Luke 19:15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
There are moments in history that change its course, both personally and even collectively. Some of those changes are small, seemingly insignificant moments. Some are monumental.
In the United States we count the attack on Pearl Harbor, D-Day, July 4th, and September 11th, among other dates, as important turning points in our history. We have a calendar that is riddled with national holidays. At least at the present moment, they haven’t been removed or canceled!
The moments in history around our text are moments that changed world history, as well as the personal histories of those involved. Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection changed the face of human history. It marked the point where ultimate reconciliation was accomplished.
Our text records a small portion of an exchange between the religious and political leaders of Jesus’ day, those who had the most sway in that part of the world. Pilate, the political leader, wants to release Jesus, knowing that it is a religious witch hunt that has brought Him before him that day. There is no basis for a death penalty.
But Pilate’s inability to bring about any rational decision by the religious leaders leads them both down a path he does not want to walk. He tries repeatedly to get them to change course, but they refuse. They want Jesus dead at all costs, so what comes next shouldn’t surprise us.
Pilate gets ready to deliver a very bitter pill to these leaders. There is one thing the Jews hate, and that is the presence and power of the Roman government. That power has crippled the religious leaders ability to control their own fates.
Rome has taxed them into submission. Rome has limited when and where they could meet, and is some cases what they could say. They have taken power away from them and the Jews resent that loss of power. They want their land back! They want control of their own lives.
And Pilate knows this bitterness that they hold. Pilate wants to drive home their selfish and foolish choice they are making in forcing the issue of Jesus’ crucifixion. So he extras and extremely high price from them.
And that price is the public admission that Caesar is king. Now that might not sound like something that is too difficult to say, but it was. I am sure the words were bitter in their mouths.
Think about the last two presidential elections. To admit Donald Trump had won the election and then admit Joe Biden had won the election created a bitter taste in very different mouths. For some the bitterness still invades their everyday life. They are stuck and unable to say the words.
I can almost imagine the religious leaders biting their tongues as they mumbled those words.
Remember the last time you encouraged a child to apologize to their sibling. Did the apology really sound sincere, or were they just saying what they were supposed to say in order to get past the awkward moment? For most, the apology only came begrudgingly and with great hesitation. They would rather have been anywhere else saying just about anything rather than apologizing to their sibling.
You see, the religious leaders had used Caesar as a weapon against Pilate. They said that anyone who claimed to be a king, like Jesus had, must be opposing Caesar. And you don’t want to be on the side of opposing Caesar. They painted him into a corner, so he returns the favor.
So next time someone tries to get you to buy into a small political compromise, realize that there could very well be some very nasty repercussions for the support. It may seem small at the moment, but it can lead down a path that ends in places you never thought you would end up.
You see, just like Pilate, there are those who want us to renounce our faith for the sake of expedience, but we must resist with all that is in us. Caesar can never be our king. We are members of a different kingdom, and our loyalty is set. We must declare that Jesus is King!
The Arnold Journey 