way out of a situation I may find myself in. The only right decision is the truth. Only in standing for the truth can one hope to prevent injustice. The only way I can make a right decision is to always take a stand for the truth - no matter what it may cost me.

Luke 23:13-25 (English Standard Version)

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