Do the Unexpected

Then 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 replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”
“Am I a Jew?” Pilate retorted. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you to me for trial. Why? What have you done?” John 18:33-35 (NLT)

This one smelled fishy.

Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor known for his brutal reign, had tortured and crucified many Jews. He controlled the region through fear and the Jews hated him for killing their people. But they wanted him to crucify this man. Something wasn’t right.

Pilate, a political climber who loved his authority, was accustomed to fighting power with power. Pilate expected a showdown, but Jesus did the unexpected. He could have called in legions of heavenly angels but chose not to fight back. Jesus had a broader perspective. He was willing to lose and suffer in order to win for you and me.

Love gave Jesus the power to not use His power against Pilate.

Like Pilate, we use our power to get ahead. We like to win. It’s important to come out on top, to be right, to get our own way. It’s unfortunate when we hurt people in our quest to be first. On the other hand, it feels good to stick it to someone who has harmed us. We fight back in self-preservation.

What if we didn’t fight back, but responded with love? Would we lose? Or win?

These Holy Week articles would be perfect to repost on Facebook or Twitter or to forward through email. Scatter seeds as the world recognizes Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter.

#seedsofscripture #GoodFriday #Easter #winorlose #myway #fightback #love