Fourth Stop! Standing Before Pilate
Hello Friends!
Did you have a good week? Did you hear any roosters this past week? I didn’t hear any, but I was able to hear a lot of birds out my kitchen window, even with all the rain. Hearing those birds, I am definitely ready for spring! Speaking of spring, I can’t believe that the next time we meet, it will be April–which means that we are getting closer to celebrating Easter. We are getting closer to completing our journey to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. But before we get to the Resurrection, the empty tomb, we have a few more stops to make.
Do you remember any of the stops that we have made so far? Yep, we stopped to see a rooster. The rooster reminds us that Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples and friends, denied him. Peter said three times that he didn’t know Jesus. Sometimes in life we will get in trouble for something that we didn’t know we were doing; but Jesus is there to forgive us of our sins. Where else did you go? The Garden, that’s right! Our second stop was at the Garden of Gethsemane. In the Garden, Jesus prayed while his disciples fell asleep, not once, not twice, but three times. And because some of the disciples kept falling asleep, Jesus felt alone. He prayed that God would remove this task from his life; but in the end Jesus said “this is not my will but your will be done.” Have you ever felt alone? Your friends did something without you. How did you feel? Jesus praying in the Garden reminds us that with God in our life, we are never alone. Do you remember where our first stop was? It was at the Upper Room. In the Upper Room, Jesus gathered with his disciples around a table and had a meal. At the end of the meal Jesus offered his disciples what we call Holy Communion. Jesus gave his disciples bread and juice to tell his disciples that he loves them. Holy Communion is our reminder that Jesus loves us and that we are to love our parents, our siblings, our grandparents, and our friends like Jesus loves us.
This leads us to our fourth stop! So buckle up, and start your engines because we are heading to the Palace of Pilate. At the Palace of Pilate, Jesus is asked by Pilate, “Are you the King of the Jews?” and Jesus said, “If you say so.” Pilate believed that Jesus didn’t do anything wrong, but yet the other rulers wanted to put Jesus in time-out and punish him. Because Pilate saw Jesus as being innocent, he asked the angry crowd outside, “What shall I do with Jesus?” And the people decided to punish Jesus but set a bad person free–this person was Barabbas. The situation at Pilate’s Palace reminds us that sometimes in life, we will be punished for something that we didn’t do. Being the youngest of my siblings, my older siblings were often blamed for things that they didn’t do but I did. Have you ever been in trouble for something you didn’t do?
Jesus before the angry crowd and indecisive Pilate, took the blame for something that he didn’t do. And because he did this, many were saved: you and I were saved and have received eternal love. Wasn’t that nice of Jesus? The next time you are blamed for something you didn’t do, remember that if Jesus is willing to do it for you, then maybe you can take the blame for someone in your life. Help someone smile!
Our next stop will be to see the crown of thorns… See you in April!
Your Friend, Holy Spirit!
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