Pilate was the most powerful man in Israel in the days of Jesus.    But he was strangely helpless in carrying out his own desire to let Jesus go free, though he said, as we read today, “I find no guilt in this man” (Luke 23 v.4) and “nothing deserving of death has been done by him” (v.15) “I will release him” (v.16 and again v.22)  After all these declarations, it is strange how Pilate gives in.  When we compare the different gospel records we get a clearer picture, a key issue being that Jesus was claiming kingship.  Pilate queried him on this, but said Jesus, “My kingdom is not of this world (or age)”

So Pilate, the most powerful man in Jerusalem was indifferent to truth and justice and gave in to the demands that Jesus should be crucified; the biased and prejudiced jealous men got their way.  There is a parallel today in what happened.  Like the voices of the prejudiced religious leaders of that age, so today we have the insistent voices (and writings) of the atheistic and agnostic intellectual leaders – and they are getting really loud!

The great majority argue that evolution is true, there is no God.  These are no better than the Jewish leaders in the time of Jesus who blindfolded their minds to the heavenly power of Jesus.

When you add all the evidence of history together with the testimonies in the Bible the intelligent deeply thinking mind becomes certain that Jesus did rise from the dead and equally certain that he is the coming king,

Just as the resurrection of Jesus astonished the Jewish leaders – and those still alive suffered their deserved fate in the later destruction of Jerusalem, even so, the return of Jesus will astonish the world – and those who do not believe and are not ready for his coming, being convinced there is no God, they will perish, but only after they have seen the folly of their beliefs.

What do we believe?  Are we influenced, even held captive by the spirit that surrounds us, as Pilate was?  If we are, it is clear we are not ready for Christ’s coming – we are without hope – this life is all we have. We cannot take a ‘wait and see’ attitude, a decision has to made as to where we stand.

Oh, yes, this life is, for many, a very interesting and exciting life!   Has the world made us sort of helpless, a prisoner to all the distracting voices and activities – so that the atheistic opinions so strongly voiced that surround us dull our minds?  It cannot be too long before Christ’s kingdom is a reality!   Will you be there?  Let us fully realize we make the answer now.