April 2
“When the chief priests and officers saw (Jesus), they cried out, saying, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.’ The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.’ Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid,” John 19:6-8.
The repeated cry, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” came from the mouths of hardened, angry sinners! There was no compassion or any feeling of pity as the people beheld the beaten, bruised, and bleeding body of Jesus! Pilate, being convinced of Jesus’ innocence, repeatedly said, “I find no fault in Him!” He tried to place it on the conscience of all those before him. “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him!” He could not make it any clearer as to how he felt.
Did any of Pilate’s remarks touch the heart and conscience of any of his hearers? It does not appear so. In response to Pilate’s efforts to lay it on their conscience, the people responded with the words, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God!”
According to the Old Testament Mosaic law, Jesus was guilty, and the Jews were demanding that the death sentence be carried out. According to the Old Testament Mosaic law, Jesus was guilty of blasphemy. Oh yes, there were some Jews who knew what was written in the Mosaic law. They were referring to what was written in Leviticus 24:16: “Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death.” It would appear that they had Scripture on their side. But they were lying!
Jesus never ‘made Himself’ the Son of God. He was and is and ever shall be the Son of God! Before He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the angel Gabriel announced to Mary, “‘Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.’ Then Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I do not know a man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God,’” Luke 1:31-35.
During the days of His public ministry, every miracle that Jesus performed proved that He was indeed the Son of God. When Jesus was crucified and died, the centurion standing on Calvary’s hill said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God,” Mark 15:39. After His resurrection, when He appeared to His fear-filled disciples, Thomas addressed Him with the greeting, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28. Yes, the Son of God became also the Son of Man so that He could fulfill the Commandments in our place, so that He could take upon Himself the sins of all of us, and so that He could suffer and die to wash away our sins. Then the Son of God and the Son of Man came forth from the tomb on Easter morning and conquered sin, death, and the devil.
The expression, “The Son of God,” filled Pilate with fear! How could he hope to stand in the presence of the Son of God on Judgment Day? He couldn’t! And neither can anyone else who rejects Jesus as the Son of God stand in His presence in eternity. But all who believe in Him and trust in Him as God’s Son and our only Savior will be welcomed by Him into the halls of heaven when we die. When the Savior comes again on Judgment Day, our bodies will be raised and reunited with our souls, and we shall forever be with the Lord in heaven!
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved! Amen!