Daily Devotion for Lent 2017 - Day 36, Tuesday of Holy Week

Today's Reading: John 18:28-40 (NRSV)

Alcoholics Anonymous is for
people who are ready to confront the truth
even though it is difficult.

If Jesus were found guilty of blasphemy in a Jewish court, they could stone him to death under Jewish law.  However, they tell Pilate that they aren't allowed to engage in capital punishment.  Under Roman law, only the Roman government could execute someone for a crime.

So when Pilate questions Jesus, he is not concerned about blasphemy which was not punishable by death.  Pilate is concerned with sedition which could easily bring with it a death sentence.  And so rather than ask if Jesus is the Son of God, he asks him if he is the King of the Jews.

Jesus is coy and speaks of a spiritual rather than an earthly kingdom.  Jesus is about the truth.

Pilate asks the famous question, "What is truth?"

Philosophically if Jesus is the truth, Pilate may be asking as to the nature of Jesus.

Sometimes what is true is painful.

Sometimes what is true is difficult.

Sometimes what is true is beautiful.

Sometimes what is true is more real than anything else we've known.

The people are offered a choice.  Jesus or Barabbas.  Of course, bar = son and abba = father and so we have Jesus (identified as the Son of the Father) or Barabbas (which means son of the father).  One represents truth and the other represents violence.  It is unfortunate how often we side with what destroys rather than what builds up.

Prayer for the day:

From the cowardice that dares not face new truth,
from the laziness that is contented with half-truth,
from the arrogance that thinks it knows all truth, 
Good Lord, deliver me.   Amen.

     Prayer from Kenya


Photo by fourbyfourblazer via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.