Shall not the Judge of the earth do right?

Shall not the Judge of the earth do right? We tend to think that He won’t. We especially think this when something terrible happens to us, or to those whom we love. Like when your friend suddenly dies. We get angry. He didn’t deserve to die. Why did he die now, and so many other, more terrible people, go on living? People like Nicolas Maduro, dictator of Venezuela, who starves and murders his own people, while his military drives armored vehicles into crowds of protesters,[1] for instance. He seems pretty bad, and he is still alive. Or, there are those two people from Crystal Lake, IL who murdered their 7-year-old son and tried to cover it up by making it look like the child was kidnapped.[2] That was definitely evil. Even if they are convicted of murder, they will live out their days in prison. I’m sure you have your own list of evil people forming in your own mind. Our impulse is to get angry and think these, and any number of other people, should be farther up the queue than a man like Ray Bickel, retired Chicago Cop, who was a loving father and grandfather, a Cubs fan, a loyal friend, a faithful volunteer and tenor in the choir at St. John’s Mayfair, and a general, all-around good guy. What’s going on here? Shall not the Judge of the earth do right?

This verse comes from the second half of Genesis 18:25, which is the middle of the passage where Abraham intercedes to God on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. God tells Abraham that He is going to destroy the cities because of their great wickedness; Abraham begins his famous negotiation: Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would you also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were within it?[3] We know what happens. God says no, and Abraham keeps bringing the number lower, and lower. He ultimately tells Abraham that, for the sake of 10 righteous people, He would spare the city. The angels go to Sodom, they remove Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family, and God destroys the city by raining fire and brimstone from heaven.[4] So, we are to understand that every man, woman, and child in Sodom was deserving of death? The answer is yes. Either that, or God is not righteous.

The point God is making to Abraham is that there isn’t even one righteous person in Sodom. This includes Lot. He isn’t innocent either. Don’t forget, Lot is the man who chose to separate himself from Abraham, through whom God’s promised Redeemer was to come; he is the man whose moral sense was warped in such a way that, rather than distance himself from the wretched hive of scum and villainy that was Sodom, Lot embraced it. This warping manifests itself when righteous Lot offers his daughters up to gang rape by the mob of Sodomites who were seeking to molest Lot’s angelic visitors.[5] In fact,

he had become so attached to what Sodom had to offer that he was reluctant to make a clean break. The angels had to take him and his wife and daughters as one takes little children by the hand and lead them outside the doomed city. They actually had to force rescue on Lot and his family.[6]

Even then, Lot’s wife rejects this rescue; she turns back to look at the city as they flee, and becomes a pillar of salt.

In times of pain, suffering, and loss, we are tempted to blame God for our evil. We lament that an evil dictator is alive, and our friend is dead, and God is unjust. But He isn’t unjust. We deserve the wages we are paid, for we are all sinners, and the wages of sin is death. This is because we are a lot like Lot. We are corrupted by sin; we love this corrupt world, and gratifying the desires of our sinful flesh. We have to be dragged out of our fallen state as reluctantly as Lot was brought out of Sodom. Everyone in Sodom deserved to die, because they were fallen, sinful people. It isn’t injustice on God’s part when men die; we all are fallen, sinful creatures who are subject to death through the one man, Adam.[7] Conversely, Lot did not deserve God’s redemption from the coming destruction, but he was given it as a gift. He didn’t do anything to earn it; he certainly didn’t deserve to be rescued because of how good a person he was. God came to Lot when he was a filthy sinner, and Lot submitted to Him; that is why Peter can call Lot a righteous man.[8]

The point is, that no one is righteous, no, not one.[9] Because of our sin, we all deserve death and damnation; God, the righteous Judge, would’ve been justified in destroying His entire creation and starting over after the Fall, if He wanted. No man, no matter how good, upright, or righteous he is in the eyes of the world, or how loved he is by his family and friends, deserves to be spared death and hell on those grounds. Not you, not me, not Ray, not Nicholas Maduro; Not anyone.

