Redemption!

Redemption!

 

 

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first.”--------John 15:18

…Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”  Pilate went back into his headquarters and called for Jesus to be brought to him.  “Are You the king of the Jews?” he asked Him.  Jesus answered, “…My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom.”  Pilate said, “So You are a king?”  Jesus responded, “You say I am a king.  Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth.  All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.” 

“What is truth?”  Pilate asked.  Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime.  … Would you like me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”

But they shouted back, “No!  Not this man.  We want Barabbas!”  (Barabbas was a revolutionary.)--------John 18:29, 33, 37, 38, 39, 40

Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.  The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put a purple robe on Him.  “Hail! King of the Jews!”  they mocked, as they slapped Him across the face.  Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring Him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find Him not guilty.”  Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe.  And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!”  When they saw Him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”  “Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, Pilate said.  “I find Him not guilty.”

It was now about noon on the day of preparation for the Passover.  And Pilate said to the people, “Look, here is your king!”  “Away with Him, they yelled.  “Away with Him! Crucify Him!”  “What? Crucify your king?’  Pilate asked.  “We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.  Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.  So they took Jesus away.--------John 19:1-6, 14-16

 

 

Jesus wanted His disciples to know that because of their relationship with Him they would be hated, because the world hated Him, they would also hate His followers. 

The Scriptures give us a very concise picture of the details of God’s REDEMPTION plan for mankind.  The question of the identity of Christ is questioned by Pilate.  He was curious as to just who this man, Jesus actually was. So, NOT being a fan of the Jews, Pilate decided to play a little game with the Jewish religious leaders by labelling Jesus as “king of the Jews,” knowing that would rile them all the more, and it certainly did, along with the rest of the worldly crowd.  To the point that the leading priests shouted, “We have no king but Caesar!”    Really?  Now the Jewish religious leaders are professing their allegiance to a Roman Emperor.  Amazing what hatred does to a person’s heart.  And what is so ironic about this situation is that more than likely, some of the ones in the crowd that were demanding that Jesus be crucified, were some of the same ones that a few days earlier were shouting  “Hosanna!” and praising Him as He made His way into Jerusalem.  What a difference a few days make, and it shows us how shallow and superficial their praises were.    Of course, the people that were shouting “Hosanna!”  were hoping and thinking that Jesus’ mission was to rescue them from Roman rule, to set them FREE! 

 

Well, He did come and die to set them FREE, not from the Romans, but from their SINS.  If they BELIEVED and ACCEPTED God’s gift of REDEMPTION then they would be set FREE from their sins.  But He not only came to bring REDEMPTION to the Jews, but to the Gentiles too, which, by the way, are any who are not Jewish.  How is our WORSHIP and PRAISE of the one who came to set mankind FREE from the bondage of sin.  He conquered death and the grave and through His victory, God’s REDEMPTION plan was set into place for ALL of mankind.  This Good Friday is a day when we can TRULY see God’s goodness to His creation by providing us with REDEMPTION, and we should offer Him ALL of our LOVE exemplified by our worship and praise. 

 

Let this Easter, I really like to call it “Resurrection Day, let it be a REALLY SPECIAL Day.  If you have NEVER given your HEART and LIFE to Christ you have NOT been set FREE from your sins, and have NOT received God’s REDEMPTION PLAN for YOU, but you can do it NOW by: CONFESSING your sins to God and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL of your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU and is ALIVE, in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and be SET FREE!  Do it NOW while you STILL can.  He’s waiting!!!