Daily Manna – January 22, 2016
Topic: From the beginning it was not so 68
Scripture: He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. (Matt 19:8)
Note: “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34)
Pilate was the quintessential politician. He knew the terrain in which he operated and understood the nuances that impacted the geopolitical platform of his era. With one stroke of a genius, he was able to use the seeming misfortune of Jesus to his political advantage in solving two problems.
Having been able to make peace with Herod, the governor of Galilee, by acknowledging his presence in Jerusalem in sending the accused Jesus to him, thus calming his political nerves and assuring him that Pilate could be trusted going forward. This same Pilate, being the political maverick that he was, managed another dubious ace step by circumventing the process of law, abandoning justice, going against his conscience after having satisfied himself that Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against him, in delivering Christ to the will of the people.
Pilate saw a loophole in the demands of the people by using the “I scratch your back, you scratch my back” principle. If he was able to bend the rules by acquiescing to the demands of the people in delivering Jesus to be crucified, he would have made himself very popular in the eyes of the religious rulers, who saw Jesus as a pain, a potential rabble rouser whose demise would ensure that the political status quo was maintained and that their perks and privileges as before were retained. Thus, Jesus became the currency trade-off for corrupt and heartless political regimes influenced by selfish and satanic motives.
Food for thought: If the Master was traded off for political gains, don’t be surprised to see similar tradeoffs for his servants.
Declaration: If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. (John 15:18)
© Author: Rev Fred Aboe