God, thankfully, is a merciful judge, as well as a righteous one. He saves mankind the same way that He saved righteous Lot from the destruction of Sodom. He comes to us and rescues us. Jesus, The Second Adam, came into the world to bear our sin and be our savior. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He was delivered up to death that He might quicken, that is, make alive His people. Jesus was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. He comes to us, individually, through His Word, and delivers to us this salvation He has purchased for us on the cross with His holy, precious blood, and by His innocent suffering and death. He comes to save us in the waters of Holy Baptism.[10] He comes to forgive our sins in the eating and drinking of His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper.[11] He comes to us, to create repentance and faith in us,[12] through the Word preached, read, and meditated upon. He comes to us in the words spoken by our faithful pastor who, in the stead and by the command of Our Lord Jesus Christ, pronounces forgives us our sins, and announces the grace of God to us.[13] While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.[14] While we are sinners, Christ comes to us through His Word and Sacraments, forgives our sins, cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and gives us eternal life. The only way we do not get these things is if we refuse and reject them. In the list of things that Ray “was”, the most important thing was omitted. He was a Christian. These are the promises into which Ray was baptized; these are the things that he confessed before men. And, since he was baptized into Christ’s death, Ray has also been united together with Christ’s resurrection.

This is why, even at the death of a loved one, we can have comfort and be joyful. This is something popular American Christianity, of the Joel Osteen/Joyce Meyer variety, cannot do: teach us, as St. Paul writes, to be content in whatever state we may find ourselves, because of what we have in Christ. They point us to health and wealth in this world. They teach us to live our best lives now. It might work for a while, but eventually, we are confronted with sin, and no amount of “thinking good thoughts” will help. Our faith that Jesus, the God-man, has redeemed us, paid for our sins on the cross and declared us righteous, doesn’t mean we will be free from pain and sorrow in this life. To the contrary, Jesus promises us that in this life we will have trouble.[15] He goes on to encourage us to be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world. Satan thought he defeated God when Jesus died on the cross and was buried in the tomb. God, however, raised Him from the dead.[16] Christ conquered death, and because we are in Him by our baptism, death also has no ultimate power over us. The death of our friend looks and feels like a defeat. Be of good cheer, Christ has overcome the world; In Christ, we have overcome it as well. Because God is righteous, merciful, and faithful, we can have faith that He works all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.[17] So, in the midst of death and pain, we can joyfully confess with Job:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me![18]

A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear the voice of Christ and come out.[19] Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.[20] Those sons of God through faith in Christ, who have put on Christ in their baptism, have life everlasting because He is the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in Him, even though he may die, he shall live.[21] And on that day,

the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.[22]

Ray, baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, will be raised. You and I, if Christ should tarry until after our deaths, will be raised; all believers in Christ will be raised on the Last Day, in our own bodies, and made to be like Christ’s glorious body, never to experience sin and death again. All this God does for us out of goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in us.

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.[23]

Shall not the Judge of the earth do right? I am profoundly thankful to God that He has given us His mercy, and His unmerited favor in Christ, rather than His justice. Those who wish to have the latter, however, will certainly receive it.

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[1] Llanozap, Fernando. “Video shows military vehicle running over protesters.” cnn.com. https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2019/04/30/violent-uprising-in-venezuela-juan-guaido-nicolas-maduro-crn-vpx.cnn (accessed May, 2019).

[2] Associated Press. “The Latest: Illinois couple charged in young son’s death.” foxnews.com. https://www.foxnews.com/us/the-latest-illinois-couple-charged-in-young-sons-death (accessed May 6, 2019).

[3] Genesis 18:24

[4] Genesis 19:12-29

[5] Genesis 19:1-11

[6] Jeske, John C. People’s Bible Commentary: Genesis. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1992.

[7] Romans 5:12-21

[8] 2 Peter 2:7

[9] Romans 3:10-12

[10] Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-39; 22:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 3:18-22;

[11] Matthew 26:28

[12] Romans 10:17; Acts 5:31; 11:18;

[13] John 20:21-23;

At the beginning of each communion service, the people confess their sins, and the pastor responds with the absolution: Upon this your confession, I, by virtue of my office as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God unto all of you, and in the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.

Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America. The Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1941.

[14] Romans 5:8

[15] John 16:33

[16] Acts 13:30, 30; Romans 10:9

[17] Romans 8:28

[18] Job 19:25-27

[19] John 5:25-30

[20] Daniel 12:2

[21] Galatians 3:26-28; John 11:12

[22] 1 Corinthians 15:52

[23] 1 Thessalonians 4:9-11

A Samaritan Woman Meets Her Messiah

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:19-26).

It is commonly held that the Samaritans were descendants of the Jews who remained in Palestine after the Assyrians defeated Israel. The Samaritans inhabited the area between Judea and Galilee. They came from mixed marriages between Jews and Assyrian settlers who entered the Promised Land.[1], [2] For this reason the Jews of the day despised the Samaritans. They also regarded the Samaritan’s observance of Judaism as corrupted. It goes without saying that contact with the Samaritans was to be avoided. Due to the long history of animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans, it would be surprising that a Jew would even speak to a Samaritan; what is even more surprising is that the Samaritan with whom Jesus speaks, and asks for a drink, is a woman. Jesus, however, used the opportunity of the water, and the well, to preach the gospel.

Living water, quite simply, is the Holy Spirit. Jesus explains this to the Jews: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.[3] While no specific scripture verse is cited by either Jesus or St. Luke, Jesus' words call to mind the words of the prophet Isaiah: The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.[4] These waters give life and strength. That Jesus is speaking of the power of the Holy Spirit becomes evident on the day of Pentecost.[5] Jesus connects the application of water, better known as baptism, with the giving of the Holy Spirit. It is through baptism that the Spirit is given because baptism is God’s word connected to water. It is the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,[6] water that is included in God’s command and combined with God’s word of promise; it washes away our sins, clothes us with Christ, connects us to His death and resurrection, and saves us.[7] It is only natural that Jesus should have this conversation about living water with this woman by the well, since He and His disciples were so recently baptizing people in Judea.[8]

Jesus, who proclaims to the Samaritan woman that He is the promised Messiah, says that it is now the hour when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Jesus is saying that true worship is that which is done in His name and through Him; it no longer depends on a specific location, like the temple in Jerusalem. Temples don't matter, mountains don't matter; faith in Messiah is what matters. The Lord is near to all who call on Him in truth,[9] that is, trusting in God's promise of redemption through Christ. Jesus is that promise in the flesh. How do we get that faith? Is faith in Christ something we decide to have? Do we produce it in ourselves? Jesus says that the Father is seeking true worshippers to worship Him. In other words, He comes to us, we do not come to Him. He binds that work of the Spirit, of creating faith in the hearts of men, to His Word,[10] whether preached, read, meditated upon, eaten and drunk in the Lord’s Supper, or applied to the body in the waters of Holy Baptism. He comes to us and works faith in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, through God’s means of Word and Sacrament, just as He came to the woman of Samaria.

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[1] J. I Packer, and M.C. Tenney, Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible  (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1980) p. 509

[2] 2 Kings 17:24-28, 33-34

[3] John 7:37-39

[4] Isaiah 58:11

[5] John 16:7; Acts 1:4-8

[6] Titus 3:5

[7] Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-39; 22:16; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 3:18-22;

[8] John 3:22

[9] Psalm 145:18

[10] John 15:26; 16:13; Romans 10:17

He is Risen!

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day (Matthew 28:1-15).

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to Jesus’ tomb after the Sabbath. They went to finish their work of caring for Jesus’ body, which they had cut short because of the Sabbath. To their surprise, there is an earthquake, and an angel descends from heaven. He rolls away the stone from the tomb. The guards stationed there by Pilate to satisfy the Jews were terrified, as were the women, not doubt. The angel tells the women not to be afraid; Jesus is risen. This is the Gospel. There is no need to be afraid of sin, death, and the devil anymore. Jesus has defeated them once and for all. The proof is in His resurrection. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.[1]

St. Paul calls Jesus the first fruits: But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep... For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.[2] The resurrection is our ultimate goal. We have been united together in the likeness of Christ’s death through our baptism; we are also united together to His resurrection. Christ Himself promises, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”[3] The unbelieving world scoffs at such a notion. How can the dead come back to life? Because science and their own personal experience tells them that it is impossible, the world rejects the testimony of the Apostles, and denies that even Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection, however, is the most important part of Christianity. Without it, Christianity is just another man-made philosophy, with an invented set of moral rules, designed to make ourselves feel better, despite the fact that we know something is very seriously wrong with us. It becomes for us a wax nose to twist into any shape we wish, to justify whatever deviant, sinful desires we want to do.

