Jesus or Barabbas

John 18:39 “But you have a custom…” This very custom of pardoning a criminal signifies God’s pardoning of Israel.  The guilty party is spared the penalty of the crime.  In offering this to the Jews, Pilate twists the knife of irony.  That these many...

Sinless Jesus

John 18:38 After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.” How many times at the end of a long day do we find ourselves in a foul temper?  How often do life’s turbulent rhythms unsettle us,...

The Truth

The Truth John 18:38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” Throughout the Old Testament, Israel’s greatest challenge wasn’t foreign armies, plagues, or droughts.  It was idolatry.  The holy nation wasn’t ever beset by...