Jesus on Trial

In Luke 23:13-25, Jesus is on trial before Pilate. In a shocking reversal, Pilate finds Jesus innocent while the Jews demand his crucifixion. Even a historically ruthless and pagan governor can see Jesus’ innocence, while those who were supposed to recognize their Messiah condemn him to death. Although Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were gathered against Jesus, God ultimately determined that it would happen this way. How the Scriptures describe this event reveals that God sovereignly ordains all that comes to pass, yet people still freely choose what they want and will be held accountable for their choices. Exactly how this works is beyond human comprehension; God is infinite, we are not.This section of scripture concludes with Barabbas, an insurrectionist and murder, being released while Jesus is condemned. In the release of Barabbas, we see a powerful picture of the substitutionary atonement of Christ in which the record of debt that stood against God’s people with its legal demands is set aside, as Jesus is nailed to the cross (Col 2:13-14). Who can you tell about the good news of Jesus this week?