But Jesus’ resurrection is no fairy tale; it isn’t some kind of metaphor for some man-defined “good” overcoming “evil”. It is a fact of history. He appeared alive to hundreds of people. A great crowd saw Him ascend into heaven. If the disciples had invented Jesus’ resurrection, would they be eager to proclaim Christ as God and man, crucified and risen, even on pain of torture and death? Would Paul, formerly Saul of Tarsus, the great persecutor of the Church, reject the religion of his people, the Jews, and endure a life of hardship, persecution, and finally a gruesome death, for something he knew to be false? Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity:

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up - if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable.[4]

But our hope in Christ isn’t merely for this world. It is also for the world to come. Because He lives, we will live also.[5] He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.[6] Then those who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. We will then be free from sin, free from death, free from all mourning and sorrow. All tears shall be wiped away. With a perfect resurrection body, like that of Our Lord, we will live with Him forever in the new creation.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

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[1] Romans 4:25

[2] 1 Corinthians 15:20, 22

[3] John 11:25-26

[4] 1 Corinthians 15:12-19

[5] John 14:19

[6] 1 Thessalonians 4:16

The King on a Cross

Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?” There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said [d]to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:26-43).

The great crowds of people hailing Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem with palm branches in their hands are gone. As Jesus begins His trek down the Via Dolorosa, the way of sorrow, to Golgotha, the place of the skull, another crowd follows Him. As He struggles to make His way under the burden of the instrument of His own death, women of Jerusalem mourn and lament Him. Jesus tells them not to weep for Him, but rather for themselves and their children. Speaking of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, Jesus chillingly foreshadows the level of violence and suffering to come: “For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’”[1] Normally, barrenness would be considered shameful in this culture. Jesus’ statement must have shocked the women. How bad must things get in order for one to say that the curse of barrenness was a blessing? The Roman general Titus would show them, but that would come later.

Jesus is nailed to the cross by the Roman soldiers, and crucified between two criminals. When the soldiers finish their task, they turn their attention to the matter of dividing up Jesus’ belongings. Jesus does not lament His situation; He doesn’t curse the Jews who stood nearby and mocked Him, or the soldiers who murdered Him. He prays to the Father on their behalf: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.[2] This is indeed what Jesus meant when He said that the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.[3] Jesus, the sinless Son of God dying on the cross, praying for those who literally put Him there, is what St. Paul was describing when he wrote,

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”[4]

One of those sinners, one of the condemned men hanging on a cross next to Jesus, repented. He acknowledged his sin, at this, the ultimate preaching of the Law. He acknowledges Jesus’ innocence, and His kingship. He does not deserve to enter into the kingdom of God by his own merits; he relies on the grace of God and the merits of Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. His prayer to Jesus is one of faith: Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.[5] The criminal’s indefinite, open-ended “when” is met with Jesus’ very definite and specific “today”: Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.[6]

For all sinners in the whole world the Lord has opened the doors of paradise by His life, suffering, and death, and whosoever believeth on Him has complete salvation as soon as he dies. That is the glorious fruit of the Passion of Christ: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.[7]

You who think of sin but lightly

Nor suppose the evil great

Here may view it’s nature rightly,

Here it’s guilt may estimate.

Mark the sacrifice appointed;

See who bears the awful load;

It’s the Word, the Lord’s Annointed,

Son of Man and Son of God.[8]

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[1] Luke 23:28

[2] Luke 23:34

[3] Mark 10:45

[4] Romans 5:6-8

[5] Luke 23:42

[6] Luke 23:43

[7] Kretzmann, Paul E. 1922. Popular Commentary of the Bible: New Testament. Vol. 1. 2 vols. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House. Page 395.

