Matt 27:1 Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death. (2) And having bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor.
[Part 1 of 2] Pilate, the Roman governor, had the position to judge Christ. In principle, he should have judged Him according to righteousness. The kingdom of the heavens is based upon righteousness, but chapter twenty-seven reveals that the kingdom of the world is absolutely unrighteous. This chapter affords a contrast between righteousness and unrighteousness. The earthly government, the kingdom of this world, is unrighteous, but the kingdom of the heavens, is righteous. The Lord Jesus stood before Pilate as the uniquely righteous One, yet He was condemned to death by the unrighteous worldly government. This contrast implies that the kingdom of the world cannot stand. The reason it cannot stand is that it is not built upon righteousness. However, the kingdom of the heavens and of God is altogether righteous. According to Roman law, the Sanhedrin acted illegally in arresting Christ. If Pilate had been just, he would have stopped the Sanhedrin from doing this. He would have said, "You have no right to do this because you are just a religious party. You cannot arrest people and judge them. This is illegal." Pilate did not say this because he was unrighteous and fearful. Afraid of the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate acted against Roman law...although the law was strong, the enforcement of the law was weak. Nevertheless, Pilate "washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man" (v. 24). This was a timid and irresponsible withdrawal. Verse 26 says, "Then he released to them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered Him up that He might be crucified." This was an utmost exposure of dark, unjust politics. This injustice fulfilled Isaiah 53:5 and 8. [continued tomorrow]
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee, Life-study of Matthew, pp. 805-807. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, either: Send an email to: [email protected] (No subject or message needed; a blank email will work) or visit www.emanna.com and fill out the unsubscribe form there.
