Daily Devotions
John
John 19:1-16 "THE DENIAL OF JESUS BY THE JEWS"
Day 299 – John 19
THE DENIAL OF JESUS BY THE JEWS
The Jews could not but detect the mockery in Pilate’s voice when he presented Jesus to them.
“Behold, your king!”
John 19:14
They knew that Pilate was trying to get back at them. They tried not to respond to him, but the mocking tone, combined with the sight of their hated enemy Jesus, was too much for them to bear.
To the man, they cried out in response,
“Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”
John 19:15a
But Pilate was not done yet. He ridiculed and riled the Jews further.
“Shall I crucify your King?”
John 19:15b
The Jews had avoided using the word “king”. Pilate knew that they did not like the idea of having Herod as their king, as he was half Jew, an Idumean. The Jews resented Caesar as their ruler. Where possible, they would avoid making reference to him as “king”.
Of course, they rejected outright any suggestion that Jesus was king! They had even fabricated a charge of treason against Jesus. But all this while, the Jews had not declared their allegiance to Caesar as their king.
Pilate baited the Jews. He wanted them to say what they would not otherwise have said. He wanted them to dance to the tune that he was playing. Finally, the Jews said what he wanted to hear.
“We have no king but Caesar!”
John 19:15c
The Zealots never owned the Romans as their overlords. They resisted Roman rule in the most violent way possible. They treated with contempt those who had any dealings with the Romans.
The pious Jews, especially the Pharisees also wished to have nothing to do with the Romans! They despised the Gentiles, and the Romans were kept at arm’s length as far as possible.
The chief priests and elders had refused to enter Pilate’s Praetorium because they would be defiled. Now they were declaring publicly their allegiance to Caesar! Not so long ago, the Jews had proudly boasted that they had never been in bondage.
“We are Abraham’s descendants, and have
never been in bondage to anyone …”
John 8:33
They were in bondage to the Romans. And before the Romans, they were in bondage to the Greeks, the Persians, the Babylonians and the Assyrians! They had just never admitted publicly the lordship of those who ruled them – thus far! Now Pilate was forcing them to say that Caesar was their master, and they were subject to him!
THE KINGSHIP OF JESUS
Jesus had spoken of the kingdom of God on many occasions to the Jews. However, they had rejected His idea of God’s kingdom! The rejection was now full and complete. How could Jesus have borne this hurt and pain of being rejected by His own people?
Right from the start, Jesus prepared Himself for rejection. The indications that He would be rejected were already quite visible and obvious. The Jews queried Him, and found fault with His teaching from the start. The multitudes who saw the signs that Jesus performed out of love and compassion for the sick and the demon-possessed that came to Him continued in the state of unbelief. Thus the author John was forced to write this observation.
“But although He had done so many signs before
them, they did not believe in Him, that the word
of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he
spoke:‘Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord
been revealed?’Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah
said again:‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened
their hearts,
Lest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their
hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'”
John 12:37-40
The rejection of the Jews was foreseen. Nevertheless, Jesus came and tried to touch their hearts through the performing of many wondrous signs. But the people continued to reject Him.
Little did they know that they had set in motion the judgment of the Lord. Since they had rejected the Son of God, the Lord had blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, so that they could not turn to Jesus for salvation at all.
The history of Israel had been one of rejecting the Lord. We recall a word that God spoke to Samuel in the days when ancient Israel wanted another king, other than the Lord Himself.
“And the Lord said to Samuel …
They have not rejected you, but they have
rejected Me …”
1 Samuel 8:7
It had happened once again. This time, Israel had rejected Jesus their Messiah.