30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 20 19-26 THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 12 Luke 20 24-25 God’s great love for us
📖 Luke 20:19-26
15Mar2021 - *God’s great love for us* - _Luke 20:19-26_ - THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 12 – Bible reading: _John 10:17-18_
_Luke 20:24-25 Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?" They answered and said, "Caesar's." (25) And He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."_
Pilate knew that the accusation against Jesus, of inciting the people not to pay taxes to Rome, held no water. He then decided to question Jesus about Him being a King.
In Pilate’s mind, this was the more important issue that needed to be determined. Why was this so?
We have said earlier, in a kingdom, taxation was the critical matter and if Jesus was presenting Himself to the people to be the King of the Jews then He was a threat to Rome, taxation included. _Ezra 4:13 Let it now be known to the king that, if this city is built and the walls completed, *they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom, and the king's treasury will be diminished*._
We now see Pilate taking a serious step to question Jesus about Him being a King.
_John 18:33-38 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "*Are You the King of the Jews?*" (34) Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?" (35) Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?" (36) Jesus answered, "*My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here*." (37) Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "*You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice*." (38) Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "*I find no fault in Him at all*._
Pilate asked Jesus, pointedly, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus very clearly accepted that He was King. This answer of Jesus is given in all the four gospels.
This was enough ground for Pilate to convict Jesus and have Him crucified. Why didn't Pilate immediately convict Jesus and have Him executed? Instead, Pilate came out and declared to the Jews, "*I find no fault in Him at all*._
Notice the phrase ‘at all’. It meant that neither in the matter of taxes nor in the matter of Jesus being King, Jesus was a threat to Rome. This was the reason why Pilate, repeatedly affirmed that He found no fault with Jesus.
Preposterously, after all the questioning and determining that Jesus was not guilty at all, this man, Pilate, sanctioned the crucifixion of Jesus and placed this as the accusation and conviction of Jesus, JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
_John 19:19-22 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. (20) Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. (21) Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, "I am the King of the Jews." ' " (22) Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."_
Friends, do we see the foolishness of the Jews and the enormous irrationality of Rome? This presents to us the state of man. This is who we are before God. We all stand before Him guilty.
_Romans 1:21-22 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (22) Professing to be wise, they became fools,_
As my friend commented yesterday, Jesus lay down His life for us. It was not the craftiness of the Jewish leaders nor the absurdity of the judgment meted out by Pilate/Rome that took Jesus to the cross but it was His love for us that longed for us to be reconciled back with Him.
_John 10:17-18 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. (18) No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."_
*Thought to ponder*
```O, the love that drew salvation, O, the grace that brought it down to man.```