“LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED” Thoughtsa from today’s Bible readings – Jan. 25th
“LET HIM BE CRUCIFIED” Thoughtsa from today’s Bible readings – Jan. 25th D.Caudery
How fickle is human nature! This is demonstrated again and again – we regularly see this in politics! It was demonstrated in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus that we read today in Matthew ch. 27. His enemies were those jealous of his popularity, they had to use the cover of darkness to arrest him – and his trial was through the night! It also demonstrated the weakness of Pilate the Roman Governor.
Pilate thought he could sway the emotions of the crowd by offering as an alternative for crucifixion “a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.”
[v.16]
But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.”
[v.20]
Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate asked, “”Why, what evil has he done?”
[v.23]
But they never answered him. We can see some comparison with the attitudes today – towards God’s word! In effect human nature today is saying, ‘Let’s do away with the Bible – it is of no value to us, it tries to restrict our freedom to do as we please.’ And so today, the Bible has been crucified! It’s wondrous message of the real meaning and purpose of all life is rejected – fleshly human thinking has ‘crucified’ it. As a ‘sop’ some teach ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ – but that is the end of the message. And less and less are listening even to that!
What are you listening to? Look at the ‘prayer’ in today’s Psalm 45, v. 6,7. “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The sceptre of your kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.” The world is largely ‘loving’ and ‘hating’ the opposite: it believes it has ‘crucified’ the Bible – we know it hasn’t, but our lives must show that. How long now before God performs the utterly wondrous miracle the Bible alone reveals !?
May we so live our lives, that we show we are at one with the apostle Paul when he wrote that he lived so ”that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” [Philpns 3 v.11] Finally, note how to the Galatians he wrote, “far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” [6 v.14] Can we say ‘Let the world all around us be crucified’ in this sense, because it offers us no future – only disaster and destruction.
