Synoptic Gospels 5: Herald of the Kingdom (6)
Pray Psalm 72.8-11.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
Sing 72.8-11.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
And let the Righteous rule the earth, and let His foes bow low;
let nations praise His matchless worth, and all His bidding do.
Read Matthew 27.11-14; Mark 15.2-5; Luke 23.1-5; meditate on Matthew 27.11-14.
Preparation
1. What did Pilate ask Jesus?
2. How did Jesus respond to Pilate? To the chief priests and elders?
Meditation
There is no doubt concerning why we find Jesus in this situation, standing trial before a Roman governor. His enemies understood full well the claims He made about Himself: “Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King’” (Luke 23.1, 2). “Perverting the nation”? Well, yes, since He called them to turn from vain human traditions to the plain teaching of Scripture. “Forbidding to pay taxes”? Hardly. He commanded it. “Saying that He Himself is Christ, a King”? Guilty as charged. These were indeed the consistent claims our Lord made throughout the period of His incarnation. These, and that He was God.
Before Pilate, Jesus answered the question put to Him almost exactly as He had when He indicated that Judas would betray Him, and as He answered before the high priest: “It is as you say” (v. 11). Here, rather than respond in the aorist tense (simple past tense) as before (“You said it”), Jesus responded in the present tense: “It is as you are saying.” He is the “King of the Jews” and the Word Who is the I AM of God, the Word Who never fails, never changes, continues always, and is continuing yet today.
And just three short days after this trial, Jesus would be enthroned, crowned, and given a Kingdom that knows no end (Dan. 7.13, 14). Jesus could see this in advance. He could see it all, and it was the joy of seeing this, and of knowing how greatly pleased and delighted His Father was in Him, that enabled Him to withstand His trial (Heb. 12.1, 2).
When we are tried, as followers of Jesus, let us look to Him Who looks always upon us, and see the radiance of His smiling face. And let us persevere on task, come what may.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.Our God never ever says a foolish thing; nor does He say more than is necessary; nor does He speak deeply with those who are perpetually mistaken—well, fools.
“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Prov. 26.4, 5).
Jesus is the absolute master of this proverb. Every time He engaged an adversary in conversation, He was responding one way or the other. It is glorious to watch Him maneuver this tactic throughout the gospels. As pertains to everything about Jesus, we have a lot to learn.
And here, in these passages, He was already into His sorrows, and just hours away from unimaginable suffering (which He knew was coming), and yet He remained wise; with a loving heart to teach all who were observing Him.
To Pilate He answered:
“It is as you say” (Matt. 27.11). I AM King.
To the chief priests and elders who knew exactly Who He was yet were provoking, cruel, and foolish:
“He answered them nothing” (Matt. 27.12).
Then back to Pilate who seemed to be urging Him to answer the religious:
“He answered him not one word” (Matt. 27.14).
What can we take away from our observation of Jesus?
We must strive to gain His wisdom and His loving heart.
What do we learn about our King?
He is all-wise and all-perfection.
How will we learn to be wise and loving?
By meditating in His Word day and night.
How should we think and pray about our longing to be like Him?
What can we do to please and serve our King?
We can take to heart Solomon’s words spoken at the dedication of the temple:
“Blessed be the LORD, Who has given rest to His people…according to all that He promised.
There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.
May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers.
May He not leave us nor forsake us,
that He may incline our hearts to Himself,
to walk in all His ways, and
to keep His commandments and
His statutes and His judgments,
which He commanded our fathers.
And may these words of mine,
with which I have made supplication before the LORD,
be near the LORD our God day and night,
that He may maintain the cause of His servant and
the cause of His people…
as each day may require,
that all the people of the earth
may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.
Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God,
to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day” (1 Kin. 8.56-61).
And we have our dear Savior’s promise of help when we are on trial as He was: “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Lk. 12.11, 12). Thank You, mighty King, for Your sufficient grace in our weakness (2 Cor. 12.9).
Reflection
1. How can you keep your eye on the “joy set down before you” when you’re going through a difficult time?
2. Jesus did not argue with His opponents. Why do you suppose He didn’t do that?
3. How will you serve our victorious King Jesus today?
What does Christ answer to Pilate’s question? “You have said so.” He confessed that he was [indeed] a king, but a heavenly king. This would be made clearer elsewhere when he replied more specifically to Pilate, “My kingship is not of this world.”John Chrysostom (344-407), Gospel of Matthew, Homily 86.1
Pray Psalm 72.15-19.
Jesus is King! King of all nations! King of all creation! How will you serve your King today? Talk with Him about the day ahead, and honor Him as your King.
Sing 72.15-19.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed)
Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right;
let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night.
And let the earth abound with grain, let fields His fame proclaim;
and may our King forever reign and nations bless His great Name.
Now bless the God of Israel Who wondrous works performs.
And bless His Name, His glory tell both now and forevermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast begins a new series on Monday as we work our way through the book, Understanding the Times. In our twice-weekly Crosfigell column we have begun a new series on Brendan, called “The Navigator.” Why was he called that? Join us and find out. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
