S121P4 – The Savior’s many faces: the innocent lamb
Jn. 19:1-4
So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands. Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
He knew the law just as well as anyone else. Crime was taken very seriously in that community, and harsh punishment was the only effective deterrent. He had not set out to break the law, but that made no difference. It fell to him to correct the wrong he had committed, and he could do so only by losing his life. The day of execution came quicker than any day before it. As he was walked to the gallows, his steps grew heavier and heavier. He climbed the stairs to the platform with his head facing down from shame. Once he ascended, he lifted his eyes only to see that another man was hanging in his place, wearing the hood that bore his name.
For those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are on a very long walk to the gallows. They do not know that this day of judgment is looming, but it is there. There will be a moment when righteous punishment will be executed. For those who know the Lord, the same walk is being made, but the end will be different. Our great accuser will point the finger and draw the Father’s attention to our sins. He will plead the case for each of us to bear the punishment for our transgressions. For us, the Son will step in and point to the punishment He already bore. He died on a cross in our place, and He did so without having one charge against him.
We see people suffer great loss, and we tell ourselves that they did not deserve it. There is something inside us that wants to see a balance in the world. If we think someone is good, then we want good things for that person. When we know someone has done wrong, we want justice to be exacted. We want to charge the guilty, not the guiltless. We do not cheer on the slaying of an innocent lamb, but our reality tells us that this was necessary for us. Otherwise, our walk to the gallows would end in darkness instead of freedom, in death instead of life. Father, thank You for sending your only Son to be our sacrificial lamb, to save us from the spiritual death we deserve.