[8] Kelly, Thomas. "Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted." In Lutheran Worship. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1986. Stz. 3.

Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate

Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He answered him and said, “It is as you say.” So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man.” But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.” When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other. Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast). And they all cried out at once, saying, “Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas”— who had been thrown into prison for a certain rebellion made in the city, and for murder. Pilate, therefore, wishing to release Jesus, again called out to them. But they shouted, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will (Luke 23:1-25).

Pontius Pilate knew that what he was doing to Jesus was wrong. He was in a tight spot politically, and he was looking for a way to get out of it. He wanted a solution that would be acceptable to the Jewish leaders who brought Jesus to him, that wouldn’t cause social unrest, and that wouldn’t jeopardize his relationship with the Roman imperial government. He knew that the Jews wanted to get rid of Jesus, but he also understood that, according to Roman law, Jesus had committed no crime. He apparently had some sense of justice. That’s why he tried as hard as he did to get Jesus off the hook. He clearly didn’t believe that Jesus, the annoying Jewish rabbi who claimed to be king, was a serious seditious threat like the other Jewish rebel groups, such as the Zealots. This is why, after Jesus answers Pilate’s direct question, “Are you the king of the Jews,” with a seditious admission, “It is as you say,” Pilate still tells the Jews, “I find no fault in this Man.”[1]

Pilate tries to deal justly with Jesus while still placating the Jews even after Jesus’ treacherous admission. He grabs on to any life line he can find. When he hears Jesus is from Galilee, he tries to pass Jesus off to Herod. Herod and his men question, mock, and beat Jesus but also pass no guilty verdict on Him. Pilate is stuck with Jesus. He continues to rightly proclaim that Jesus is innocent. He hopes to quell the situation by making Jesus the annual olive branch from Rome to Jerusalem; the good-will gesture was that Pilate would release a Jewish prisoner once a year at the feast. Why not release Jesus? Pilate would even beat Jesus a little, just to show Him who was boss and to appease the desire of the Jews to see Jesus suffer, before he let Jesus go. They would have none of it. So, push having come to shove, Pilate’s pragmatism and instinct for self-preservation won out over his sense of justice. Jesus would be crucified.

The people cried out for Pilate to give them a murderer, Barabbas, and to crucify their Messiah. The guilty would go free, and the innocent would die in his place. But this is what Jesus came to do in the first place. He came into human flesh, the sinless Son of God, to die on the cross. He told His disciples this bluntly several times: Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And on the third day he will rise again.[2]

But Jesus’ sacrifice is no mere morality play. It is not simply an example for men to follow, to show us how to be loving and self-sacrificial. His death is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. All of mankind, including us, are sinners. We are Barabbas, guilty of the crimes of which we are accused and sentenced to eternal death. We are murderers. We are adulterers. We are liars and slanderers. We are covetous thieves. We are idolaters. We are ungodly. Because of our sin we are as responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion as the Jews who handed Him over to Pilate, and even Pilate who gave the order that Jesus should die:

But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.[3]

His death paid the penalty for our sin, and we are justified by His resurrection. His death and resurrection set us free from our prison; we did not deserve such treatment any more than Barabbas did. Jesus did it because He loves us. His favor is undeserved. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.[4]

Whence come these sorrows, whence this mortal anguish?

It is my sins for which, Thou Lord, must languish,

Yea, all the wrath, the woe, Thou dost inherit,

This I do merit.[5]

I’ll think upon Thy mercy without ceasing,

That earth’s vain joys to me no more be pleasing;

To do Thy will shall be my sole endeavor

Henceforth forever.[6]

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[1] Luke 23:4

[2] Luke 18:31-33

[3] Romans 5:8

[4] Romans 8:1

[5] Heermann, Johann. "O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken." In The Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Stz. 3.

[6] Heermann, Johann. "O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken." In The Lutheran Hymnal. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 1941. Stz. 12.